PDP needs to show more seriousness – Adiukwu

Oluremi Adiukwu is a frontline female politician and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Formerly of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), she dumped the party a couple of years back and pitched her tent with the APC, citing as reason, the failure of her former party to put its house in order and offer credible opposition to the ruling APC. A three-time gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, she worked hard for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and the election of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu during the last general elections.

In this interview with Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan, the  businesswoman who at the weekend opened a branch of her famous ‘Aso-Ebi Gallery and Emporium’ in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, spoke about the current administration and concluded that many policies of the Buhari government are offering hopes to Nigerians. While urging Nigerians to remain patient, Adiukwu said the ruling APC remains the only party capable of leading the country back to prosperity.

 

The Supreme Court has affirmed the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. What is your take on this?

President Buhari was re-elected by an absolute majority of 55.6 per cent of the national vote, with Nigerians casting nearly four million more votes for President Buhari than the candidate of the PDP who came second. That is a margin close to 15 per cent of the total vote. I thank the judiciary for putting national interest above any other consideration. I also thanked Nigerians for the mandate they gave to our party and Mr. President to run the affairs of the country for another four years. Like I said back then, President Buhari had a legitimate right to seek re-election.

Of course, some people felt morally he shouldn’t, but I said it depended on how we are looking at the issues being raised by the opposition.  Like every other Nigerian, it is within his right to vote and be voted for. And as an elected President who was about finishing his first term in office, he was entitled to seek another term. But beyond that, I think it is left to Nigerians who can lead us at every point in time. He contested and Nigerians voted for him. The rest is history and every hand should be on deck to ensure the growth of the country.

Now that the Supreme Court in its ruling dismissed the case for lacking merit, I believe this matter is now closed. Atiku and the PDP have done well. They have conducted themselves in line with the laws of the country they sought to lead. Now, it is time the country is allowed to move on in the interest of all Nigerians, regardless of how they voted. We must all allow the elected President and his government to focus solely on addressing the issues that concern the country. The opposition must change tactic and be less confrontational.

Talking about the government being focused, what are the urgent things the government should do?

Since 2015, the current administration has been giving Nigerians hope that the future is bright. The APC is still giving Nigerians hope and that is why the people are voting for our candidates. President Buhari’s administration has moved swiftly to address some of our major problems as inherited from the many years under PDP. From building economic empowerment and opportunities for the nearly 200 million Nigerians, 60 per cent of whom are youths bubbling with energy, to confronting the twin ills of terrorism and corruption headlong, even when pessimists say it cannot be done.

But there is still much work to do. With the issue of election concluded by the Supreme court, the government must move faster. So too must the opposition be afforded the right to focus directly on their vital role of holding the administration to account for its decisions. The governance of democracy only functions as it should when those checks on the executive are in place and utilized. The opposition, as much as the government, must now move on and without the need for further distractions. Now, we need everybody to play their own roles so we can move towards prosperity faster as a nation.

With the agitation for restructuring getting louder by the day, do you think your party is doing enough to address the issue?

The issue is being addressed. It is just that many of us are saying the same thing in different ways for now. We need to agree on what we really want done. No government has successfully addressed the call. But if you ask me, I will say before now, it has been a deliberate omission on the part of successive administrations. It is not possible to say that no government understood the call enough to address it. That was definitely not the case. Rather, I will say it is because the previous ruling parties benefit from the lopsided arrangements.

With the centre as strong as it is, any ruling party would not be very eager to make a change. The power at the centre is quite enormous and anyone ruling will not want to whittle this down. Making the required change will need great selflessness and patriotism. And what Nigeria lacked all along are selfless and genuinely patriotic leaders. Unless we put such people who will look beyond personal interest and group satisfaction and consider national interest above party interest, it will be difficult to get a ruling party or government that will holistically and genuinely address the agitation for restructuring.

That is the difference now. President Buhari’s selflessness is making it possible for the current government to move fast, very fast, towards restructuring. To those who see nothing being done yet, I want to tell them to be more patient. If we have to do it, let us do it well once and for all. There is no better way than for us to sit down and discuss the issue as a people. That is the only way because it has become an issue in Nigeria and we cannot wish it away. It must be handled with maturity and wisdom. For once, the people, and I mean the real people, must be allowed to say what they want. PDP cannot speak for Nigerian about restructuring.

You were a leading chieftain of the opposition PDP. Why do you think the party lost again in 2019?

Before I dumped the party, I warned that PDP wasn’t serious enough to return to winning ways, especially at the federal level. I warned that the party should start to present the right candidates through transparent processes. It was not enough for PDP to just say it will stop Buhari or displace APC. They need to know that it has a lot to do with the candidate and the process. As a party, PDP is yet to learn its lessons and as individuals, the members must become more amenable to ensuring that the process is allowed to go smoothly. PDP needs to be more serious.

Last weekend, you opened an arm of your fabric line, AsoEbi Gallery and Emporium in Ikeja, Lagos State. What informed the move shortly after the general election in which you were a major player?

Aside politics, I am a businesswoman to the core. All my life, I have made more from business than any other thing. I was a banker before I left for private ventures. When I left the bank in 1985, I opened a shop in Allen Avenue and I named it ElizAdiukwu Group of Companies. I was dealing in electronics, cosmetics, stockfish and many other goods. I sell them and make profit. I also opened a beauty salon with spa and gym. It was from doing business that I caught the politics bug. I was already a successful businesswoman by the time I ran for governorship of Lagos state in the early 1990s.

After the 2007 governorship election which I contested again, I moved to Abuja. When I got to Abuja, I decided to go back to my trading. I must mention a great sister of mine, Mrs. Rebecca Akeredolu who mentored and supported me greatly at the beginning. She revealed the tricks of the trade to me. Besides, my parents were traders and I learnt a lot from them. Also, when my son was preparing for his marriage some years back, I went to buy ashoebi for my son’s wedding. I stumbled into Mrs. Akeredolu’s shop in Lagos. I approached her to learn and for her to assist me in establishing my own shop and she agreed wholeheartedly.

What are you offering Lagosians with the opening of Aso Ebi on Toyin Street, Ikeja?

The major thing is the affordability of our goods. Every category of individual can walk in here and purchase whatever they want. Both male and female, with a meager budget come in and leave buying beautiful fabrics that may be sold for more elsewhere. My prices are quite reasonable, compared to what obtains elsewhere across the city. The strength of my brand is in the price and the quality of the fabrics we deal in. I have been doing other corporate businesses before I ventured into trading. I was also into contracts. Late payment is one of the biggest banes of doing contract business in Nigeria. Most times your clients won’t pay you on time. So, I decided that instead of continuing with this trend of doing contract for government and wait­ing to be paid, I thought it wise to go into trading.