LP is no dumping ground –Ajulo In this interview with ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, speaks on the chances of his party in next year’s elections How prepared is the Labour Party for the 2015 elections? Our party is well prepared for 2015. Preparedness does not necessarily mean that a party must have candidates for all elective positions. But for us, wherever we have candidates, we will ensure that our performance will not disappoint Nigerians. Let me assure Nigerians that there will be surprises. It is going to be a season that would witness the fall of the high and the mighty. In 2007, we surprised the nation; we repeated the same feat in 2011 and 2012, now we are even more prepared. Many Nigerians are of the view that the 2015 elections are going to be a straight battle between the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. Do you foresee the LP making any impact in the election? The two big parties thrive on myth. The reality is that these are parties not founded on strong ideological positions and commitment to the masses, and Nigerians are getting wiser by the day. In 2015, provided the elections are free and fair, the truth about the influence of the Labour Party among the ordinary masses would, no doubt, come to light. We are a force to reckon with and we will demonstrate that. Electoral strategies must go beyond petty intrigues and rigging. Strategically, we are going to up the ante. Tactically, we are going to hold the political field. In 2011, the LP worked with the PDP in the presidential election. Is the LP planning the same for 2015 or is it presenting its own presidential candidate? A party does not necessarily have to produce a presidential candidate. Also, a party not producing a candidate is not bound to support another party’s candidate. The situation in 2011 is not what obtains today. Today, the variables are multiple and demand an even more principled approach. People with a penchant for defection have demonstrated their notoriety than before; unprincipled alliances are rife and political prostitution has become the order of the day. So, any serious party must think twice before making any move. But we will be well guided by our party’s principles, ideological commitment to the cause of the ordinary people and the unity and progress of the entire country. The adoption of former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, as the LP governorship candidate less than three days after he failed to clinch the PDP ticket is generating some issues. Why did the LP adopt Alao-Akala at the last minute? First and foremost, we will like to make the point clear for all those willing to lend us their ears that Alao-Akala is not a stranger as far as the Labour Party and the ordinary people are concerned. During his tenure as Governor of Oyo State, he carried along the workers in the various unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers. While other governors in the states controlled by supposedly progressives and pro-people party placed an embargo on employment and were not ready to implement the minimum wage, Alao-Akala employed more workers and did not denigrate the position of the working class. He is more than qualified to vie for the office on the platform of the LP. And remember when he started employing more workers and he increased salaries, the supposedly progressive party called him names and alleged that he was doing it to get votes, can you imagine that? Secondly, Alao-Akala did not just get the Labour Party ticket in Oyo State on a platter of gold. It was not also a matter of giving the ticket to the highest bidder. Alao-Akala worked his way rigorously and painstakingly up the ladder. He was endorsed by all those who matter in the party after a thorough check on his renewed commitment to the cause of the common man. Lastly, we also have in Alao-Akala a candidate who had been there before, he had won elections before, and he was a governor and has the experience to steer the ship of the state. He has all the credentials. In fact, he is even in a better position to garner more votes than he did in the past. It would have been wrong for our party to refuse to endorse such a committed and marketable candidate simply because of what our detractors would say or simply on the basis of sentiments that cannot stand the test of time. That would be foolhardy and counterproductive. Following the controversies trailing the PDP and APC primaries in some states, would the LP welcome disgruntled members of these big parties if they want to contest on its platform? For the avoidance of doubt, our party is not a dumping ground. It is not a platform for rejects from other parties. More than that, ours is an ideological party. It is rather difficult to explain the reason why our party is so attractive to many people, but when we look at the issue more critically, the reasons cannot be farfetched. As we have always explained, in Nigeria most politicians often look for parties that can be used as platforms to launch themselves. They look for winning parties because there are so many primordial factors to be considered in our polity. Virtually, no party is ideological. Many do not have sound principles. But in our own case, we are an ideological party, and a natural constituency of most ordinary Nigerians. So, it is natural that when they have their noses bloodied in the so-called large parties and the scales drop from their eyes, they begin to retrace their steps. They are not merely disgruntled, they are only learning their lessons the hard way, and I think this is even important for tempering their political spirit and recovering their souls. Some are victims of inequities within their former parties and if they see succour in the Labour Party, we shouldn’t reject them after we are convinced that they genuinely subscribed to our principles and ideals. They are welcome. How would you assess the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan and Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) for the 2015 presidential election? From all indications, the 2015 presidential election is bound to be the most interesting. On the one hand, we have a candidate who is a sitting president and who has been on the political field since the inception of our current democratic experiment. Then we have, on the other hand, another candidate with a well-known military and dictatorial past. President Jonathan rose through the ranks and is contesting on the platform of a ruling party. But his party, the PDP, has not really impressed Nigerians, who are now calling for a change. General Buhari is running on the platform of the APC which is an amalgam of strange bedfellows who do not have any clear-cut idea on how to advance the country except to advocate a vague clamour for change. Let Nigerians make their choice between the two. Do you think the Independent National Electoral Commission is ready for next year’s elections? With what we experienced during the distribution of permanent voter cards and the attempt to arbitrarily create polling booths, one would say Independent National Electoral Commission is not well prepared. But if all criticisms made from various quarters are taken seriously and the corrections taken, I would say we should expect free and fair elections come 2015. There is no way an electoral body saddled with conducting elections in a multiethnic, multi-religious and highly populated country like Nigeria won’t experience some hiccups. The important thing is to recognise and ameliorate the situations as they unfold. This is what all Nigerians must demand.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 08:41:26 +0000
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