Alonge-Niyi: I am best to lead Ondo PDP

TRACKING_____Arole Dennis Alonge-Niyi is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship aspirant in Ondo State. In this interview with Osagie Otabor, he promises to rebuild the party to reclaim power during the governorship election.

Why do you think you are the best to lead Ondo PDP?

I have been priviledged to serve from the grassroots in this state. I was the chairman of Ose local government between 2003 and 2007.

Having completed that assignment, I was appointed to serve as Senior Special Assistant to former Governor Olusegun Agagu on Due Process and Procurement for the entire 18 local government areas.

After the short life span of the administration, I was appointed as Senior Legislative Assistant to Senator Olajumoke. From there, I was elected as the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP.

During the crisis, I was elevated to become the National Youth Leader under Senator Alli Modu Sheriff. In 2015 presidential election, I led the Nigeria youths as the chairman of Presidential Youths Mobilisation Committee.

When you put all these experiences and exposure together, you will agree I have all the experience and exposure to lead the PDP in Ondo.

It is my determination that we need to restructure our party. Moreover, the October governorship is fast approaching. My desire is not borne out of selfishness but to serve.

Ondo PDP is not acting as a major opposition party. What difference will you make?

I will agree with you that we in the PDP are not doing enough as a party in opposition. An opposition party should see themselves as an alternative government.

As it is today, the PDP should be looking at itself as the party people are looking up to or government in waiting. It is quite unfortunate that the party structure and organs as presently constituted are weak.

There is no argument about that. Thank God there is no crisis. When an organ of a party is weak, hardly can it meet up with the yearnings of the people.

The yearnings of the Ondo people is to see a vibrant opposition which virtually is not on ground. The state party presently led by Engr Faboyede is busy on how to install a successor rather than putting the government on its toes.

Unless there is a change, unless there is a highly determined party members who will be constituted as new executive of the party with the blessing of the people, the ability to be a vibrant opposition will be missing.

Is the PDP zoning formular is it to your favour?

The PDP current zoning arrangement is to our favour not to my favour. Zoning has been done in terms of block. Block A to Ondo South, Block B to Central and Block C to the North.

I am from Ondo North where the chairmanship has been Zone to. I believe I have the right of aspire having garnered all the need experience to pilot affairs of the PDP in Ondo State.

Do you think zoning will work for the PDP as regards the governorship candidate?

As a senior member of the Ondo PDP, I can tell you there is no where in Ondo State that the party leaders sat down to do any zoning as far as the issue of gubernatorial candidate is concern.

Let me say that practically in the minds of the people, this rotational principle is with them. Where party does not honour them, the people will vote otherwise. During the time of Mimiko, he bastardised zoning principle.

He insisted on doing what he wanted to do. At the December 2016 election, the pattern of voting reflected principle of zoning.

The whole state was looking on Mimiko to pick a candidate from Edo North. Adefarati spent four years, Agagu spent six years and Mimiko spent eight years.

He wanted to give to another person from the Central where he hails from and that worked against the PDP.

That brought a lot of crisis and the PDP was factionalised. This time we are lucky we are speaking with one voice. But no party leader has met to do any zoning. That does not mean the PDP does not recognise the principle of zoning.

If you are asked to step down, will you do that?

If I am asked to do that, I will say yes and I will say no. Yes in the sense that if the party leadership are genuine. No, in the sense that, as it is currently today we have two contestants and the people know I have more exposure and the ability to lead the party more than my opponent. You cannot keep your best player on reserve bench when he has no injury.

Do you think your party will be having problem, if the lock down last till May or April?

It is unfortunate Nigeria is now a target due to the insensibility of the leaders. When you relate that to governorship election in Ondo, what we are left to is prayers to God to intervene in our course.

Not just for the election but for the threatening epidemic. Whether it will affect our programme or not but remember that all the parties participating in the election will pass through this process.

The process is not limited to the PDP. It was a proactive step to put the PDP Congress on hold. That the programme has been shifted, I don’t see how it will be a threat for the governorship election.

We have the National Assembly, election can be held 30 days to handing over date. We should go back and pray to God to put an end to this virus.

Can the PDP win the governorship election?

That question does not arise at all. It we will not win the election, we will not be preparing for it. The PDP chances of winning is brighter than it was four years ago. There is no crisis in the party and there wouldn’t be any.

The focus and attention of the people have shifted from then Governor Mimiko to Akeredolu. Assessment of his performance will form the voting pattern.

From what we are seeing, people believe the present government has not met their aspiration. The PDP stands a better chance today as it was four years ago.

The PDP will win if I become the chairman because of my fighting spirit. We are talking to the Unity Forum of the APC. The larger majority want to come back to the PDP.

Even those who were in AD are talking to us. They want to come back. They want a dogged fighter and a man they can queue behind and not just a dummy. We will win the election based on a projected new executives to pilot affairs of the party.

What are the things you will do differently?

Our party needs restructuring but some of our people termed it sending some people packing or retiring some leaders. That is not restructuring.

The restructuring I mean is that we go for aggressive recruitment. We have not had enough members and people say we want to send some away.

We willdo things along the constitutional provision of our party. The constitution of the PDP will comes first. That will be our bible. The only way we have gone astray is that we have brought in impunity.

We have decided to throw the party’s constitution aside. Our restructuring means doing things in line with laid down principles of our party.

If we do that there will be reward for hard work. We will not be promoting failures. We will not be promoting men and women who have chosen to stay away but when the food is ready, they are waiting to be served.

We will played our role as opposition in this state. By the time we played our role as expected by the people, the party will get the people’s sympathy.

Where this government has failed is more higher than where they have performed. We will use the party to promote young men and women in the street. Everybody want to be part of the PDP but they have not been recognised.

If I win, I will give recognition to both the old, women and our youths. Funding will be given adequate attention. As it is today, staff in the Ondo PDP are owed 14 months salary.

Such a party is already dead and we will wake it up. God willing as from May 1st, we will give our gubernatorial aspiration a new face in Ondo State. We already have a plan to be executed.

This plan will start by giving our aspirant room to dialogue. When you do that, they will know the quality of people contesting, they will know the seriousness and ability within themselves.

By the time they sit down, they will know who is better off. With that, zoning will be eliminated. Zoning may take root where buck votes will come from.

Your opponents said you were elected as a national office, but you caused crisis in the party…

I have heard this severally. Some said I am a Sheriff man. I never knew Sheriff. While I was National Officer, I joined other leaders to welcome Mimiko to the PDP in Ondo State.

Shortly after he came on board, the first agenda he brought was to divide the party. I stood my ground and kicked against it. He then saw me as enemy.

In the process, none of Ondo State Leader came out of their shell to join me. I was a lone fighter. This led to a situation when Governors were fighting Sheriff.

I looked at the discussions Mimiko had with us, the G84 when he was begging that we should support Sheriff. He never came back to tell us why Sheriff is bad.

I have a name to protect but he never told us the sins of Sheriff. I stood by Sheriff. The day the Supremer Court made a pronouncement I remained in the PDP even when Sheriff moved to join the APC.

I stayed behind. In Ondo PDP, I should be a man to be worshipped. They should see me as a saviour and not a traitor because when I was fighting others were waiting for the crumbs from Mimiko.

I have never taken position to which I denied people employment. The records are there when I served as local government chairman. I am still the toast of that local government. Nobody can refer to me as a selfish politician.