CROSSFIRE: APC, The Harbinger Of Transformation And Dev In Osun – Famodun

Prince Adegboyega Famodun is the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of Osun. In this interview with OSUN DEFENDER, he described the party as the harbinger of transformation and development in the state.

THE government of the APC has
​been ruling the state for nine
​years running. How has your party fared in governance?

How APC performed as the ruling government since 2010 till now is evident in every nook and cranny of the state. It is crystal clear that we now have a transformed and developing Osun, not the stagnant and directionless state as we had it then. The government of the APC has been able to set the state on a progressive and development path with a strong foundation built on infrastructure development, promotion of functional education, revival of the state’s economy, youth engagement, agriculture development, adequate security and good healthcare delivery system. The APC government has recorded success in the aforementioned area, and without mincing words, Osun is no longer a rustic state. It is known to everybody that Osun is not what we had before 2010, it is now an award winning state on infrastructure development, innovative education system, human capital development, low poverty index, low unemployment rate and so on. I am happy that we are continuing on that trend.

As you can see, there is always the benefit of every system. The benefit of continuity is what we are enjoying in Osun. It has never been so good; Osun has not had this opportunity over the years.

Looking at the winning margin between the APC and PDP in 2014 and 2018 governorship election, one will realize that your party narrowly won the latter election. Where do you think things went wrong?

You will realize that the dynamics of politics and elections between 2014 and 2018 are not the same. In 2014, we had a good Governor that was running well, wanting to come back, so people wanted him back and continue the delivery of good governance they were enjoying.  But in 2018, some people and the opposition party members saw an opportunity for a change of government. So, there was serious conspiracy against the APC. We also had internal crisis, party members and political leaders left the party. We did not have that kind of experience in 2014.

Are you saying the internal crisis of your party was responsible for the outcome of the 2018 governorship election?

Yes, in a long way. If you look at the breakaway factions of our party, it took away close to 50,000 votes; SDP also took away 128,000 votes. There was no united front on the side of the APC and the PDP. The breakaways (ADP and SDP) from APC and PDP made the votes in the 2018 governorship election being share by four political parties. This actually affected the outcome of the poll.

The administration of Governor Adeboyega Oyetola is a year old. How would you assess his performance?

He has done extremely well within the limited space and time. We had some crises and distraction from court cases among other places which as a result slowed down the activities of government, especially the formation of cabinet which eventually we have gotten over now. Notwithstanding, we have been able to continue with all the programmes we have been doing before. We have been able to transform the health sector tremendously so well within the last one year. All the Primary Healthcare Centers in the state are in a better position now. Aside the buildings, we have medications and medical facilities in the upgraded PHCs to ensure effective health care delivery. Also, we have been able to continue works on our road projects. Governor Oyetola is on the right track and we are proud of his achievement in the first year. The economic summit which was organized by the Oyetola’sadministration is a pointer to the fact he is visionary, focused and committed to turn around the fortune of the state.

PDP members have expressed dissatisfaction at not having one of their members to chair any of the Houseof Assembly Standing Committee. What do you make of this?

What is the percentage of 3 to 26? APC has 23 lawmakers, while PDP has just three, which means we are responsible for whatever happens in the House. If the house runs well or not, the bulk stops on the table of the APC which makes it responsible for everything. Apart from that, I see the opposition party as a social media opposition. I do not see them as a political party but as social media politicians that they have constituted themselves to be. They have never seen anything good in us. It is the duty of every opposition to give the ruling government and party constructive criticism to put them on the right track. But the opposition party (PDP) has not been doing so. They are just social media opposition. So, how do we now put them into consideration? As a matter of fact, PDP is just a platform for contesting elections. The only time you see members of the party being active is during elections. After the election period, they fizzle away.