Raheem Adedoyin, is a Veteran Journalist and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, he speaks with our Correspondent, Kayode Abdulazeez in Ilorin on the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections as it affects the old order, the Saraki Dynasty and other issues of priority in the state.
As a former member of the PDP NEC that admitted Senator Bukola Saraki into PDP and worked for his emergence as governorship candidate of the party, what quality did you see in him then that made you and others to support him?
We didn’t admit Dr. Bukola Saraki, we admitted late Dr. Olusola Saraki (Oloye) with his colossal political platform.
The coming of Oloye into PDP in 2002 was not as easy as it was made to look then. We had a choice: either late Governor Mohammed Lawal or late Dr Olushola Saraki. But when we evaluated the electoral strength of both camps, we decided that it was better we go with Oloye. And Oloye made a direct effort to partner with PDP, having been rooted out in his APP by the Lawal’s camp.
As PDP NEC member from Kwara, operating from the party’s headquarters in Abuja, I was deeply involved in the negotiations that brought in Oloye. It was so tough that both the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the then PDP National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbe had to come down to Kwara state to conclude the pact with Oloye.
What quality did you see in Bukola?
It was not about Dr Bukola Saraki, but more about his father. ABS was not a politician at that time. Of course, he came from a formidable political family but he was not a political force as at that time. It was his father, the personification of the Saraki dynasty, who negotiated with PDP and who was accepted as a strong partner of PDP. Dr Olushola Saraki was a colossus, he had always won elections in Kwara and we were determined that Kwara should go PDP in 2003 and having him on our side was seen as a great asset. PDP itself was very competitive; in the 1999 election, Saraki’s APP had less than 50 percent of the votes.
So, PDP on its own was fairly strong but we needed a stronger force to be able to rescue power from the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) in Kwara State. So, it was Saraki’s electoral weight and his popularity in Kwara State that encouraged us to admit his structure into PDP.
Was it part of the agreement that his Son Bukola Saraki would be PDP governorship candidate in 2003 election?
That was not on the table, I mean it was not a card played by Oloye himself. The emergence of Dr Bukola Saraki was not simply Oloye’s own making. A number of influencers, younger elements, professionals and chieftains of the Oloye dynasty canvassed independently for ABS.
But the selling point for ABS at that time was the generational issue. Many of them believed he was their own generation, that he would be a good Ambassador of the youth, the professionally-competent and following the footsteps of his philanthropic father, the downtrodden.
As a former member of his kitchen cabinet throughout his 8 years as governor of the state, did he lived to people’s expectations in terms of delivery of service and human management?
Laugh, I do not know about kitchen cabinet, I know I was a Commissioner for Information and later education. I admit, though, that I was quite strong in the cabinet. You see, one of the good things about the first term of ABS was that he assembled a good, competent team. The 2003 cabinet was solid, made up of people who had a pedigree, people who were outstanding in their chosen professions and people with independent thoughts. It was a cabinet of solid professional background included Dr. Bola Olaosebikan (a renown medical practitioner and famous author of a medical journal, Alh. AbdulFatah Ahmed (notable banker, Dr. Femi Ogunsola ( an accomplished educationalist), Dr. Abraham Ashaolu (a vetnary doctor and former member, House of Representatives), Alh. Mashood Mustapha(a successful business man from a reputable family in Ilorin ), Aliyu Lade Mohammed ( a retired Central Bank of India), Hajia Nimota Ibrahim (another notable educationist), Alh Gani Olododo (a former elected Council Chairman), Saka Isau, (notable lawyer) and many others.
But please note that it was not Gov. Bukola Saraki alone who picked the cabinet members; Oloye was instrumental to the emergence of many. But the good thing was that the father looked for people with experience and pedigree who had the capacity to deliver on their mandates. What made ABS successful then was the cabinet that acted like a cabinet, not a rubber stamp cabinet. I know about some occasions when the governor had previously approved memos by commissioners but the memos were rejected by the council after thorough debate at the council. So, that is the type of thing that should return to kwara; we want to see a vibrant cabinet, with people who have the capacity and competency for the job.
What do you think is responsible for the political trauma Senator Bukola is going through now?
Well, I think it is bound to happen, every dynasty eventually comes to an end. The dynasty was already crippled in 2011 through hostile internal power grab. From then on, it was shrinking, not expanding. A full-blown dictatorship took over and no one had any relevance anymore. People in the structure were just playing survival game. But what has happened is beyond ABS. It is not like politicians crushed Bukola Saraki, it is just that the people themselves revolted over the dysfunction in governance, accumulated grievances over electoral manipulations and disempowerment of the political class, et cetra. The dam finally busted. But I give it to the people; It is the triumph of people, not of the politicians.
As one of the focal persons for, why do you think Kwara need political liberation now, considering the fact that you were one of the actors in Bukola camp then?
Liberation is a loose word. But talking about being an actor, I served in the government; I did not serve an individual. Of course , Gov. Saraki showed leadership and it showed in his performance from 2003-2007. I was already a national officer; I was already a national figure, professionally and politically. I was in government as a matter of public service, there was no favour, there were no strings attached. As I said earlier, ABS assembled a team that was able to give him a lot of accolades for good performance in his first term.
What I believe went wrong is first, the leadership was no longer paying attention to competency and team work; secondly, the system had become too autocratic, giving no room for internal democracy, branding dissenters as dissidents, turning blind eye to complaints of mis-governance, especially, at the grassroots level. But I’m sure that in few years’ time, people will reflect on the leadership of ABS and acknowledge the good things he had done but which are presently drowned by his negatives.
Do you think people made up of APC now have the needed experience and capacity to birth a new Kwara promised Kwarans?
What you need to look at first is, who is politically at the helm of change movement in Kwara? That is AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, the author of the classic O to ge (Enough Is Enough) slogan. That is our standard-bearer. Look at his antecedents; he is from a noble family and a successful businessman. He is on the quite side, an introvert, if you like. You underrate him to your own peril. He talks less, even seemingly slow in taking action but you get to see and appreciate the positive results of what he does. He will be a good captain of our ship in Kwara state. I have seen his leadership capacity; I was one of the people that put together his campaign manifesto for governance.
He participated actively in putting the document together. He knows what he wants to do as Governor and the means to doing those things well. Everything in that document (Manifesto) is internalized by AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq. Above all, he has seen first for himself, first-hand information during his extensive electioneering campaign tour of the state, the infrastructural decay and the basic necessities of life that are lacking in the state. I am pretty sure that, with a good team which he has promised to assemble, he will deliver on his mandate to turn things around in our state. So, I look forward to a very progressive government in Kwara state.
Do you have any special areas in mind that you think APC needs to give attention to when eventually take over the mantle of leadership in the state?
It is all spelt out in the manifesto which by the way has been published online: youth development, infrastructural development, education revival, health care improvement, enterprise, local government autonomy and, of course, Agriculture. An APC government will also focus on human and capital development, Abdulrasaq has equally promised a robust public service reform.
Is there any lesson you think politicians can learn from Bukola Saraki Political downfall?
Well, I do not think we should be demonizing Senator Bukola Saraki, He is a cerebral politician. He made his mistakes, some of them avoidably tragic, but it is likely that in few years’ time, people will remember him for some good things he did. But the main lesson is that no one should play God; we should embrace democratic tenets in our political life and do our best in a manner that will make people have genuine affection and love for us.