Dr. Adekunle Akindele led the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State and the party to victory in the governorship, presidential, National Assembly and State Assembly elections. After the election of a substantive executive team during the week, he spoke to SEYE OLUMIDE, Southwest Bureau Chief, on how the party rode to victory and the new lease of life under Adeleke’s administration.

What was your initial reaction to your appointment as PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman in Osun State over a year ago?
It came with mixed feelings because I am not an indigene of Osun State. I am from Ondo State, and I knew beforehand that there were a lot of crises in the party in Osun State. Besides, I was not very familiar with Osun politics. But I believe that as a democrat and an administrator, I should be able to come in and make a difference. By the special grace of God, I put in my best along with my team and that led to every other success that followed.

What were these challenges and how were you able to tackle them?
We had issues of mistrust among party members, which emanated from the governorship primaries in the state that took place before I assumed office. And it was so obvious that if we did not do anything and resolve all issues raised by aggrieved party members, it would have affected our July 18, 2022 governorship election in the state.

And one thing we observed was that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state was already taking advantage of the crises, by poaching and encroaching into our party and winning some of our party members to themselves. At the end, we were able to reconcile a very sizeable number of members, and engaged them to see why we had to come together as one big family to kick out the uninspiring APC administration.

But obviously, you know human nature, we were not able to do it 100 per cent. Some people were still adamant to go to court.

We tried our best to discuss with the Dr. Dotun Babayemi group and they were adamant and went all the way from the lower court to the Supreme Court, but the Judiciary was able to make them know there was no merit in whatever they brought before it. And because we viewed it as an affront and anti-party activity, which could cause problems for us in the future, the party had no option but to do the needful by expelling Babayemi from the party.  

Some of his associates, who we tried to assist to see the reason we should work together, but were still adamant even after his expulsion (about eight of them), were also suspended. They remain suspended as I speak.

Did you suspect any external influence on these people?
I said it earlier that it was some extraneous influence. If not, where did they get the funds to hire lawyers and move from one court to another? You know how expensive litigation is across the country. Where did they get the resources?

We were certain that there were fifth columnists, urging them to destabilise our party, and by extension destablise our government. But as time went by, we knew we shall get rid of them and ensure that all dedicated members have a sense of belonging. 

We knew that we had a herculean task ahead to defeat an incumbent, and not just an incumbent, but an APC government that has been in power for not less than 12 years. We realised we could not allow the fallout of all the primaries to scuttle our prospect for victory. So, we engaged our members to see their action as a sacrifice to the party. If you lose an election, that is not the end of the world, because when the governor comes in there would be positions for many chieftains to occupy.

Anywhere they had issues, we quickly moved there and resolved them and forged ahead. So, there was this atmosphere of conviviality. Everyone was happy about the methods that we adopted to reconcile all members. And we were able to shield our candidates from the APC government, and I am happy that at the end of the day, we were able to make remarkable success in all the elections – presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.

Particularly, the majority we had in the State Assembly is absolute majority because it is 25 from 26, and by the grace of God, we are hopeful of retrieving our mandate in the constituency purportedly won by the APC.

In view of the strategic importance of the state to APC, which has ruled the state for 12 years and the fact that the election of your governor is still being challenged, what are your expectations from the Supreme Court?
Obviously, the Supreme Court judgment will come up this May and we have hope in the judiciary to do the needful. I don’t know what you mean by being strategic, what I know is that what the people need is good governance and that is what we have been providing.

If you come into Osun State now, you will see that the atmosphere is calm. Everyone is happy. The government is working. He came and in less than six months, he has done what even the APC government could not do in four years.

Roads are being tarred. Abandoned projects are being completed. Salaries are being paid promptly, including pension and arrears. Backlog of salaries of over four years are being attended to. Investors have started coming into the state, and above all there is security and everyone is happy with the governor. The people do not have any regret for voting for our governor, His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke. In their wildest imagination, I know that they never expected that the state would be this peaceful.

A new Exco of the PDP has been elected in Osun State. What is your advice to them?
I am very elated about the outcome of the state Exco election, which put in place the people who will oversee the affairs of the state in the next four years. I am happy that a tested and trusted hand, Sunday Bisi, is taking over as the chairman. He was equally part of our success. He was the Director General (DG) of the Campaign Council of the last election.

They have been part of the success in the last 12 months and we worked together to stabilise the party. So, I am not surprised that they are coming in and it will be so easy and seamless to transition because the Exco is made up of an experienced and compact team that will give their full support to the executive governor to carry out his duties.

What are the chances of your presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the court begins hearing on Monday?
We have a very good case and a very erudite set of lawyers. Most of those things we are asking for are what we think the courts should look into and declare our candidate winner of the presidential election. I don’t want to go too much into the case because the hearing would start on Monday, but I am very hopeful that at the end of the day, our candidate will be declared the winner of the poll.

What is next for you?
I am a medical doctor and I was called upon to serve the people and the party and to the glory of God, I have been able to record some successes. I would now be going back to my practice. If there is another call to serve the people and the party, I will be eager to contribute my quota.

I have some special people to thank for their support in the course of my assignment here. I want to thank Dr. Deji Adeleke, a father figure, and one of the biggest financiers of the party. I thank him for believing in me throughout my tour of duty. I equally thank his younger sister, Dr. (Mrs.) Modupeola Sanni-Adeleke.

Above all, I want to thank Governor Adeleke who I had never met prior to this process, but who gave me the support I needed, before he even won his election, and other leaders that I worked with, including Rev. Bunmi Jenyo. From my home front, I want to thank my ultimate leader, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, for his advice from time to time, and every other leaders from my state. And also, my beautiful wife, Mrs. Kehinde Akindele, who has been holding forth in Abuja for the past 12 months. Of course, the press, wonderful people, who provided so much assistance.