Renowned elder statesman and a PDP presidential aspirant, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who turned 70 a few days back, has waded into the internal crisis rocking the APC, as regards the proposed adoption of a consensus presidential candidate, which doesn’t seem palatable to the majority of the party big wigs.
In his recent interview with CityPeople, a few days ago, Dr. Okupe stated that Asiwaju is the best bet for the party, but hinted that he is not the favoured candidate of President Buhari and his loyalists who are the promoters of the adoption of consensus policy. During the interview, he went down the history lane of how Asiwaju has proven to be the best alternative for the ruling party and suggested 2 ways out of the uncertainties of his adoption as the party presidential flagbearer.
Read the Excerpts below…
What’s the place of a 3rd force?
There’s no third force that has a personality as the head. That is not a third force by definition A real third force is a conglomeration of high-ranking politicians from the major party.
Once that is achieved, you will know that is where the President will come out. It’s like a rainbow in the sky. There must be a merging of big shots from major parties. Without that, they are just masturbating.
How do you see Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s effort, so far?
You see, I know him very well. Asiwaju and I used to be very close, but the incident I’m about to tell you, about caused us to move apart a bit. Some group had gone to see him, and I was invited. I was new to that group. I don’t know their details or philosophy, but I was invited to follow them to meet with Asiwaju.
While we were there, Asiwaju called on me and said I cannot be there and not say anything. So I told him two things:
One, in 1979 when NPN and UPN are contesting, I told him that the Yorubas in UPN can discountenance the Yorubas in the NPN because we were not many. We were less than 10 percent. So you can disregard us because we did not form any major impactful group at the time, but today the situation has changed. I told him the Yorubas that are not in your camp constitute about 40 percent entire Yoruba race, and even CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) believes that if you own 40 percent of any company’s share, you are as good as the owner. We that are not under your umbrella, we are not against your leadership, yet, you continue to fence us out and move with only your cluster of people with that you have always been together. I told him, anywhere you go you cannot be complete without us.
Secondly, I said from what God has done in your life, you are a special being from God, so if I were you, whatever I am going to do after now was going to be determined by God, not by my effort. This man was still alive at that time, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi. He was also at the meeting.
That is why I think, left to me, Asiwau is even too big to be running for the presidency. He should be the one that the president has to be consulting.
See, I have been in the presidency twice. There are people who are bigger than the President in this country. Asiwaju would have been such a person. That was what I told him that day.
But as to Competence, believe me, sincerely, he is capable. I have had interactions with him and I have great respect for his wisdom.
What do you also make of VP Osinbajo’s ambition?
Aaah. As long as Asiwaju is still in the ring, Agbo meji ko le mu omi ninu ikoto kan (two sheep cannot drink from a gourd at a time). They can only drink one after the other. Mark my words.
If you were to advise Asiwaju, on what next to do, what would you tell him?
If I were to be Asiwaju and I would have seen the handwriting on the wall that the presidential candidate of the APC will be chosen by Consensus.
It is highly improbable that the candidate will be Asiwaju. So, to thine own self, be true. If I were Asiwaju, I have 2 choices before me. One is to play a soft one, as a matured politician and wait for another battle. I will go and meet Buhari, seek a private audience with him and tell him, “Mr President, I have helped you, and by the grace of God, God used me to bring you to power, but for whatever reasons best known to you, you are not willing to return that good turn. I have accepted, and I have come here to stretch my hand of fellowship. Let’s do it together as we did before. Whoever your candidate is, let him be my candidate. Call your candidate and let the two of us speak with him and we go on from there”.
That way, Asiwaju is not going to lose face. Buhari is likely going to fade away after this election, but Asiwaju is not going to fade away.
And you don’t have to be President to have power if the president is close to you if he’s at your beck and call if he will come to Lagos and has to stop over at your house if you call the President on your phone and book an appointment with him anytime. Haba. This life throws punches at us at different times, we must learn how to take them.
The second one, and the more dangerous one, is having come to the realization that they will not pick you, and with the tremendous amount of resources that you have, you know in politics you teach each other a lesson. The President as I told you is limited on his part. If Asiwaju pulls out his people, it will be detrimental to the party. You will be shocked how all other parties will be willing to join forces with him and the third force.
In fact, that is when you can even say you have a third force.
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