By Daniel Kanu

Comrade Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, an activist, is a  former chieftain of the National Conscience Party (NCP), ex-state chairman, African Action Congress (AAC), Lagos State, and 2024 governorship candidate of the party in Ondo State.

In this chat with Sunday Sun, he speaks on the conduct of the Ondo election, the fall of Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, former Lagos Speaker, the Tinubu presidency and what he described as his anti-people reforms, among other sensitive issues. Excerpt:

You contested for the last Ondo governorship election. How would you explain your experience, particularly your loss?

I did not actually lose. I did not become the governor, but we were able to establish the gubernatorial answer to the fundamental political, social, and economic problems in Ondo State. After the elections, a bigwig from the PDP texted to thank us for being able to come up with the best solutions to the problems of Ondo State.

Would you say that with the struc-ture of your party, the level of your campaign and the funds available to you, you would have comfortably defeated the incumbent governor?

No. It is unfortunate that the electoral barricades in Nigeria have been massively monetised to the extent that it is being kept as a reserve of billionaires. The campaigns become too expen-sive, especially with the rise in food, oil, and other valuables. To move around the state, you need millions of Naira. To do posters, you need millions. You cannot go near banners if you are not a multi-millionaire. So, the whole system is rigged against the radical, poor, and principled people. This is why we always get rogues to be in government. These elements typically go to the government to steal. They go to the government to turn themselves into an exces-sively wealthy persons. My par-ty, the African Action Congress (AAC), in spite of all these issues, tried by showing that we are the true opposition in the elections. We showed character by mobil-ising and organising against all odds. And we stood to the end. Even when we did not win, we were able to win by placing our manifesto and ideas before the people in simple language.

Some candidates in the Ondo elec-tion went to the electoral tribunal. Do you think they stand a chance to win through the judiciary?

I think they stand no chances at the tribunal. I do not believe in the current justice system. Even at the most glaring evi-dence, the judiciary will help to cement the riggings!

Few days ago, you lamented the death of Hon. Tayo Oluwatuyi aka Tukana, the late Ondo State Secre-tary to the State Government (SSG). Why was his death too painful to you?

The death of Hon Tayo Olu-watuyi was too painful to every Ondo citizen and Nigerians in general. As I said in my con-dolence message to the family, the death could have been pre-vented. Oluwatuyi’s death calls for far beyond just the useless three-day mourning declared by the state government. It called for serious emergencies on two vital issues that have been causing wanton death traps for Ondo State citizens. These two issues were at the top in our #IrapadaOndo manifesto. We campaigned vigorously on them. I remember in a debate with one of the government officials on News Central TV, I told the anchor never to get sick while in Ondo State. This was not a joke or politics. The re-ality is the time-bomb blowing around now. The first issue is healthcare. This is a basic part of the social infrastructure that determines the life values of a society. The destruction of Ondo State healthcare started with Governor Rotimi Akeredo-lu when he systematically com-mercialised and destroyed the mini-trusted healthcare left by the pseudo-leftist Olusegun Mimiko. Consequently, when Akeredolu got sick and needed the same healthcare, he could not reap from destroyed plants. Yet, Governor Lucky Ayeda-tiwa, who was Deputy under Akeredolu and luckily took over, never took healthcare se-riously. And till now, with his rogue budget of systemic loot-ing, healthcare has paltry allo-cations. As Ayedatiwa’s SSG, Oluwatuyi never raised any objections to the bad healthcare as can be found in the Teach-ing Hospital; Mother and Child; State Specialist Hospitals, and others. Sadly again, SSG Olu-watuyi was so unlucky that when the accident that killed him happened, he had to be tak-en too far away to Ado-Ekiti for a CT Scan at Afe Babalola Teach-ing Hospital and then driven to far away Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospi-tal where he gave up the ghost. How can it be that no hospital in Ondo State has a CT scan nor MRI? Both Akeredolu and Oluwatuyi were victims of the destroyed healthcare in Ondo State. Secondly, the roads in Ondo State and its surround-ings are serious death traps. We campaigned seriously at #Irapada¬Ondo against the abysmal state of the physical infrastructure in and around Ondo State, but Governor Ai-yedatiwa and his supporters in-sulted us, saying the roads are ‘federal roads’. SSG Oluwatuyi is a victim of that so-called federal road. From Akoko to Igbokoda, the U-shaped single long road is a death trap that Ondo State government of-ficials pass through daily. In short, his death could not have happened if the government had done the right things.

What is your party doing to en-sure that it is in a better position to improve its outing and possibly win the 2027 presidential and other elections?

We are never tired of organ-ising. We are rebuilding and re-generating our movement and party to meet the issues and dy-namics of today. We are the real opposition, and as it is, the ball is in our court to roll to the peo-ple so they can play for the tro-phy of growth and development.

How would you react to the recent impeach-ment of Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa by members of the Lagos House of Assembly?

He has been used and dumped. That is the ways of godfathers. He was made an en-fant terrible in the Lagos State APC politics, and the same peo-ple who empowered and used him to destroy their adversaries have served him the same por-tion of breakfast. Obasa used to be an emperor from Agege to Alimosho and other places. Now, most of his banners in Agege are being destroyed. It is all because the Tinubu dynasty is afraid of him. They feel he is getting too powerful. Obasa forgot to understand the anec-dote of “Egungun be careful, na express you dey go.” Now, he has been crushed. His fall is significant in that many of who are now being used against him were his followers. It also showed and a pointer that the Tinubu dy-nasty can sacrifice anyone for their own agenda. Seyi Tinubu is contesting as Lagos governor, and Obasa is the first major casualty. Many more will still be fallen. But who knows, the whole dynasty can fall soon like a pack of cards, if Lagosians rise.

How do you see the way governance is run in Lagos viz-a-vis leadership recruitment style in the state?

It is nonsensical. Lagos is very rich, but Lagosians are so poor. People hustling everyday just to pay all their taxes and earnings to a cabal that is milk-ing the state dry. And Lagos is ranked yearly amongst the worst cities globally. Lagos is being short-changed, Lagosians are being impoverished.

Would you say the N49.7trn federal budget presently with the National Assembly raises hope for Nigerians?

No! The budget is meant to serve Tinubu and the agents of his regime. No hope in such a rogue budget by a rogue re-gime.

How do you see the various reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s adminis-tration?

These are not reforms, but anti-people policies meant to keep Nigerians very poor. Since Tinubu became president, the average Nigerian has become poorer. Which kind reforms be these? Nigerians should rise to defeat the TInubu hegemony as it means massive backwardness for the people and a great de-structive pull for the econom-ic growth and development of Nigeria.

What is your take on the continued inability of Nigerians to access their cash through the banks and ATMs, but are now resorting to the use of POS at very high rates?

It’s a continuation of the bad symptoms of the wicked policy of Naira devaluation. The CBN has been taken over by agents of the World Bank and IMF. So, the suffering on the Naira has just begun. It’s all a process to drastically reduce the values of the Naira and massify the dollarisation of the economy.

How do you see the recent sack of elected local government chairmen and the vice chairmen by the com-bination of efforts by Governor Monday Okpebholo and the state House of Assembly in Edo State?

It all shows how unserious the APC is in terms of progres-sive respect for constitutional-ism. The local government au-tonomy helps the government to go near the people, but Edo State APC is killing the same. And it’s the same all over the country. It all means nothing progressive can come from above, and that only Nigerians can fight and win for radical and progressive policies from below.