I thank you for your letter dated August 14th,
2016 in response to mine of August 11th,
2016. Although much damage has actually
been done to current party’s interest in this
serious governorship contest, I am grateful for
the assurances (a) that Ondo State
Governorship Primary will be FREE and FAIR
devoid of UNDUE INFLUENCE.
With this kind assurance, you may now wish, in
the interest of FAIRNESS, to re-direct (i) The
APC State Chairman (ii) The Chairman of the
Chairmen of LGAs, (iii) The Chairman of Ward
Chairmen all of who received the directives at
the meeting held with you on 31.7.2016 to
now focus on fair play at the governorship
primary, instead of the candidate you gave
them.
Please do note that in keeping with your
instruction, they have begun an extensive
scheme to ensure that the “Candidate of the
Party” that is my brother Mr Segun Abraham
whom you directed them to support wins by all
means possible. In short contrary to this new
assurance, they are exerting much “UNDUE
INFLUENCE” on delegates to favour, unfairly
the aspirant you presented to them to the
detriment of peace, order and good Party
process and leadership and especially the just
interest of other Aspirants in Ondo state
Now Asiwaju coming to the content of your
letter to wit:
“In your pursuit of office, you have sought my
support and influence. When you sought that
support, you thought it proper and democratic
to do so. If I had signaled my support for you,
I am sure that you would never have written
this letter alleging that I was undermining the
democratic will of the people. You would have
been pleased with me, I suppose.”
I must express great surprise at this
representation. While a number of Aspirants as
it was their prerogative visited or approached
you, in this season of politics, perhaps for
support, with public celebration and photo-
taking in many cases, I have NEVER done so.
Further, I observed in your letter that you
neither provided details of any, such visit or
representation for support such as time or
place, mode or manner or your hallowed
response to my search for your support such
as time or place, mode or manner or your
hallowed response to my search for your
support as the leader of our Party.
Since 2007 I have only discussed the issue of
Ondo State governorship election with you on
ONLY Two (2) occasions. The first was when
you invited me to your house Bourdillon
through Chief Pius Akinyelere (an Ondo State
indigene) to release the news of the selection
my friend Rotimi Akeredolu. The second was
when I visited you in your freedom House
office in 2012 to re-assure you, considering the
defeat at the election in spite of all the money
you spent.
As I noted in my letter of August 11th, 2016 I
unequivocably disagreed disagreed with the
method of selecting a candidate in the 2012
election as I believed it unfairly and unjustly
titled the scale of fairness against all other
competitors.
As a matter of fact I remember that
immediately I left your house I called Mr.
Akeredolu the then candidate selected by you,
who is at any rate a close friend, to fully brief
him on our discussion. I remember saying to
him categorically then “if I were you I would
reject this selection and insist on fair primary.”
Believe me, if you make me the Party’s
candidate before a Primary I will reject such
offer. I have never accepted a gain at the
detriment of others. I just don’t think it is
proper or just to declare one of us in first
position among examinees before we all enter
the Hall.
While I agree that you are entitled as a matter
of right to support who you choose in the
governorship contest including me, I hold the
view that in your esteemed position as an
examiner and considering the delicacy of the
adventure in issue, especially the
demonstrable consequences of electoral failure
because of the character of our people in Ondo
State, in the case of candidate imposition and
especially when one reviews our party’s poor
performance on 2012, I would not expect that
your personal preference for an Aspirant should
be made the Party’s candidate as you did in
the meeting of 31.7.2016.
I maintain, based on the reliable information of
attendees that your meeting with the party
leaders go beyond mere “purported meeting”
or “assembly and talk” as observed in your
letter. You told them who the candidate of the
Party would be and directed them to work for
him assuring them of your financial support. I
maintain that considering that all Aspirants had
all been subjected to the same processes
including serious conditional payments, it
would have been expected, that as a National
leader of the APC and especially as you have
at any rate severally assured many Aspirant
who came to you, that the Party would
guarantee to all, equal protection in the
process, you would have refrained from
directing the Party to support and Aspirant.
Your summoning of party officials to the
31.7.2016 meeting and your instruction to
them to work in support of one Aspirant in my
humble view, violated the right to fairness. It
amounted to undue influence to unjust favour
an Aspirant. But we are grateful that you have
now, happily given assurance in your letter to
me to be fair to all Aspirants. Perhaps I need
to add that the confusion in APC in Ondo State
at the moment, like it was in ACN in 2012,
emanated from the unfair directive you gave to
the Party on 31.7.2016.
It follows in my humble view, that as a fair
minded human rights activist whom you
acknowledged, I should not be ponderous but
pontifical in my search for the strength of
justice in support of the right of our people
and that of the Aspirants especially when as in
the case, I am involved.
Asiwaju, I am afraid, I see fairness in your
personal right to favour anyone you want,
including me, but NOT, I regret in moving the
Party to do so before a mandatory election
Primary established by our Party’s Constitution
to raise a candidate among Aspirants.
You will agree with me that since the defeat of
the progressives in the 2003 governorship
election, no one has consistently dedicated his
time, intellect, resources to the growth of the
Progressive political partying in Ondo State
more than me. For one, I am only one
contesting and spending money for the contest
for Governor for the third time. What often
surprises me, however, is the tendency of
leadership to leave us to struggle with the
Party and when the time of election comes,
they unalterably take-over and dictate to us
who will be the candidate.
So it is certainly not correct, am afraid to say
as you claim that “your letter to me is an
impetuous display unbecoming of a man of
your status and a man seeking highest
leadership position in his state.”
There is nothing with due respect, impulsive,
hasty or rash in my complaints. They were
based on facts and reason, they were meant to
save the Party and people of Ondo State from
yet another electoral failure judged by the
character of Ondo State people. They were not
at all “impetuous”
Asiwaju, one important attribute you displayed
when you occupied the commission of the
Governor of Lagos was the courage to stand
up for something. I don’t think it will be fair to
me to use intimidating words such as:
“Instead of fighting me who is but one man
with no vote, you should be fighting for votes
and support. Your letter to me was woefully
misplaced and inappropriate.”
I merely raised issues that deeply concern me
and others in Ondo State, I mean issues in
which you are involved with regard to fair
contest in the coming primary. Where is
fighting you in all of this? Have you thought it
out that with the directive to the party chairmen
you have unduly influenced the process and
turned the expected primary to mere rituals
that has pre-defeated the right of other
Aspirants to fair play? I had honestly hoped
you will reflect more on the content of my
letter before your response.
I believe my letter was within fair comment on
an important public issue that touches on the
right of many, many citizens of Ondo State. It
was not with due respect, in my view, “an
impetous display” or as noted in your letter
“unbecoming of a man seeking the highest
office” in Ondo State.
Now Asiwaju, on the issue of 2015
Presidential election as it concerns President
M. Buhari you appear to believe I referred to it
to enhance myself. Far from it. First, let us not
be too anxious to state how unimportant
people are. What separates human being is
opportunity. Let us also admit that in human
evolutionary progression, often, great ideas
come from sources we least expect. Having
said that, please, I referred to the 2015
election with regard to President M. Buhari, to
affirm a great quality I observe in you which I
am afraid I find to be absent in “big men.”
This is the quality to listen to a totally different
opinion.
Please be assured that I claimed NOT and
need no enhancement from that experience. I
never need enhancement beyond the rights
accorded me by my achievements all of which
are often out of stubborn efforts.
I believe history and time have given me the
opportunity to live well or poorly, succeed or
fail, rise or fall, but in all ramifications I have
achieved a high level of contentment through
sincere struggle. No wonder I have always
been able to take a position. For a human who
enters the arena of life at a disadvantage at
childhood, from a small community of
Okeagbe in Ondo State, to have either served
or been rewarded by 4 rated world Presidents,
honoured by an ancient American University
with world giants such as Prof. Julius
Jacobson II (renowned inventor and world
father of Microsurgery), Dr. David Liddle
(founding father of computer revolution) among
9 world changing leaders in 2005 or enthroned
to the Board of major world bodie like Robert
Kennedy Center, I should be thankful that I
have been beneficially enhanced by time.
Believe me I need no further enhancement
through association with anyone, beyond the
happiness and well-being of the people of
Nigeria and the security of their right against
the tempest of pitiless leadership in the land. I
do not of course pretend to have influence on
you and if I desire it at all, it can only be for
the benefit of the people of Nigeria, NEVER, I
repeat NEVER for my benefit.
I have NEVER, I repeat NEVER sought
relationship for personal interest or benefit
even when I was close to a strong Nigerian
President in good times. That in fact may
explain why I have NEVER, I repeat NEVER
come to you for support for the only political
office of my interest, which is the commission
of Governor of Ondo State.
Well, I have said enough. We are both
democrats. We both struggled for the liberty of
our people. I believe an essential part of that
struggle is their right to use their only political
asset i.e. THE RIGHT TO VOTE in a way most
conducive to their happiness. It is anti-
democratic to promote government of leaders
by leaders and for the benefit of leaders or to
impose the will of leaders on the helpless
masses. Moreover, the grievous pains and
torment of development that have literally
become the sad lot of the ordinary people in
Nigeria since independence, have emerged
from the dislocation of the common man’s
organic rights to every good and right by
leadership. I will continue to stand against
such dislocation notwithstanding the tempest
of seasons and time. After all, I owe the
common Nigerian citizen this duty. I was born
by some of them.
Let us be true, beyond influence, beyond
money, beyond process control, beyond
directives to the ideals for which we both gave
up our freedom in the past. Let us re-dedicate
ourselves to the right of the people to freely
and fairly constitute government over
themselves.
Thank you, and may we honor our time and
may our time honor us.
Your Friend and Admirer,
OLATUNJI O. ABAYOMI (DR)
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