Fred Ezeh, Abuja 

Muyiwa Olumilua is the son of former governor of old Ondo State, Bamidele Olumilua. He believes he has what it takes to govern Ekiti, just as he believes the father’s name and antecedents would work in his favour.

You are in for a big battle to win the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the forthcoming Ekiti governorship election. How prepared are you?

 I’m very much ready for the battle before us, which is for the ticket of APC. It is the battle to select the candidate that will fly the flag of APC in the forthcoming governorship election schedule for July. However, in this stage of the contest, different categories of delegates are the major players. So, any aspirant that wants to win the primary election must establish a strong relationship with the delegates and other people that would matter in the election. Aspirants are expected to convince the delegates with superior idea and reason why they should be chosen. There must not be any ambiguity in the manifesto that would be presented to the delegates so they could read and understand the content. However, my team and I started our grassroots outreach in August 2016, to seek the support of the electorate and we are happy to have reached out to majority of the people with our plans and programmes for them. 

 How strong is your presence in the state? 

 It is very strong and deep rooted. I’m a grassroots’ politician and more connected to the people than any of my contemporary. No one can question the fact that I have been deeply involved in politics for a very long time. Many may not know that I was born into a political family and that gave me the opportunity to learn politicking at early stage of my life either directly from my immediate family or from senior politicians associated to my family who have played politics at different levels. There is no doubt that I’m deeply rooted in the heart of the electorate and success is inevitable at the polls. 

 I have friendly relationship with the people of Ekiti State, irrespective of their social and economic status. This was because of my deep knowledge of the people who would actually vote on the day of election.

 I have only one vote as an individual and the ‘big stakeholders’ have one vote each. I hate to say this, former governor, Fayemi failed us. He was the governor when Fayose came and defeated us in a keenly contested election in 2014. The secret of that success was Fayose’s relationship with Ekiti people. Fayose is a smart politician and I must give it to him. He truly understands what our people want and how best to relate to them. Our people need a leader that will identify with them, share their happy and sorrow moments. Fayose knew that and adopted that strategy in 2014 and emerged victorious. Fayose could wake up one morning and head to local communities and village markets, he will sit with the less privileged women and youths to eat local delicacies and drink with them. Sometimes you see him park his car on the street and join women and children in roasting corn and yam under unhealthy environment and hot sun. It was a strategy that worked for him. People loved and appreciated him for that sense of humour and the result was reflected at the polls. 

You just confessed that Fayose is a smart politician and people love him. How do intend to convince the people to dump him for you?

 You must realise that two heads can never be the same. Every man has his own destiny, charisma and secrets to achieve whatever success he desires in any given task. Fayose has anointed his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, to succeed him. In as much as Fayose will like his deputy to succeed him, his deputy might not possess all the unique traits that made Fayose what he is today. He might also lack that sense of humour and belonging that worked for his boss. So, unseating Fayose could be difficult in Ekiti but not so for his anointed candidate.

 Your former boss Kayode Fayemi, has joined the race. Can you withstand him in this race?

 Of course I can withstand him. I have high regard for him being my former boss but that does not take away the fact that I’m also qualified in all ramifications to govern the people the state. I know that many people might raise the issue of political experience but we were all in Ekiti when Fayemi came into Ekiti politics. He was a green horn in politics then. He contested the primary elections with people who were known as seasoned politicians, former governors, senators, ministers and other people who were also qualified and capable in their own ways to run the affairs of the state. In a contest with well experienced politicians, he won the primaries and was fully supported by all party members to win the election. This is pointer that anything is possible in politics. My case is even different here because I have a name that transcends Ekiti, Ondo and possibly the whole of Nigeria. My chances are bright in this contest. 

Campaigns are loud for youths to take over power. But there are fears that they lack the requisite experience needed to drive governance system in Nigeria. Are you bothered about the development?

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 It is untrue that the youths are not politically experienced to drive the governance system in Nigeria. It takes more than a political exposure to do well in politics and many people have proven that in the case of Nigeria. However, I need to tell you that I joined politics in the 1990s when there was only SDP and NRC. This was long before Fayemi joined politics. So, no one could say that I am politically inexperience, having spent 28 years in politics. My father was a former governor of the state and that gave me a big opportunity to understudy governance. Besides, I have been a political appointee in the past. I served in Fayemi’s government in several capacities, first as a Special Assistant on Project Monitoring and also as Special Assistant on Integration and Intergovernmental relations.

Is being a former governor’s son an advantage in the race?

There is no doubt that it will give me an edge in this contest. His goodwill will definitely count in my favour. First, I don’t have to struggle to introduce myself to the people of Ekiti or convince them to trust my personality. They know me very well and what I stand for. My father had a good track record and reputation in the governance of the state and that had positively robbed off on me. His antecedents will obviously count in my favour. There is a saying in our local parlance that ‘a good name is better than gold and silver.’  If my father was a horrible person, I would not have had the guts to seek people’s vote. But to the glory of God, he was a good governor that impacted positively on the lives of the people and that had given me a very good advantage to fly in my political ambition. It is indeed a big advantage for me and I will maximize it to the fullest.

Your party, APC, is expected elect new leaders soon in the state. What are the chances that it might favour you?

 The forthcoming APC congress will not affect the Ekiti governorship primary election, going by the timetable of the activities of election. The primary election is scheduled for 5th May and the APC convention will hold few days after. So, what it means is that whether I have people in the new executives or not, they would have no choice but to inherit my candidacy if I eventually win the primary. And I assure them that we would work together to move the party forward. 

 What are you bringing to Ekiti people that are different what they have presently? 

 I have developed an 8-point agenda which has the acronym ‘DREAMBIG Ekiti’. It was designed to redirect the footsteps of the state. The agenda of my government would focus on agricultural mechanisation. It means that we are going back to land and agriculture. South -west Nigeria was hitherto known to be major producer and supplier of cocoa and other agricultural products to Africa and the world, and Ekiti was at the center of the production. Unfortunately, Cross River and Akwa-Ibom States now produce more cocoa than we do. It is a shame to us. We would like to restore that lost glory and its effect will show on our economy. In addition to that, education, tourism, gender equality and several other life transforming programmes are also contained in the agenda. 

How ready are you to accept the outcome of the primary election in the event that it does not favour you?

 I’m a committed and dedicated party man. So, I am duty bound to support whosoever emerges as the candidate of APC in the forthcoming primary election. If I emerge winner, which I hope to, it is also expected of other aspirants and party machineries to support to my candidacy to victory. We must know that the task ahead is beyond individual interest. It is collective responsibility we owe our party to ensure that it emerge victorious in the forthcoming election. It means that we cannot afford to welcome bickering, acrimony and self interest among ourselves, as that would negatively affect our chances at the polls. 

Nigerians seem to be angry with your party, APC. What strategies will you adopt to convince them to believe you and vote for your party? 

 Our strategies are simple. Yoruba people, in one of their sayings, said that one must have tested the weight of water and oil before knowing the one that is heavier. Our people tested water and they are currently testing oil, so they should be able to know the one that is heavier. The fact that someone identified with you, dance, and laugh, wine and dines with you does not change the fact that you are hungry. There are backlog of unpaid salaries, pensions and other entitlements owe to Ekiti people by the state government. People might blame APC for their woes but we have to let them know that it was not APC’s fault that the economy went into recession. The party, obviously, inherited economy that was on its knees in 2015, it was even in the best interest of Nigerians that APC came into power in 2015. If not, Nigeria would have been like Venezuela by now.