Revealed: Why Labour Party Won 2023 Presidential Election – Mogaji, APC chieftain

 Chief Olawale Mogaji is a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos. In this interview with Peter Bakare, he talked about the outcome of last year’s general election as well the impacts of the government’s policies on Nigerians. Excerpt:

You are a prominent member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, how do you see the continued dominance of your party in the affairs of the state in the last 24 years?

It must interest you to note that I was initially a member of the PDP in 1999, but I joined the ruling party towards the end of 2011. One major factor that has necessitated the growth and development of Lagos State is the fact that there has been continuity in governance patterns whereby successive administrations have implemented the development plans that have been put in place. The fact that the people of the state as cosmopolitan as they are have always voted for the same party has also helped in this regard too. At times, where there are distortions, the development might get stalled or slowed down. You know, when a new government from a different party gets to office, there is the tendency for the new regime to do away with the plans on ground, but this has never happened in Lagos. It should also be pertinent to note that the party is entrenched in terms of structure.

But the last election threw up some spats when some indigenes alleged that some non-indigenes were scheming to take over the state…?

Lagos is a cosmopolitan environment, whether we like it or not, the non-indigenes form a significant portion in the demographic make-up of the state. Our state is the melting pot of the country and we have to recognize that certain areas where they are dominant in terms of demography must make some concessions to them.

In the last election, there was a major upset when the Labour Party defeated your party at the presidential election, what happened?

You know, at times when you feel that you are well entrenched, some things would happen to you that would prompt the leadership of any organisation to as a matter of necessity to rejig its operations. I think that was what happened, the dominant structure was jolted. Looking critically, I won’t say that there was an attempt by some elements within the party to undermine the APC from within, but what I can say is that some members had some misgivings within the party. There was also the factor of the non-indigenes, who felt that the Labour Party appealed to them the most. What happened was not that they were more than us, but our people who were aggrieved now realised the need to re-establish the dominance of the APC. They realised that there was no need to throw away the baby with the bathwater. The people now looked at the personality involved to make a rethink. It was also a period for the party to talk about the process of fence mending in the APC. Before the election, I know that many members were so disillusioned. At the end of the day, the party was able to pull itself together. I must confess that we were lucky that all the elections were on the same day. It was a period of soul searching for us,  but in the end, going forward, we must ensure that all major stakeholders are carried along.

Fortunately, the APC won at the centre and President Bola Tinubu whom you know very well is now in charge, many people praised him for taking the bold step of removing payment of subsidy on petrol, how do you see the move considering negative impacts on the people?

You see, in the last election, the issue of subsidy payment removal was a major issue that formed the debates of the various presidential candidates during the campaigns. Many of them promised to do what the president has done. In any case, it is always very easy to make assumptions while outside the government, but one is confronted with the stark realities when you sit. When you are placed in a position of leadership, you should always take hard decisions. I think it is always sensible and reasonable for any leader to take some hard decisions when the ovation is loudest, but that does not take away the fact that the after effect of the policy on the people has been harsh. Assuming the decision was not taken, only God knows what would have happened to the country. The only advice that I have for the president is to find a means for striking the balance between official policy and the impact of the policy on the people. I am confident that the kind of leadership we have in the country now, we will come out of the woods.

How do you react to suggestions that the timing was wrong?

You cannot really say so, but I know that several factors would have prompted the move. The people that are really benefiting from these subsidy payments are very minute, and they are doing it to the detriment of the vast majority of Nigerians. Government should now at this critical time consider the issue of food security in the country. I’m sure when that is done the major effect of the policy would have been solved. A hungry man is an angry man. The recent occurrences where you see some people die while scampering for seized rice at the various offices of the Customs Offices across the country. 

If you are opportuned to meet the president, what kind of advice will you give him on how to mitigate the effects of the policy on Nigerians?

I will advise him to ensure that all arms and organs of the government must cooperate and work together in sync to solve the problem using a multi-sectoral approach. If they attack the problem frontally, I mean the tiers of government like the state, local and federal governments coming together to address it. Government has mobilised all strata of the society from the high and mighty, as well as those who are considered as artisans and lowly ranked.