A former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has spoken of his bitterness and frustration following from the failure of the ruling party to deliver on its pledge to restructure Nigeria.
Oyinlola also said that he had regrets supporting Buhari.
According to him, the APC deceived Nigerians with its restructuring agenda, saying it was as a result of this that he resigned as the chairman of the National Identity Management Commission on May 9, 2018.
The former military governor of Lagos state spoke in a wide- ranging interview with the Punch newspaper.
He said, “in fact, the whole world has regret now. You see when he appointed me as the chairman of National Identity Management Commission on a part-time level, I didn’t feel that was what should be my take, given the efforts put in. But if you want to serve, you must be ready to serve in any position.
“I was not looking for money to build house or send anybody to school. That was why I accepted it. I quit that position when what we have discussed (what we made the manifesto of our party) was being denied, and that is restructuring.
“When Mr President said he does not know the meaning of restructuring and I know I was in all the moves with Afenifere and the South-West before his election.
“The principal reason these people (South-West) bought into the project was because of restructuring, only for Mr President to say he doesn’t know the meaning of restructuring again. I felt deceived and to show it, that was why I told him that he could keep his appointment.”
When asked if his defection from the PDP to APC and now back to the PDP was not a sign of inconsistency, Oyinlola said, “If you look at the circumstances that made me move, it cannot be considered inconsistency.
“I did not do anything wrong, they moved against me in the PDP and removed me. I went and joined the APC. What we agreed to do, which was restructuring, they reneged and I said I couldn’t be in the same party with such people.
“Restructuring was the major thing we sold to the South-West that made people to key into Buhari’s project. So, when Buhari said he does not know the meaning of restructuring, then I threw in my paper, I can’t be a chairman under you.”
The former governor of Osun State, also revealed how former President Olusegun Obasanjo truncated the ambition of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to become the running mate to Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who was the APC presidential candidate in 2015.
Oyinlola explained that even though Obasanjo was the last person to throw his weight behind Buhari’s candidature, having opposed the re-election of the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, he was eventually prevailed upon to support the former military ruler.
However, in its reaction to Oyinlola’s statement that APC deceived Nigerians with its restructuring agenda, spokesperson for the ruling party, Yekini Nabena, who refused to address the issue, said Oyinlola left the party because he could not get what he was looking for.
He explained, “gone are the days when people think because they once held an office they are coming to a system and they want to take over the system. Gone are those days.
“He came into the APC and didn’t get what he was looking for and he left the party. What is the population of Osun State that they gave the party in the first place? If he is talking, he should talk for himself and not for other people. Others are happy with Mr President.”
