Kenneth Imasuagbon who hails from Ewohimi, Edo Central, is a lawyer, educationist, administrator and politician. In this interview, Imasuagbon who recently dumped the  the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, bares his mind on a lot of issues ranging from how he stepped down for Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Edo politics and the 2016 governorship elections in the state among others.

By Henry Umoru

You were a strong member of PDP in Edo State. Why did you dump PDP for APC?

If you know my political history, I was one of the founding fathers of the ACD, and from ACD we transmuted to Action Congress, AC. And of course, when Governor Oshiomhole joined the party, I stepped down for him in 2007 and supported him.

Ken Imasuagbon

Thereafter, when he won the governorship election, I left for PDP. It was a dead party after Oshiomhole came on board but I resurrected the party with my energy, vigour, skill and tactics.  In 2012, the primary that was conducted by the cabal of the party in the state wasn’t free and fair.  If it was free and fair, I could possibly have won the primary. The story would have been different today.

They (PDP) haven’t changed, we have a great deal of injustice within the party. The primaries weren’t free and fair and where there is no justice and equity, then of course, your guess is as good as mine.

It was just a question of time. That actually also played out in the larger body and I saw that change was coming. I foresaw   a revolution in Nigeria, I foresaw change and the revolution I foresaw, was in President Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerians were tired of the scheming, the injustice, the punishment by a very few people.

Tripartrite

victory

Nigerians are wonderful people. We rose up to the revolution. Rather than fire the shots, the people spoke and they spoke resoundingly in favour of President  Buhari.

The election victory is a tripartite victory: first, the Nigerian people who stood and did the right thing; two, Buhari who presented himself and he was resilient and tenacious. When I saw him crying on a national television in 2011, I wept in Benin and I said, this man loves the country, that he was going to be president one day.

God is not an unjust   God.   When I saw him wipe his face with an handkerchief, I started crying. The third hero is Dr Goodluck Jonathan himself, who was civilised and saved us from trouble because some people were waiting for him to incite them to violence. So, what Jonathan did was a life saver, the saving grace.

The cabal should be grateful to Jonathan, his phone call to Buhari saved the nation from unnecessary violence. I directed my supporters to vote for Buhari because I saw it coming.

Even when you were still in PDP?

Yes, because the country isn’t a party. Look, what was on trial was the collective fate, destiny and sovereignty of my country. It doesn’t matter which party you were, Buhari was clearly ahead in terms of integrity,  closeness to commoners and the middle class. Buhari was far ahead of Jonathan.

Buhari

revolution

It wasn’t about religion, tribe or money but between Jonathan and Buhari, who was ready to lead the people and deliver? That was exactly what I foresaw. I predict that in 2016, the Buhari revolution will be extended to Edo.

But the same Buhari has been tagged ‘Baba go slow’. What is your take?

Well, my take is that Nigerians must support the president.

Nigerians must be patient. When Buhari moves, his brake wouldn’t stop but now people are calling him Baba go slow. Very soon, people will be shouting that he is a moving train. That’s my prediction. Buhari would be unstoppable because he would trample on toes.

We need to get it right now at least in our life time.  Nigerians must support Buhari. When an American president emerges after election, both the Republicans and Democrats close ranks, they support the common goal which is America.

If Buhari fails, we have failed collectively, not Buhari as an individual. If he succeeds, the Nigerian people have succeeded. So, all hands must be on deck, we must all come together to make a success of the Buhari administration. We must support him in his fight against corruption.

Corruption is like cancer in Nigeria and those who have looted the treasury of the country must face the consequence of their actions because it is our collective commonwealth.

So, I call on Nigerians to rally round Buhari in the fight against corruption. It is not that there isn’t corruption in America or Britain and Canada but when you are caught, you face the consequence of your crime.

So, I am in support, I am on the same page with Mr. President in his crusade against those who have depleted the treasury of the country.

But this crusade against corruption is being perceived by the PDP leadership as a vindictive move. Do you agree?

No, it isn’t about PDP. Whether you are in APC or PDP, you are a Nigerian. If an APC man commits crime, he should face the consequence; if Kenneth Imasuagbon is a thief, let him face the consequence of the crime.

The country must change. It isn’t about APC or PDP. Of course, your prediction is that majority of those who have committed crime would come from the PDP, having been in leadership for 16 years, but there are some people who have also acted  illegally.

The president himself said it in America, that whether you are in APC or PDP, if you were part of those who looted the treasury, you will face the law. Today, you get a dollar at N210. Is that the kind of country you want to leave behind for your children? It is unacceptable. All that we need is a Buhari. At over 70, he should do the right thing and write his name in gold. That is what matters. Often time, you don’t come back again as president of your country. So, he should do the job, step on toes and write his name in gold.

But some still see his declaration to deal with corrupt individuals, irrespective of party affiliation as a political statement

If he wants to succeed, he should. Every leader determines what he or she wants to do.

Now, he has a chance in history to finish the war against indiscipline.

Our primary minus as a country is that Nigerians lack discipline yet we are one of the most disciplined people. If you see a Nigerian in America, he doesn’t beat the red light, but if he comes to Abuja, he beats the red light.

How do you explain that?

It is a question of leadership. So, I think Buhari has all it takes: the experience, self confidence and courage, the inner and innate mind to do the right thing. I am sure he will do the right thing, because for him, he has lived more than half, two third of his life. What is important for a Buhari now is what will be said of him in the next 20 years.

People saw what happened at the National Assembly and they have come to the conclusion that the APC cannot manage success; some are already predicting an implosion. What is your take on this?

Well, that’s a school of thought but the truth is, I love the role of Mr. President, he stood hands akimbo and watched the National Assembly crises play out. That  was smart. What we are seeing at the National Assembly is politics itself. Nigerians are not interested in what is happening at the National Assembly.

What they want to see is the fight against corruption, creation of jobs, making our schools work, good infrastructure and stable   power. Those who want to steal, let us stop them. That’s what they crave for.

But can the executive arm, the presidency achieve that without the legislative arm complementing it?

I think the problem of the National Assembly will soon be a thing of the past. The party will come together, Oyegun is already doing that and I think the senators and members of the House should allow those assigned the task of ensuring peace to work and let us move ahead to build a strong nation. Your movement to APC has been described as hasty in certain quarters.

Some are worried that you will ultimately be choked by the powers that be in Edo APC. Do you nurse that fear?

Well, I will tell you something: the leader of the party, governor Adams Oshiomhole is a democrat. He will not impose any candidate, because he knows that the whole world will be watching and Oyegun will not impose any candidate. What we will witness in Edo will be free and fair primaries. So, who is going to choke who?   The man who will win 2016 in Edo will be the man that the people want and the governor had said that he will not impose anybody and we know he will not. There will not be imposition in Edo; it is the people imposition that we shall witness. Oshiomhole himself wasn’t imposed, it was the people that imposed him. The verdict of the people is what we will see in2016. It is going to be pure peoples’ decision.

You are convinced that given a free and fair primary, you will pick the APC governorship   ticket?

Of course, if the primary is free and fair.   I will win with a big margin. I respect other aspirants, but of course, there are aspirants and there are aspirants. So, for sure in 2016, the peoples’ verdict will count, not even with an Oshiomhole as governor, not even with a Buhari as president, or Oyegun as national chairman of the party. So the people and the whole world will watch what will happen in Edo.That will be the first test case for President Buhari, for Oshiomhole and Oyegun.

But the entire south-south is still perceived as PDP stronghold; what makes you think, given the APC ticket, you can retain the state for your party?

Of course, in Edo, APC have always won elections and they will continue to win, because the party is strong there and with some of us joining the party now, there is nothing like PDP any more in Edo state. What you see now is the caricature of the past.

What is your relationship with governor Oshiomhole like, because the tradition is for the incumbent to swing the party ticket for his anointed candidate as successor?

Well, governor Oshiomhole is my very good friend, he is my governor. He is a good man and he will be remembered as someone who built a model state. So my prayer for him, is to have a good successor, who will improve on what he has done, because if he doesn’t get a great successor, his work will be rubbished in less than six months but if he has a good successor who is sincere, who knows development, then what he has done would be seen and lives of people would be transformed.

But if he has a bad successor, then nobody will remember him in history, because all he has done will be rubbished. But if you have a man   who loves the people, whose concern is the people, who understands their plight and want to work for the people like governor Oshiomhole then , the job he has done in the past eight years, would be preserved.   In the minimum, he will keep that and build on it and development will be feasible.

I pray for him that God touches his heart, that he allows free and fair primary. I know he will not tamper with the process and I know Oyegun   is also a man of honour and integrity and he will complement Oshiomhole in ensuring that the process is transparent, free and fair.

That will ensure that the peoples’ choice emerges as candidate. You see, the danger of tampering with the will of the people is invariably in the long run, you are tampering with your own life and that of your children and grand children. If you allow the will of the people to thrive and it produces a good government , who benefits? It is you and everybody. The roads Oshiomhole has built now, by the time he leaves power, he will drive on those roads and when he drives on those roads,I am sure he will be satisfied and thank God who gave him wisdom to construct those roads. If he has failed to build the roads and he drives on the gallops and potholes, I don’t think he will be happy with himself. So, when you allow the will of the people, you also guarantee your own happiness and when you muscle the will of the people, you compromise your happiness and that of your children and grandchildren.

The little Buhari did as military head of state is what counted in his favour now. Look at the words of Obama to Buhari: you are a man of integrity. When an American president speaks, he means every word. They hardly praise a black man and when they do, they have all the details. Obama didn’t use those words to placate Buhari.   When you are sitting in the oval office, you pick your words, you don’t talk anyhow. So, Buhari and Nigerians must not throw away that respect,that honour. To whom much is given, much is expected. That regard must not be thrown away. We must walk that respect, we must walk that regard.

The world is watching and they want us not only to fight corruption, but restore internal democracy in our political parties.   The Buhari change   is a wind that’s not going to stop; it must blow across all the nooks and crannies, it will not stop in the Villa, even Buhari himself cannot stop it. I can see a beacon of a great country.   Nigerians must support   him.