How I won APC primary thrice, but denied to contest in general election — Okeyomi

Hon. Oladipupo Okeyomi.

By Moses Oyejola

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ojokoro, Lagos State, Oladipupo Okeyomi, has lamented how his party denied him the right to run in the council general election three times despite winning the primary.

He made the startling revelation during an interview with the Harbinger News-Magazine. He said that three times he had been robbed of his chance to contest in a council general election because of his loyalty to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Okeyomi, who is the founder of Changed Agent Foundation International (CAFI), a non-governmental organisation, has touched many people’s lives. 

He has given scholarships to indigent students and presented poverty alleviation equipment to some trained youths in the area. He shed more light on his political ambition, his philanthropic activities, and other burning issues in the country. Excerpts: 

Can we meet you, sir?

I am the honourable Oladipupo Okeyomi (popularly called Carry Go), a politician, a business owner, a farmer, and a security expert. You have been touching people’s lives continuously.

What gingers you?

It is an agreement between me and God. This agreement cannot be changed.

 

What are the challenges you are facing as a businessman and a politician?

In the course of life’s journey, one is bound to have challenges, but it depends on how you handle them. With God on my side, I have been able to overcome the challenges. 

You are one of the staunch followers of Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, the current Minister of Interior. What happened that you were denied the ticket of your party after having won the primary three times? 

It baffled me that I was denied the ticket of my party after I won the primary and filled in the INEC form, with the excuse that I was closer to Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola. Some years back, I was the first person to campaign for Asiwaju’s presidency before anybody or even before he made his intention known. I spent a lot of time campaigning and mobilizing for him then, from Kogi State to other states. I still have the cap that I made as a souvenir for his support then. I was surprised that I could be denied a ticket because of my loyalty to Rauf Aregbesola. There is no going back on my loyalty to him. I do not know what transpired between them. When they will settle it, I will not be there.

As a security consultant, what is your view on Boko Haram and banditry destruction in the country? 

The Federal Government is working to tame Boko Haram and banditry, and their end will soon come. 

How do you feel when you impact positively on young people and the elderly persons?

I feel okay, happy and fulfilled.

Has the incumbent chairman of Ojokoro LCDA consulted you as a prominent stakeholder? 

I am not an oracle to be consulted, and I am not bothered. I did not go to the local government because, as I previously stated, I have too much work to do to be bothered by governance at the local government.

Your party’s national convention is slated for March; do you have a particular person that you are supporting?

I am a loyal member of the party. I wish my party well. Whoever emerges as the national chairman will have my support. The issue of godfathers should be eradicated. It is not democratic, but autocratic. In Edo State, the former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomole, said that there was no godfather, when he was in power. That was what the current governor, Godwin Obaseki, reminded him during their tussle that he was deviating from what he said. He went to the polls and won without a godfather in another party. A stop should be put to the godfathers in Nigerian politics. 

Are you in support of a national electoral body to handle local government elections instead of the state electoral commission?

I am in support of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct local government elections. Since state election bodies are not a true reflection of the people’s vote, when the ruling party is in control of the state, they will get the majority vote without allowing the opposition. The state electoral body is being manipulated, but with the national electoral body in charge, the manipulation will be reduced, while the vote will be evenly spread when the party in control wins. The result will show a true reflection of the people’s choice.

You have done a lot for the people, especially the youth, in terms of awarding scholarships to many of them. Do you have a monitoring team to monitor their performance at their respective institutions of learning? 

Yes, we have a technical committee that monitors them in their various schools to update us on their performances. Among the team members, we have a PHD holder. We provide a vehicle for their movement, so we don’t just award scholarships, but we monitor their educational performances. 

Some people look up to you as a role model. What advice do you have for such people?

They should put their trust in God first. Trust no human being. Love everybody, but trust no one. A wife can deny their husband; likewise, a husband can deny his wife. We have seen a situation where a wife killed her husband for money, and a husband killed his wife in a diabolical way for quick money, without waiting for God’s appointed time. So let your trust be in God and work hard; other positive things will follow.