Senator Gbenga Obadara is a popular Ogun politician and the head of the Ogun State Chapter of South West Agenda (SWAGA). So effective has the group been that it has become a force to reckon with. All across the state, it has won converts for Asiwaju Tinubu, the APC National leader. Obadara leads a formidable team that is up to the task of co-ordinating this political group which is meant to prepare the grounds for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed’s Presidential ambition in 2023.
Last week, Obadara spoke to City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE and SUNDAY ADIGUN on how his team plans to secure Ogun State for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu come 2023. It’s an interesting interview. Below are excerpts.
I would like you to tell us how you have been able to galvanise Ogun State for SWAGA movement. How has it been? What is your experience like and what is the focus?
The situation of the country; not only politicians but to any average person, after 4 or 8 years of any government, we must usher in another government. Look at Nigeria’s geopolitical zones; the North-West, North-East, North-Central. We are talking of the South-West, South-East and South-South. We are clamouring that power should shift to the South. Why are we doing that? For quality sake. It has never been South-North.
Whenever it comes to the North, it will be among the 3 geopolitical, the same thing with the South. But when we now narrow it down to the South of the country; we look at the party we have APC. APC, as a party is controlling 5 states in the South-West.
In the South-South, we were not in control of any state before Imo came. When Imo came under Okorocha, you could see what happened. And we are talking of the South-South, there was none but Edo State. Edo State was there but not in our party anymore. Now, talking of the election, election is about people. Election is about where you control your territory. Do we now say because South-East has never been President, we will now take the presidency to the state where we have 2 governors? Have we not lost that election from the beginning? If you really want to win an election, election is about numbers, and in considering that, we thought about the South West. By the time we now say in the South-West of Nigeria, we believe we must bring in our best choice. We must bring out somebody that, given the circumstances, will win that ticket. That is why we narrowed the search down to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
If we put everything down in the South-West, talking of political class, this position is not just a position you can put just anybody. This job requires experience. This job requires a lot of in depth knowledge, and requires a good mental state of the person, for him to deliver as expected. That’s why we agreed to roll out first South-West agenda, and also agreed on Asiwaju.
Everybody who knows Asiwaju, knows what he has done in the past. He is a selfless man.
This is a man that was once a Senator in 1991, he was supposed to go for the 2nd term in 2003, he already had the ticket but gave it to Solomon (GOS). How many governors of today can do that? How many are ready to make that kind of sacrifice? and that is why there are so much underdevelopment, because the Senator that has done well, you move him out because of your own selfish interest. Meanwhile, some of them are just going there to sleep. They don’t even talk, they just want to acquire that status.
Look at what this man did when former President Obasanjo stopped his allocation for almost 6 years! Look at how many people this man has raised; in terms of Vice Presidency, Senators, Governors, House of Reps Members. He has touched many people’s lives.
Where is that person that has that reach across 36 states? So, we just must be able to work as one, in order to get there. If you are talking of the attributes, talking of the personality, talking of depth, it’s Asiwaju.
Look at the man that was able to nominate graciously the person that is competent when they were looking for Vice President for Buhari? How many men can do that, how many men will not first think of themselves, better still scatter everything. This is a federal man. He is a national figure. By the time we started, many people that we called to join the wagon, including present governors. All of them couldn’t bring their head out, they were afraid.
But a time has come in life that you must stand to be counted.
To God be the glory, I am a Senator today, if by the responsibility bestowed in that office you cannot be able to speak the truth, you are not worthy to be in that position. We called ourselves to start at the federal level. We asked for people that are interested, but to God be the glory, see what it is today. People are clamouring to come into SWAGA. May God bless Gov. Sanwo-Olu with what he did for us in Lagos State. Look at the number of top officials from him, that came for the event.
In Ogun State, I thank Governor Dapo Abiodun for the support he gave. The same thing I will say of Ogbeni Akeredolu and Osun State Governor. They did their best. The launching in Oyo State was also awesome even though we don’t have a governor there. I am proud to say that we have changed the game. The National Working Committee is being led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye, a Senator of the Federal Republic. That is the calibre of people we have in the movement. He has been to nothing less than 150 palaces, people of influence, our leaders in the South-West, even the riverine areas in Ondo State.
We have been everywhere, Akwa Ibom has started the SWAGA movement. The same thing in Kogi now. I am sure you heard what they said in Kano last Friday? All the members of the State Assembly in Kano declared support for Asiwaju Tinubu. The same thing is happening in Delta, Edo. Have you heard of Kwara supports SWAGA? Why? Because we have done our due diligence, because we have shown temperament that will aid the success of our principal. As I said, except Asiwaju Bola Tinubu says he is not contesting, it is then we can bring another Yoruba man from the South-West. As at today, we see him as the most qualified.
You must be able to bring a material out that will have good deliverables. That is why we are passionate about SWAGA, and passionate to bring our best person out in the present time.
What if he says he is not interested?
Very good question. Just like I mentioned that, unless at the end of the day he says “please, I am not interested” then we start looking for other people from the South-West. We are not militant on this, we are fighting because of Yorubaland. We are fighting because there must be a South-West person, but in a league of those people that are qualified, the most qualified must be projected. You can see that we are doing a good job, balancing job. So, I can say this without being immodest, by God’s grace, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will yield to our yearnings, God will touch his heart. Not only him but for the posterity of the Yorubaland and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the last few days, we have seen a lot of Yoruba leaders going to have discussions with him, and I am wondering what does that say about Asiwaju?
No matter the differences between us, God gave us one thing in Yorubaland, which is to stay together. We suffered during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s time, we suffered during Moshood Abiola’s time and I believe we don’t want to fall in the same pit again. That is why it is very much important for us to come together.
Look at somebody that went for about 3 months for knee surgery. It is only in our clan here that we see knee surgery as a bigger disease than even death. A knee surgery is required by any man after the age of 50, 60, it’s not such a big deal. If for Asiwaju to have gone for 3 months and you are rumouring his death, because of knee surgery, does having knee surgery mean death sentence? People went there with joy, despite the rumour that he has died. Lots of our elders have been there to wish him well which is normal. What they are doing is fantastic and I pray God will bless their home.
Not only that, you can see the Chairman of our party, Gov. Bunu was there last night, and many other people, even from the North, from the East. Ken Nnamani, Ayo Fayose has been there. This is not about a party. That is how relationship is built in this part of the world, and I can only wish Asiwaju more vigorous years. May God strengthen him, bless him and keep him for us in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
As a candidate, what is the strength of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
As a candidate which God will make him to be, his strength is phenomenal. You can see what happened in 1993, with Hope 93 Abiola, you can see how phenomenal Abiola was, then, this is going to be another re-incarnation. Tell me in the 774 wards of the Federal Republic where Asiwaju’s name is not in their hearts? Tell me in the 36 states and federal capital territory where Asiwaju is not a symbol? The same thing happened with President Mohammadu Buhari.
Imagine he came in, contested 3 times, and at the 4th time when Asiwaju collaborated with him, what happened? He became the President. There was a combination of forces, a combination of interest groups. That is Asiwaju. He has rebuilt bridges, and he has been doing that for several years. I am sure you must have read about his antecedent when he was in the Senate. I am very sure with all the bridges he has rebuilt over years, this is the payback time for him.
How do you also see those that are saying it’s not the time for South-West yet?
Power has always been rotated between South and North. That is why I said to you, to win an election is a game of numbers. Do we take it to where we have only 1 governor? Or do we take it to where we have only 2 states, and even these 2 states, we only won bi-election, the governor decamped, or where we have 5 clear states? We can’t say because we want it to come to the South and we will now take it to where there is no vote to win that election. It is not a sympathy thing. It is built on what you have, it is built on strength. That is why we say South-West Agenda (SWAGA 23).
How come other candidates are not coming out?
If they want to come out, they are free. Let people screen you. Let people judge you, let people assess you. Let people see your antecedent. Let people mirror you. You want to contest in 2023, and today is 25th October and you want to run and you have not come out to register your interest, is that the way it works? You need to have prepared your mind and soul, you need to have done lots of things. We don’t want an unprepared President. If the person that wants to contest has not come out today, whose fault is it?
How do you also take the fact that the other candidates from your party and other parties are not coming out?
I may not be able to talk of other parties like PDP because definitely, they must have their candidates. But in the South-West here, in my party, that is what we are saying. If anybody is interested, they should come out. If both of us go to the same market to go and buy cloth, the one I like may not be the one you like, by the time we get home, everybody will know the quality of cloth we bought.
We can say the only cloth we have in the present time, that is highly marketable is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Let other persons bring their own cloth, out, after it’s one man one vote. Everywhere we needed to go, we have done that, as at today, SWAGA is in every home. Even the Northerners have adopted it, the same thing in the East and I can tell you my brother, there are many other pressure groups, coming out, galvanising for Asiwaju, they are doing their best as well. At the end of the day, we are working towards the same goal, but I am in SWAGA. I am the one to market my product, I can go on NTA marketing my own, you go on Channels marketing your own. You are in the media, most times I can go into media buying, I can buy OGBC, I can buy Ekiti Broadcasting Corporation, and I can ask another advertising company to go and buy for me in Kaduna, it depends on where you want to do your marketing, at the end of the day, its for that product to gain the ground, and by God’s grace, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s candidacy is sure.
What did it take for you to be part of the SWAGA movement because I know you as a very disciplined and principled man?
Let me tell you one thing, in all these things we are doing, there’s not one kobo from Asiwaju Bola in it. I am bold to say that, not one kobo from anybody. We contributed our own money, our own sweat, since we started last year. To everywhere we went, to the inauguration, media shows, etc by God’s grace, we bankrolled it. To come into the fold is very easy, have the spirit that this thing must come to the South-West. Have the spirit to part of that movement, that the power must come to the South-West. Be disciplined, be a person of impeccable character, be humble with yourself, no arrogance. Have the conviction that what you are marketing is a product. Know that you are marketing the best product and have the confidence to defend it, and above all you have to be an Omoluabi, no thuggery, no act of violence, just be the true spirit of Omoluabi. Having done all those, I know we have satisfied one thing which is “diligence”.
We have presence in polling units now, in every wards, they are having their meetings every Sunday. In every senatorials, they are having their officers. SWAGA is not limited to APC, it’s not limited to anything. There are many people we have met, we have visited that are not politicians, the likes of Falae, Baba Fasoranti, Ayo Adebanjo.
We have been to Otunba Gbenga Daniel before he joined APC, we have been to Ooni. We have been to Alaafin, Olubadan, Alake, Akarigbo. we have been to Badagry. We have been to Aladesanmi. We are talking about Deji of Akure, we have been to all these Obas, you needed to be there, to hear all the prayers and all good things they said about Asiwaju. The kings are not politicians but they are bringing who they know can better the lot of the Federal Republic as our candidate in Yorubaland.
When you were into politics several years back, many didn’t know that you are going to stay this long, looking back, how has it been?
My friend, my late wonderful brother, Otunba Dipo Dina, virtually drafted me into politics. When I was in the University, I was the Public Relations Officer of the University of Benin. I was for many years a member of the Student Representative Council. I was at a time a Speaker before I later became Publicity Secretary in my final year. Activism has been part of me, but by the time I left school for greener pastures, Otunba Dipo Dina was contesting, then as brothers, we started allocating roles, that we had to fix candidates for senatorial.
Then he discussed with me how he wants me to stand in so we can take control of Ogun Central, to God be the glory, I did that in 2006.
To God be the glory, I got into the Senate 10 years ago. I was in the ECOWAS parliament, representing Nigeria for 4 years. I was in the United Nations representing ECOWAS simultaneously for that 4 years and that has really exposed me a lot into the world of politicians. The peak of the career of any politician is to be in the United Nations where you have the ability to stand up on one stage to address the world. So I will continue to thank God for the exposure. Life has taken me round 15 West African States. I thank God for that. And that is one of the reasons why I dedicated myself to serve my people meritoriously.
Go to Ogun Central, everything is on record. I left the Senate 6 years ago and my responsibility has not dwindled, neither has my recognition, it has been growing in leaps and bounds. As I was building schools, facilitating the construction of amenities, talking of furnitures, talking of health centres, community halls, talking of street lights, talking of grading their roads. Effectively bringing succour to the needs. Infrastructural development, empowerment, without being immodest, I still count myself to be the best as at today,
Would you say that the effort you put in place to make SWAGA work in Ogun State will work for SWAGA?
By God’s grace, Ogun State is prepared for SWAGA. When SWAGA was launched at the conference, you needed to see the crowd, you needed to see people from every Local Government. You needed to see the interest and involvement. We have exhausted 3 platforms on Whatsapp, we have to migrate to Telegram and the Telegram group was having almost 7000, that is Ogun Central. As at today, in Ogun Central alone, the people on our platforms are more than 12,000 and what is the percentage of politicians? We are not up to 10%,. I can tell you today SWAGA in Ogun State, we are about 2/3 million. So Ogun people are prepared, they are ready and they are Swagalicious. I can tell you by God’s grace.
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