All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Raheem Tunji Olawuyi (Ajulo Opin) is representing Irepodun/Isin/Ekiti/Oke-Ero Constituency in the House of Representatives. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on his re-election bid, politics in Kwara State and preparations for next year’s poll.

Is your bid for a fresh term in the House of Representatives not a violation of the rotational principle, which your people have already adopted as a convention?

Not at all. Let me give you the background of what obtains in our constituency. There is no standard rotational arrangement. I am from Irepodun local government which happens to be the biggest local government in the constituency. In the last 20 years, my local government has been the occupant of that seat, except for only four years when someone from Isin local government, Hon. Akeem Ayedun, was elected.

It is not because we are trying to dominate. Election is based on numbers. Irepodun local government has the number. Based on this, and in fairness to the smaller local governments, in the last primary, my local government, Irepodun, tried to push for the senatorial seat. Based on arrangement with the party, we were give the House of Representatives ticket. Probably, in subsequent elections, our local government would be given the senatorial seat while other local governing have their fair share of representation in the Green Chamber.

What have you done for your constituency? What are your achievements that will recommend you for a fresh mandate?

Honestly, if I venture into what have been able to do in the last four years, it will take a long time before we end this interview. It has never been so good in my federal constituency. This can be attested to by our political and community leaders. Recently, I held town hall meetings in each of the four local governments. Previously, only one town meeting was held and all of them brought under one roof. For us to showcase what we have been able to do, each local government was given a separate date. I reeled out all my achievements in terms of education, agriculture, sponsoring of bills, intervention for the widows, a lot of community projects.

In my federal constituency, it is unprecedented for a House of Representatives member to have sunk many boreholes, to have graded roads. I run my office as an executive office. I was able to do all these because of my leg work, contacts at the national level. I lobbied projects to my constituency. I have built several schools, ckassrooms; in more than 10 locations in the last four years. I have sponsored some indigent students; paying their school fees. Some people gained admissions into tertiary institutions. We have been able to sort them out. We did widow empowerment.

Currently, I have a bill that is at the last stage and awaiting presidential assent. It is a bill to establish a federal college of education in my constituency. It is most done. As I speak to you, a contractor is on ground for the building of a big stadium, the first of its kind in my local government. So, I have attached of capital projects.

I was surprised at the town hall meeting we held recently where people said I have done a lot in the last three and half years. A lot of our community leaders confirmed that we have not seen it so good. A particular kabiyesi from Oke-Ero local government said he has been on the throne for the past 35 years and he had seen many House if Representatives member and no one among them has done one-quarter of what I have done and they are still counting.

During the APC primary, there were conflicts between you and co-contenders. How have you been able to bring them on board so that they can work for your victory?

Thank you for this Important question. I am a party man. There is one think I allow to sink into my brain. Party supremacy should not be allowed to be overshadowed by individual interests. Those who were aggrieved because of the outcome of the primary, I have been able to talk to them to see the reason why the party has taken the decision. Irrespective of all the people, once the party has taken a decision, we should all come together to respect the position.

An instance was in 2015. I was the only aspirant who obtained the Expression of Interest form for the House of Representatives. But, the party leaders chose the late Princess Funke Adedoyin. They gave her ticket when she did not even show interest in that seat. What can I do? The party had spoken. A lot of people came to me that I should go to another party. I said no. I stood with my party and worked for the success of that honourable member of blessed memory. Unfortunately, we lost three of the local governments in the constituency. My local government, Irepodun local government, because of our size, gave maximum votes to project Funke Adedoyin. Here we are today. Whoever that is angry, including governorship and senatorial aspirants, we try to persuade them. We have to come together for the purpose of winning elections.

What is the assurance that you will be able to beat your PDP challenger at the poll next year?

In politics, when you are facing an election, you don’t underrate any candidate. Honestly, it is one of my cardinal programme that if I am going to win election in my constituency, it will not be based on inducement. Whatever I have been able to do in the last three and half years should be the yardstick to measure my representation. Based on that, my people will vote for me.

I don’t want to exergerrate my potentials. In the whole of the federal constituency, nobody can match Honourable Ajulo-Opin in an election. Most of them coming up now are all my friends. We have run elections together before. I have defeated them. This is the second time. The third time is coming. By the grace of God,I am still going to return as a House of Assembly member.

How do you react to the growing perception that you and your colleagues belong to a rubber stamp House of Representatives?

It baffles me when I hear from people that we are rubber stamp. Some laws have been amended. Some laws have been enacted in the House that is anti-executive. We are not rubber stamp. We are working harmoniously with the executive. That is not rubber stamp. It is one government. We criticise the executive objectively. It is not every time you fight with the executive. We are supposed to work together. There are three arms of government. We are not rubber stamp. In the electoral act, it was the National Assembly that passed the law that excluded all of us as statutory delegates.

Many Nigerians think the current APC government at the centre should have done better. Would that not affect your chance of winning the election as it happened in Osun State?

There is no perfect human being. There is no perfect government. I won’t score APC hundred percent in all areas. There are still some areas to be attended to, in terms of security and all of that. The economic situation is not limited to Nigeria. There is economic problem worldwide. We just came out of Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, we produce virtually nothing in Nigeria. We depend on importation.