Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), spoke with journalists on the chances of President Goodluck Jonathan in the April elections in the South West. NIYI BELLO was there. Excerpts:WHY is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State placing the picture of President Goodluck Jonathan alongside photographs of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo We are putting history in perspective and correct some misconceptions about our political past in the South West. Chief Awolowo, contrary to popular belief, never played exclusive regional politics. He was interested in national and regional politics and his focus was to play an active role at the national level. And that is the philosophy President Jonathan is towing. He wants the South West to return to the mainstream politics. Reducing him to a tribal leader therefore doesnt do his nationalist image any good. His plan was to make the Yoruba nation great within Nigeria by providing leadership. He never wanted Yoruba to be in the opposition. So being part of the mainstream politics is in conformity with Awos ideals.That is what the Goodluck/Sambo ticket wants for the people of the South West. . That is the connection between Awo and us. That was the message of the President at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan rally that was misconstrued. The president appealed to Yoruba sons and daughters to get the states back from the opposition to mainstream politics so that they could consolidate their leadership position from the centre. He never described our leaders in Yoruba as rascals. He could have described some politicians as political rascals but he never described our highly esteemed and highly respected leaders in Yorubaland as rascals. He could not have done that.What do you make of the allegation that the PDP plans to spend N2.9 billion to capture the South West in April It is a mere campaign of calumny. Leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have been making unfounded insinuations. PDP did not vote any amount for the purpose of capturing any section of the country. PDP will defeat every party fair and square. The issue of capture does not arise. I am looking forward to the ACN leaders to withdraw the abusive words against the president. I know the president will not join issues with them.Do you believe that the PDP can upstage the ACN in the South West The Presidential election is going to be based on personality not on party politics as such. From our understanding, it is individuals that would be the key factors in the election. The success or failure of the contestants will be based on the peoples assessment and antecedents. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will be judged based on his role as former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).. The president will be judged as a former deputy governor, former governor, former Vice President and President. The people of the South West are enlightened, they know what they want and they cannot be easily brainwashed.So you believe that party politics will have little or no impact in the presidential election Party politics will be a vehicle to deliver the candidates but the vehicle is not the same thing as the destination. You use the vehicle to move to your destination. The April election will be President Jonathan versus every other candidate and it is obvious that South West will vote for whoever they believe will deliver a good government and I believe that he would deliver for the South West. He knows what the region wants. There are many things that need to be done in the South West; many challenges, and development of infrastructure. The Jonathan government is planning new roads that would open up the zone while existing ones are to be rehabilitated. The rail system that will pass through the South West is also being carried out. Recently a Federal University was established in Ekiti State and five other states. If the people of Ekiti and Ondo states dont vote for Jonathan, whom will they vote forWhat has the President got to show for since he assumed officeThe circumstances that moved him from the Vice President to Acting President and then, President, followed the constitutional means. He did not hijack power. We need to understand the depth of the constitutional challenges that we faced last year when the late president, Umaru YarAdua was ill and did not sign any paper, handing over power to Jonathan. But he made sure that there was a smooth transition when the late president died. He did what he had to do, kept the country together to ensure stability of the polity because every developmental strategy of any government is hinged on the stability in the country.That is a monumental achievement. We know what is happening in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia today. If there is no political stability, you cannot start talking about roads, food, and electricity because there would be chaos and everybody will be looking for a way of escape. On education, he discovered that some states had two federal institutions; some had one while others dont even have any. He took up the matter and ensured fairness in that regard. He saw the need to treat us equally. This is an injustice that has been going on for the past 30 years. On power, the late YarAdua promised to declare emergency in the power sector but because of his illness, and immediately Jonathan was sworn-in, he took over the power master plan, launched it and began the implementation.Special funding has been provided, that is why he could complete some power plants. The East West Road, which is connecting Lagos with Bayelsa states and passes through Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Delta states, has been awarded. A lot of work is going on there now. Different contractors are handling the different aspects of construction work going on there.He is also working on the second Niger Bridge. He is tackling the problem of erosion challenges in Anambra State. The only thing is that he does not believe in using the media to showcase or celebrate his achievements but they are there for everybody to see. In spite of the security challenges facing the country, he has been able to keep all the zones together.
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