Like every other politician, who was at the receiving end of Olusegun Obasanjo maniacal instinct that turned the PDP into a tattered umbrella, Chief Titi Ajanaku has an interesting, albeit, heart-rending tale to narrate on her political association with the immediate past president and the circumstances that compelled her to dump the PDP for the Action Congress.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, Ajanaku, former special adviser to Obasanjo on Women Affairs, in his first term in office explains circumstances that led to the Obasanjo –Atiku divide in the PDP and the Presidency.
She admits to Saturday Sun inquisition that former president Obasanjo doesn’t reward friendship; that almost all that labored for him and saw to his rehabilitation after his exit from Abacha’s gulag had sordid tales to tell
… ‘I thank God for what the Lord used me for , at least to be able to be one of the people that brought him to the party. I gave him his membership card in my office!’
Excerpts
In spite of the defection to the Action Congress in Ogun State by some of you, the gladiators in the PDP, the latter still won the April guber polls in the state; what reasons would you advance for this?
Everybody knows that the April 2007 polls was no election; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo himself said, even before the election, that to him and for his party, it’s a do or die affair and that was the reason, almost everybody that contested, either as House of Assembly, Senate, Presidency are in court. If you ever had the opportunity to go and see for yourself, what happened on that day, you know that it was only God that saved us.
But then, they have the INEC, with them . INEC is supposed to be an unbiased arbiter, of course, they are not, they have all the Police, the SSS and what have you. You know what happened when you talk of those in command, those security agencies had to listen to them, which is unfortunate. You know, as well as I do, how at each tribunal they always join the Police, the SSS as co-defendants. So, it’s rather unfortunate and people are being vindicated as a result of various outcomes from the tribunals and I’m sure there’s still very more to come.
You have given your judgement, but Iwu keeps saying, given the circumstance he found himself and the limitations, he did his best to deliver; he even said the election was better organized than the June 12, 1993 election?
You know what amuses me, is that statement, “given the circumstances that he found himself. Has anybody ever bothered to ask him, what are the circumstances? He knows himself that he didn’t do what he should have done.
Even independent observers, those who are not politicians, I know a lot of people were disenfranchised for exercising their voting rights. But no matter what Iwu says, there’s someone that he can’t lie to: that is his maker.
But I believe, we will all be here to see the outcome of the whole exercise. So, I’m not taken in by his statement. It’s clear to you and I that Iwu was doing the bid of the person that appointed him. But his days are numbered, if there’s going to be an enduring democratic process in Nigeria.
There are those who are saying that because President Yar’Adua admitted that the election was flawed, and inaugurated an electoral reform committee, he should have relieved Iwu of that office and allow another person conducts by-election. What is your take on that?
I quite agree with that because what’s Iwu going to do that he hasn’t done? He’s going to do more havoc. I believe by the end of this mouth, most of the tribunals judgement would have been out, and for those who goes to appeals, I’m sure, by first week in March, everything would have been over so that at least, we can have the bye-elections together and the person that is going to preside over that electoral process can’t be Iwu. Otherwise, it can’t be right and I’m sure Nigerians wouldn’t accept.
There was this mindset as soon as Yar’Adua came on board: he tried to bring amity to PDP, recall those who left and the disenchanted, albeit, within the party. Did the reconciliation committee reach out to you?
No, incidentally they didn’t even call me and if they had, I’ve no intention of going back to PDP… the party in Ogun State, from the topmost already down, we’re not enemies. I left on principle and for as long as Obasanjo is presiding over that party, whatever efforts they make would be a wasted efforts.
Look, Obasanjo wasn’t there when the PDP was formed. I thank God that I’m one of the founding members of PDP and when you say your party is democratic, then power resides with the people. But because of his own agenda, he practically alienated almost everybody. People keeps telling me, how can you leave the party that you built? My reply has been, if you build a house and you have some tenants who becomes murderous, would you now say you stay inside and let them kill you?
The best thing is to leave, when the insanity disappears, sanity have come in. Political association is a free association. I didn’t join PDP, I wasn’t part of it, I didn’t facilitate it in this state just because of what I, Titi Ajanaku would gain as a person. It was because, I believe that together with people of like minds, we can at least, move this country forward.
But unfortunately when he came in, even though, he was the most beneficiary of the accommodating spirit of the party and when we now realized that everything in that party was no longer to be democratic. From the time that himself and some of his cohorts sacked the national executive down and those who voiced their dissent… those he called the minority, even though they were not in the minority, but those who could stand up to him. When he now started to displace people and those who resisted, he then started to blackmail them.
Are you one of those who put up a resistance? You were in his cabinet; with regards to primordial sentiment, the same Egba folk?
Not only the same Egba folk, we are from the same local government and I thank God for what the Lord used me for, at least to be able to be one of the people that brought him to the party. I gave him his membership card, in my own office! When the A.D people were throwing stones in his house! When people in Egbaland were saying, ‘who do you think, you were supporting?’
When he because president, the first-four years when he had people who really had stakes in the party around him, things were not bad. I was a special adviser to him on Women Affairs and at that time he listened. But suddenly after the first four years, he started having a swollen head, people who didn’t know when everything started people who had no stake, who would only tell him what he wanted to hear surrounded him. Otherwise, what could have informed a president at the inauguration of the special advisers, publicly saying to them, don’t insist that I should take your advice. Why did you appoint them? If you say, don’t insist that I should take your advice and they still went ahead and took the job.
So, before 2007 elections came, things had already scattered and like I said, I’m a democrat. Once the situation in the party was no longer democratic,I have no business staying there.
Members of the PDP, who witnessed what happened at the PDP presidential primary in 2003, alleged that Atiku was trying to slug it out with Obasanjo for the ticket. That immediately he assumed office in 2003, it polarized the party and the presidency into Obasanjo-Atiku divide; were you caught in the web and labelled an Atiku loyalist?
Well, he might have, afterall I know Atiku as a politician, before I knew him. It was our structure that we used for him, to contest election. And I think because he knew I’m not a bread and butter politician, that if I insist on a position, there must be a very good reason, before I change my mind. Since I didn’t understand what he was trying to do, I wasn’t interested.
You might say that was why I wasn’t reappointed, but then the eight years have gone and passed. We are still here. But I thank God that I maintain my position.
People always say Obasanjo doesn’t reward friendship. Would you say you were at the receiving end?
(Cuts in) In all these, I wasn’t bitter, because I know that it’s only a question of time and I’m glad that the third-term agenda failed, because that could have rubbished the whole thing that people had worked for. I can’t say I’m his friend. He is an elder brother and of course, I was glad that the President came from this area. But what he did after that, he will be rewarded accordingly.
By who?
That what’s happening now.
Can you speak in specific terms?
You know, a president of the federal Republic of Nigeria, for eight years consecutively, being jeered, being abused, in fact, people practically throw mud at him. Is that a good legacy?
The first week he was out, he started his lamentation. When he first started, he usually drove from Lagos to Ota, even when he drove round the town people hailed him. But the moment he started taking helicopter, he forgot the agony that people go through, everyday. If he had continued that way , he could have seen the problems people suffer and those roads could have been repaired.
Go to Minna, no matter what people say about IBB, the roads are dualised, the light is on. See how much money we spend on petrol,diesel, the noise and the environmental hazards. Ghana, not as big as Ibadan, the people are enjoying the social amenities. What’s the legacy of Obasanjo? Eight years gone. So, everybody will be rewarded for what they do or for what they refused to do.
It was the state exco that took the decision to expel you; at what point did you fall out with Gbenga Daniel?
I didn’t fall out with Daniel, it had nothing to do with him. It was something from above. They wrote me a letter that I wasn’t at the national convention. I just laughed and said, when I’m not contesting election to national office and I’m not a delegate. … they shut the door against me, I protested, nobody listened. But of course, at that time, my mind wasn’t with them anymore.
So, I said I wanted to be a national delegate you shut the door against me and now you are accusing me of not being there at the convention. To do what? To hail those who are contesting? Then, when they said I should come and explain… in fact, they had my letter of resignation and I made it clear to them that what I have been in PDP, nobody can take it from me.
I said, I’m a founding member of the PDP in 1998; two, I was the facilitator of PDP in Ogun State; three, I was the first assistant national treasurer of the party. Four, I was the chairman of the national women mobilization committee of the party that took the party round the whole country. I was also the chairman, welfare committee of the presidential convention in Jos; I was also a member of the presidential team for the campaign throughout the country and I served as Special Adviser for Women Affairs and I believe by the time I finished that I had already paid my dues.
So, I said, nobody, none of you there have my file to treat or smear. As soon as I made the resignation, I sent it to them. They got the letter, they quickly called the press and said, she’s sacked. I just laughed. If you ask Daniel, she will say, she has no quarrel with me; of course, I have no quarrel with him, or anybody. It’s on principle, because when the party was formed we came together so that the late Abacha must go and he did go. Then, we came together, what we set out to do, we did. If someone now came and said, he as the leader of the party, this is how he wants to run it, whether we like it or not. Have you ever heard of a situation, anywhere in the world, where you ask members of the party to register and deregister? I just said.. they did a lot of things that made it clear to everybody that the party has gone to the dogs. If not for the do or die affair that they did, I can assure you that PDP would not be in half of the thirty six states and they will not have gotten the presidency. Of course, we are waiting, because we know that we will be vindicated.
You were close to the late General Sheu Musa Yar’Adua. Has the incumbent, the younger brother to the late General tried to reach out to do?
I have not gone anywhere near President Umaru Yar’Adua because, I don’t think I should go against the stand of my party, the Action Congress. That’s not to say I’m fighting Umaru, no.
You see, we have come a long way, we are like members of the same family. Not once, not twice was I in Katsina when he was governor, of course, his wife, we are like sisters, just like the wife of the late Sheu Musa Yar’Adua. But then, this is on principle. I wish him well, it’s just circumstances that brought him there. But I know, by the end of the first quarter, things would become clearer.
How do you mean?
As far as the presidential elections is concerned, all the pleadings have been settled. We are now waiting for the outcome. Whatever the outcome is, then we take it up from there. That’s what I mean.
The PDP has fixed a convention for March and Obasanjo is allegedly apprehensive of what becomes of his status as Board of Trustees chairman, after the convention. Do you think the PDP will continue to have him in that capacity, after the convention?
I’m not in their party, so I don’t know their thinking.
Last week, the Alake of Egbaland made a pronouncement when Yar’Adua came visiting. He said Yar’Adua should try to do something to develop the ancient city, that Obasanjo actually neglected the city.
What’s your take on that?
Well, the Kabiyesi has spoken and as I said earlier on about lamentations. It’s jut a shame, our own son was there for eight years, he had every opportunity to do what he has to do, but then may be he didn’t think it was necessary or important . So, I pray that president Umaru Yar’Adua would listen. If he doesn’t, can you blame him?
On a final note, there’s this raging incest scandal against Obasanjo, tearing the household apart. Obasanjo hasn’t said a word and people say silence is an acceptance of quilt?
You know, the whole thing is very unfortunate. The accusation, the silence, the publicity. Why I say it’s unfortunate is that it has spoilt the relationship of father and son and I honestly don’t know how he can overcome it.
That also, will affect the siblings. Very unfortunate. Then, to the public, because what Gbenga accused his father of doing is an abomination. It’s so unfortunate that honestly, I don’t talk about it. It’s very sad, I just hope they will find a way of reconciling themselves.
