• Says president will win 2027 race by a landslide

By Agatha Emeadi

Vice Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), South West, Hon. Isaac Kekemeke was Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ondo State, where he had previously been the Commissioner for Works and member of the state’s House of Assembly. Currently too, he is Board Chairman, Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST). In this interview, he talks about the achievements of President Bola Tinubu, his chances in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election and other relevant national issues. 

What exactly informed your decision to seek the Ondo State governorship seat in 2023?

I aspired for the office of governor in 2023 and we had a single vision which was and still the creation of a prosperous and peaceful Ondo State, where citizens will find work to do and live a meaningful life. That was, and still our very clear vision, aimed at impacting science, technology, natural and human resources of the state, to create wealth. All we need to do is to work out programmes in such a way that the people of Ondo will create wealth. We cannot have the wealthy without people themselves being involved in wealth creation. They must have something to do and must add value to be able to live meaningful lives. Our plan was to make education, health, agriculture and tourism blossom.

Most Nigerians are passing through hard times, and the government does not appear to be bothered about this…

The truth is that in the last two years, President Bola Ahmed administration has taken bold, courageous, economic decisions. These decisions are beginning to yield macro-economic results. There is no denying the fact that they have also caused temporary hardship for Nigerians. We are pleading with Nigerians, asking them to recognise that the temporary hardship is a necessary sacrifice for the greater tomorrow that is beginning to manifest. In the last few months, we have started to touch some of these benefits because the prices of goods are coming down with the Naira getting strong against dollar and other foreign currencies.

It is still not yet uhuru because the challenges and hardship are still there; almost all Nigerians felt the instant effect of the fiscal transformation that is taking place in the economy, so we still plead with Nigerians that in a short while, they will see, feal and fully touch the benefits of the sacrifices they have made. Yes, the fruits are not yet ripe for everyone, but in a matter of time every Nigerian will lick the fruit of the socio-economic programme of the Tinubu administration.

Given the economic downturn and the worsening insecurity, do you think that President Tinubu will make it in 2027?

The indications are such that President Tinubu will win the presidential election in 2027 with a landslide. Apart from his excellent performance in economic and fiscal areas, there has been so much of social and political engineering. There is so much inclusivity in his administration. In the places we did not do well in 2023, we are doing so well now. The South-South and South-East, some places in the North Central, North East and West all came into APC. Quite a number of people who acknowledge the temporary difficulties and hardship have acknowledged that President Tinubu’s humongous efforts at reforming Nigeria. These people are willing to support him to finish his tenure. When President Tinubu is re-elected as I know he will be for another four years from 2027-2031, Nigeria’s story would have changed because for every fundamental challenge that we have had as a nation, President Tinubu has courageously taken decisions that are important, as a leader, knowing full well that there will be backlash. He has demonstrated that he is a leader. He knew that there would be backlash, yet he still took the hard decisions for the good of the country. So, I believe that APC will do far better in 2027 than its performance in the 2023 general elections.

But the leaders of African Democratic Congress, ADC, hold a different view and argue four more years of a Tinubu-led administration will be catastrophic for Nigerians. What is your take on this? 

Nigeria was on the verge of collapse before President Tinubu came into office. If he had not won the 2023 elections, probably, the dollar would have been between N3,000 -N5,000 against one dollar. Or we would probably be sleeping at empty petrol stations waiting to buy fuel. Again, Nigeria would probably be a failed country. So, another four years of his administration can only solidify the gains that have been made. We are not yet there, but on our way. We are assured that even before the next election, a lot of people who cannot see, will start seeing, those who have not been able to touch, will start touching the positive consequences of these decisions. The Naira is steadily gaining strength against the dollar. Nobody queues in any petrol station again. Almost all the prices are coming down. Insecurity is being tackled head-on. In every sector, you will see his laudable projects. The changes taking place in the economy are so visible because they are beginning to yield results at the macro level. Those who are saying that re-electing Tinubu would be catastrophic for Nigeria are not correct. When he wins again, of course, the gains of the last four years will be consolidated and Nigeria will be on the right part to becoming a great country.

The country continues to contend with the menace of bandits and Sahelian terrorists. What are we not doing right in the fight to curb insecurity?

Well, bandits have always been there. They have become a part of our system. One of the things we need to do is the fact that these bandits abducted some girls from Kwara and Kogi and it is still going on. But we must say that Nigerian president was very proactive to the extent that he did not attend G-20 summit to be able to attend to this challenge. Nobody is celebrating the fact that the girls in Kwara were recovered soon, the president acted as the commander in chief, was on top of the situation to deal with it. Nobody is celebrating that a lot of security people have been mobilized to deal with bandits on Kogi/Ondo borders. That the president declared an emergency, every necessary thing needed to be done is being done to avert insecurity. Another fact remains that the president alone, army alone, police alone cannot do it. All Nigerians have a duty to ensure that we are all free from bandits. The bandits are our husbands, brothers, sisters, children and we ourselves are involved by making sure that they are important. Nigerians are the people who supply arms and ammunitions, send foodstuff to the bandits in the forest. We also have eminent senior Nigerian citizens who negotiate with the bandits. All of these complicate the problem. Apart from what the president is doing, as a country, there are parts of our system. We created and encouraged them and unfortunately, there are people who are saying that bandits can never be shot, who negotiate with them and know where they are.  These are Nigerian people. It is high time to say enough is enough. Nobody should be negotiating with bandits. Recently, I found a viral video of a lorry-load of ammunition being driven along Kaduna-Abuja express way to bandits. It is Nigerians that are doing it. In places where we have security agents, citizens who are stakeholders should ensure security. We all owe it a duty to give information, be vigilant and treat bandits as abnormal people. In that way we support the government and security forces to ensure that our country is free from bandits.

A school of thought believes that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s life imprisonment will affect Tinubu’s chances in the South East during the 2027 general elections. What is your view?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction, so that conviction stands. President Tinubu is a father, a very inclusive and compassionate leader. I am one of those who believe that after the conviction, the President can explore the possibilities of a pardon if and when MNK is willing to renounce violence as a means of agitation. Agitation is constitutional and lawful, but employing violence as a means of agitation is criminal. Again, his conviction will not impact the outcome of the 2027 election. I do not know if Mazi Nnamdi Kalu was a member of the Labour party, but in 2023, the Southeast voted for the Labour party and PDP. It is a matter of calculation. Now that the Southeast has aligned with APC, there may be some impact. They have also seen that despite the fact that they did not vote for him, he has ensured that there is huge development in the Southeast, he has also ensured that they are part and parcel of his administration. They are playing key roles in his administration. The people have seen it and will vote him irrespective of whether Nnamdi Kanu is in jail or not. As part of stabilization, inclusivity and compassionate character of President Tinubu’s leadership style, considering a pardon for Nnamdi Kanu is not out of it on the condition that he renounces violence as a means of agitation.

Is it right that the APC is steadily working to turn the country into a one-party nation considering the number of politicians dumping their parties to join APC?

As a social democrat and a progressive, I believe in the existence of the opposition as integral part of every democracy. I believe that we must have a virile opposition party in this country, to serve as a check on the party in power, and to act if at any time the governing party becomes undesirable on a national polity. So, I am a believer in opposition. Just like President said, the governing party has no duty to build up opposition. So, the opposition elements should gather themselves together and give Nigerians a virile opposition party to the ruling APC. It is their responsibility to do so. It is not the duty of APC to do so. Secondly, it will not be the job of APC to drive away people who come into the party. People who are attracted by the performance of the president and governors are excited by the fact that they have more resources under President Tinubu’s policy to carry out developmental agenda in their states. If that is the way they want to appreciate the president, we cannot stop them. But I think that the opposition leaders should go and get their act together so that they can contribute and compliment the democracy that we have because opposition is an integral part of democracy. I am not a believer in one-party state. They should go and put themselves together. That is my appeal to them.

Few years ago, Senator Adams Oshiomhole said: “If you join our party, your sins will be forgiven.” Several Nigerians strongly believe that governors who are mismanaging state resources are joining APC. What is your position on this?

That was a political statement. Some statements are political and are made in a moment of excitement. It is allowed. We are all human who make emotional statements many times. No one is free of such. I do not think that is a quality statement of the party neither is it from the president. Governor Oshiomole made the statement in an excited situation.

What did you meet on ground when you became chairman of the Board of Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST)?

NIPOST is a difficult story. It is a story of all our national institutions that have been run down over time. I am working with the Post Master General (PMG) to develop a strategy, to rebuild NIPOST in such a way that Nigerians will be proud of it again. It has taken so long a time for what happened to happen. It will take some more time also to move NIPOST to where we think it ought to be. So, we are introducing technology. The PMG is very much into that and giving a new orientation of service to the staff. So, all of us can recommit and deliver on the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda through NIPOST. It is in a dilemma; it is an institution that should be commercialise its operations and do business as a government agency. We are trying to see how we can operate as a profitable state-owned postal institution. It is a state-owned agency which has to run efficiently and profitably.