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‘My victory is certain’ -Dr. Elijah Adewale, House of Reps hopeful

Dr Elijah Olawale emerged winner of APC primary for House of Representatives Ifako Ijaiye Constituency defeating the incumbent, Abayomi Ogunnusi. Some days after the election, a petition was written against him by his opponent that he was threatening his life. It was also alleged that he had a murder case which was dubiously settled.

ENCOMIUM Weekly spoke to him about this controversy, his victory and more…

How were you able beat an incumbent hands down?

You cannot just jump into politics. I joined politics immediately I came out of the university and I had been playing the same politics till now .The same man who wrote the petition (Ogunnusi) was brought to me so I could install him as member of House of Representatives. Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu gave me the directive that I should install him, he was not into politics then .It has to be noted that I have held some other political appointments, I was once an executive secretary in 2003, at Ifako Ijaiye, member, Lagos state legislative board for four years, Special Adviser of cabinet ranking. I left that office May 28, 2011. It is just three and a half years ago that I have not held any post. While I was in office, I was with my people, outside office I was still with my people. If not for God and myself, we may not have the party in this local government because I don’t believe in leaving the people. Most politicians forget the electorate when they get into office, it is when election is around the corner again they come back seeking people’s  votes. That is not possible with me, I have always kept the party together.

DSC_0020 copyWhy the interest in House of Representative despite the fact that you are a kingmaker?

Nobody has risen to any post here without my contribution. What I strongly believe is that anybody going to lead should take care of his people. It was at the people’s request that I decided to contest, since I have always been with them ,it was easy meeting them regularly and have good rapport with all of them. Ogunnusi thought he could just come back one day and drop money. He was waiting to know how much I would give each delegate so when he heard what i wanted to give, he increased his own. I gave twenty five thousand naira (N25,000) to each delegate when he heard it, he gave forty thousand naira (N40,000) to ward exco, fifty thousand (N50,0000) to ward chairman and fifty thousand naira (N50,000) to local government. As God will have it, he took the money to them on election day when those that will vote had gone to voting centres. Even the people he gave money left it at home and went to vote and after voting, they were called to share the money. After the election complain he said he would take them to court and ask police to arrest them, I said my friend, you are not the only person who gave money Adegbola gave money. All of them who gave money failed and there was nowhere in the world where election money is returned. He gave his money to party chairman at Ojokoro and he shared it accordingly so it is the bitterness of this defeat that is springing out all these now. It was at the people’s request that I decided to contest.

What are your chances of winning the forthcoming 2015 election?

I am now telling you what is authentic. PDP members are very eager to work for me not to talk of the group I run. At least, I am the chairman of so many associations, I am the patron of tailoring association in Ifako Ijaiye. I don’t know which group is not yet committed to this course.

The CDAs, the CDCs because I am a member and former chairman, they are all working with me, winning is total, if by mistake they pick Ogunnusi APC will lose this local government.

If you win, what are your plans for the people?

There are two ways to maintain an office, one is maintenance of the electorate. There is abject poverty in this land. I will first get low finance vocations for the people like soap making, tie and dye. I will establish them here. People are poor because they don’t have anything doing, the best is to establish them, empower them. I have done it before and will still do it and will continue. If I get to the House of Representatives, I will have financial power to do more. I will concentrate also on what Fayose called Stomach Infrastructure. There are special needs for education development here. I know presence of the Federal Government is not felt here at all. I have it in mind and I have already written my own bill that will attract a federal government college to Ifako Ijaiye and I have already done my own research where it will be sited. There is need for a public electronic library in Ifako Ijaiye and by the grace of God, even if I could not get that through the Federal Government, I will take it through constituency project in Ifako Ijaiye.

We heard you were arrested after the election?

The primary election was held on a Sunday, the following day being a Monday, SARS (Special Anti Robbery Squad) surfaced and said I was wanted, that Ogunnusi wrote a petition. So, we went there. When we got there, they said I rigged the election. He wrote the petition to the police with his letter headed paper that I was threatening his life, the life of his family members and those of his supporters, that his life was in danger, the police should provide him security and investigate the case.

He said Dr. Elijah was a murder suspect who was arrested, tried but was freed under some dubious circumstances.

Let me quote part of the petition for you:

“In the last 12 days, prior to the primary election, there had been threats to my personality, family and supporters. Between Saturday December 6, 2014 and Sunday December 7, 2014, there were threats as follows; Dr Adewale Elijah intimidating voters in Ifako Ijaiye and threatening to silence the incumbent, the family and his teeming supporters. Also attached is a letter written by the person who were bent on forcefully take (sic) ticket of House of Representative of Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency. Therefore, If this same suspect is a threat to my life, then I must seek your intervention to investigate the case before the matter degenerates into loss of lives” He signed it with his official green pen.

Can you imagine, somebody who was not in Lagos, I don’t even know where he lives in Lagos, he left after he won the election, he came home once, nobody saw him again.

I had to show them the court judgment, it was then they knew I had no case at all. That was how I was cleared. The police advised me to write against him and sue him to court immediately but I just told them the time is not ripe.

a s (4)A day after, he promised that he will never write such again. He organized a meeting between himself, me and Chief Akande. He even prostrated flat begging.

What actually happened that you were accused and charged to court?

I was in the police force when it happened. I had an orderly who handled my arms and ammunition, on that day, I dropped my sister close to Maryland and I came out to assist her cross the road when a molue bus conductor hit my face with his foot that was dangling. So, I became temporarily blind, we decided to pursue the bus. When we got to Palmgroove where he parked, my orderly, who was already furious, in an attempt to arrest the conductor, some touts at Palmgroove started struggling with him and there was an explosion.

Was it an explosion or a gunshot?

It was an explosion, the court statement is here as evidence.

What year was that and what was your rank?

1985, I was a Superintendent of Police. The conductor was struggling with the gun so it hit him, it could have hit someone else. When something happens through your orderly or an offense is committed by him, you are held responsible. You are expected to take responsibility, so I took full responsibility. I must say it was not a murder case, because before it can be established as a murder case, you must have known the person, there must have been a relationship. But with this person, we have never set our eyes on him before, that was why it was made a manslaughter case. I was discharged by the DPP (Director for Public Prosecution) eventually.

What was the exact name of the DPP?

The DPP was Keshington. He advised me that the case should be taken to court so that the court could give final judgment in case of the future. That was how I was charged for negligence. I was discharged and acquitted in 1985. I have the evidence with me. With this, I am completely innocent and judgment was not appealed.

Is it true that you were a police officer and a lecturer at the same time?

It is not true. I was a lecturer at Ijanikin before joining the force. I worked at Ijanikin and left in 1983 and this incident happened in December 1986. Newspapers carried it, the writer in Punch lived in the same house with my co-in law. He knew me as a lecturer but never knew I had left. I joined the force August 1, 1983 as a doctorate, degree holder then. I had two stars and doctors are made superintendents for a start.

-SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

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