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Mr Bode Olorunsola, younger brother to former Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Osten Olorunsola was a House of Representatives aspirant in Yagba Federal Constituency in 2003 and candidate of Accord Party in the 2015 House of Assembly election in Yagba West State Constituency.
Mr Olorunsola who has since after the 2015 elections returned to his private business in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, at the weekend, picked the membership card of Action Democratic (ADC) in his Igbaruku-Iyamerin Ward, Yagba West Local Government Area, Kogi State with a caveat, he is in ADC because of one person- Elder Leke Abejide!
Abejide is the sole aspirant to the House of Representatives, Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State on the platform of ADC.
Fielding questions from journalists at the ADC secretariat in Odo-Ere, Yagba West Local Government headquarters, Olorunsola, who until now said he belonged to All Progressives Congress (APC) extolled the virtues of Elder Abejide as a successful business tycoon with uncommon humility, whose programmes, especially for the youth as regards education, he disclosed, informed his decision to mobilize his supporters for him.
The following are excerpts from the ensuing questions and answers:
Why did you decide to join ADC?
If you you observed, for some time, I have always been within the political space, since 2002. And if you do remember, I started with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later in the run up to the 2015 elections, I joined APC. Of course, at a time, we stepped aside to Accord Party because of our leader, Hon Samuel Aro Bamidele; you know the story, how he was forced out of the APC senatorial race of Kogi West and how we his supporters moved en masse to Accord Party on which platform he contested for the senate and I also contested for the House of Assembly. Eventually, that election in 2015 doesn’t really favour us, but the bottom line is we all knew we belonged to APC and indeed, after that episode, we returned to APC.
However, I noticed that since then, nobody recognized our contributions to the party but our loyalty to APC was unshaken. Today, my going to ADC has little to do per se with party affairs. I am in ADC solely because of only one person or I can say aspirant for now, who I believe will metamorphose to candidate, I am sure in the next couple of weeks, that is Elder Leke Abejide.
Of all the politicians scouting for House of Reps post in Yagba, he is the only person who has engaged me for my support. How he got to recognize my capacity within our locality, I did not know, but to have called me, discussed with me and moreover, his programmes especially the plans that he has for the youths, I thought of it, I also consulted some stakeholders across all parties because I still have my loyalists in PDP, though a lot more in APC, and they were all in support that if I will be part of the coordinators that will coordinate his campaign going forward to the general election, I just assume and I feel it is right for me to join ADC fully. If he is winning I should be counted among those who made it happen, if he is sinking , I sink with him.
Can you mention some of the qualities and programmes that excited you about Elder Abejide?
The main one, like I rightly told people, he is the first person within my locality that will recognise that encouraging youths is not all about doling out money or material things, because when you talk of empowerment a lot of people feel it is about money, no. But when you make their future happen for them from now through giving them education, that is when you can say you have empowered the youth. This is a man who said I should hold him accountable and told other stakeholders across boards that he will solely be responsible for our youths WASSCE fees. That alone is exciting.
Again, what I have known about him, about his philanthropies, having been a very astute businessman, I believe that for somebody like that who has built his own empire without government patronage or power, I think if he gets there, there is no way our people will not benefit. And if you take a look at people who are not as blessed, I mean some of those who have represented us in various capacities, even those that were nowhere yesterday but by virtue of whatever, what are we seeing of them? How humble are they? Have they not been misbehaving? But for a man who has been successful and yet so humble, in my opinion, if he should deviate from that, I stand to be held responsible.
I think he is somebody that is worth following, I think he is somebody I have chosen to follow, and as I speak, all my supporters and friends have agreed with my choice of Leke Abejide as the next member, House of Representatives, Yagba Federal Constituency, by the grace of God.
How has the response been since you have gone round mobilizing your supporters for Abejide and ADC?
It has been fantastic. Since I lost election in 2015, I have been quiet politically. And for me to come out and visit home and for the fact that I have never misled them, I have explained to my people why i am back and I have been so accepted just as his (Abejide) person has been so accepted. This is not to downplay the work his supporters have done in my locality before my arrival in the party. I cannot imagine the boost his campaign has received from this visit and what will happen when I return in a few days.
Finally, the space is congested with the presence of about a dozen aspirants for the race in Yagba Federal Constituency. What is your projection?
Yes, it is an open race, but by my own projection, let’s not deceive ourselves, be it the APC, be it the PDP, people are aggrieved, that is just the truth. I can tell you authoritatively that we are going to extract not less than about 60 to 70 percent from the existing so-called leading political parties because I was there, I know what I am talking about and those who have been talking to us, irrespective of party differences. Names cannot be called right now but I can assure you, we are all in consonance, in one accord.
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