Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, is the Labour Party, LP, governorship candidate. He served three military administrations as a commissioner before he joined the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. He later became the state chairman of the party which produced Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the governor of the state in 2003. He was chosen the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, before he voluntarily resigned. He has, however, dumped the PDP for LP, whose flag he is now flying for the election. He spoke on his plans and policies for Osun State in this exclusive interview. Excerpts:

By Gbenga Olarinoye

•Akinbade: I have no pact with anybody

We would like to know the driving force behind your gubernatorial aspiration?
The driving force principally has been God and the people of Osun state because anything after these would be equal to nothing and he, who has people, equally has everything.

Given the large amount of fund required, how have you been able to finance your campaign?
It has been one of the negative comments peddled around by the opponents, they either say Fatai Akinbade doesn’t have ‘aroma’, meaning he doesn’t have thugs or he doesn’t have ‘were’, madness or he doesn’t have money. All these are just frivolous talks because to me, for you to be a leader, you don’t have to be Michael Tyson.

Avoidance of violence
For me to lead, I don’t have to be a thug or employ the service of thugs. I have a peaceful disposition and that is why anyone that knows me knows that I avoid violence in its entirety and I go about my things with God peacefully. I believe politics should not be a-do-or die affair.

Were you disappointed that the only Labour Party governor, Dr. Segun Mimiko was absent at your last rally?
Not at all. More so, as I was aware he traveled outside the country.

But there was this insinuation that he tactically withdrew himself from the rally because of his support for the PDP Candidate, in person of Iyiola Omisore who happens to be his personal friend
Yes, Iyiola is his friend, I am his friend too. We have been together, when he was the SSG, I was the SSG too, when he was commissioner, I was commissioner, so we have been together for long, not just meeting at the Labour Party level, so friendship is a thing that cuts across board.

Being a friend to Omisore does not make him a PDP man, he is a national leader of the Labour Party and there are no two ways to that. So, Mimiko is not just an ordinary member of the Labour Party but a National Leader of the party. He has friends all over the country and the world. He has friends in APC, he has friends in other parties, so I don’t know why people should be saying this. He has not come out to say he is no more a member of the Labour Party.

But to what extent have you received support from Mimiko?
Well, as our leader, he has been giving us the support we need, making way for us to do some necessary things in collaboration with national secretariat of our party and sincerely speaking, I want to thank our national leaders for their support so far because they have been pillars behind me. When we are faced with certain challenges, they really rally round and God has enabled us to surmount all the problems, so the support cannot be quantified.

Are you in support of the deployment of soldiers to supervise the election?
Very well, we are very much in support of deploying security agents during the election. In fact, if we would have our way, I would have loved a situation whereby, if not more than what we have in Ekiti but something like it because it will give voters in the state a kind of confidence, it will boost their confidence to file out because they would know that they are protected because when you see the ominous signs with some parties threatening to unleash violence, then the government has the duty to protect lives and property.

On the issue of the stomach infrastructure, some of your opponents have been wooing voters with rice and kerosene, what is your take on this?
It’s not the best because if they had been sincere with themselves, they would know the hardship they have melted out to the people. Where were they in the last six months, why were they not doing all these? Where were they in the last one year? Why were they not giving out rice and kerosene last year? It’s an insult on the people of this state because they are just trying to be clever and the people of Osun State are wise. See what happened in Ekiti, they got their rice, got their money and didn’t vote for them.

Is it true that your party has entered into an alliance with one of the major parties?
That is another falsehood. I am not joining them and I will never join them for the coming election, I have nothing to do with them, I have no pact with anybody and I will never have pact with anybody, people should read my lips, in any quarter, I am not going to have any pact with anybody.
I will stand this election on my own because I cannot afford to destroy destiny of the people who God has commissioned me to raise.