Osun voters must be willing to protect their votes – Banire

Ahead of the gubernatorial election in Osun State slated for August 9, Muiz Banire, a former commissioner of transport; environment and special duties in Lagos State and currently the legal adviser to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in this interview with ZEBULON AGOMUO, Deputy Editor, advises voters not be intimidated by the number of security agencies that will be deployed to Osun, but must be vigilant and courageous to protect their votes.  He also speaks on other issues.  Excerpts:

Some people are already showing interest in succeeding Babatunde Fashola as the next governor of Lagos State, are you one of them?

No, I have never had interest and I still have no interest in the governorship position in Lagos State. It holds no attraction for me at all. I am a professional to the core.

You are the legal adviser to the APC, what are the chances of the party in 2015?

Well, for me, it is very bright.  We are very optimistic, particularly if you look at the population at large.  We are really optimistic.

Murtala Nyako of the APC was impeached as governor of Adamawa State last Tuesday; do you think the processes conformed to the constitutional provisions?

To be candid, I have not got the full report, but as at last time, there was problem with the issue of serving the notice, how they have surmounted that I don’t know as we are talking now.  Am as curious as you are over what really transpired there, but we are waiting to get the formal report about what really transpired.

Are you bothered that there are crises in some of APC states arising from the ward and state congresses, which people are saying are dangerous signals to APC in 2015?

Well, quite naturally am worried, but we are doing our utmost best to see how much of those fence-mending we can do.  But actually, it’s worrisome.

APC suffered defeat in Ekiti unbelievably and Osun will be having election on August 9, what are the chances of Governor Rauf Aregbesola being returned going by what happened to Fayemi in Ekiti?

Well, from what I know, the Osun State governor has a great chance of being returned; our expectation is that he should be able to defeat any other candidate with not less than 70 percent gap; because apart from the fact that he has done so much there, he has reformed the state and turned it around positively; he is a very grassroots person like the other man.  He is really well-connected to the grassroots; he is solidly on ground and we are very optimistic.

What really went wrong in Ekiti State?

What went wrong we do not know now because there’s the aspect of suggestion that there was scientific rigging, in terms of photocopied papers and the ballot papers etc. The other aspect is the issue of intimidation of voters by the number of security agencies put on ground because; it went contrary to the normal thing.  Truth is that election is usually done in a tranquil situation where people (voters) will be free to come out without fear.  What happened in Ekiti was a tensed situation where people were carrying guns all over the place and voters were scared. Some people even did not go out because they said, ‘I don’t want any trouble; let me stay in my house?’  Some people were so intimidated that they didn’t even know the appropriate thing to do or the appropriate places to go for voting.

With what happened in Ekiti, it is difficult to say we had a free and fair contest.

What is your advice to the voters in Osun State?

Well, my advice to them is that they should not be intimidated by the security agents that will be deployed to the state.  And we are saying that they should not be locked up as they did in Ekiti State, it is very wrong, it is illegal and goes against the rights of the people to exercise their franchise without hindrance. The voters must be vigilant, willing and ready to protect their votes which determine their future. They must be ready to protect the votes in all ramifications.

Some people say that PDP is determined to overrun all the states in South West in 2015, do you see that happening?

Well, they’ve been saying so and boasting as much, but let’s see how far they can go.