Lagos — Amidst the simmering political tension in Ogun State, OGBENI-OJA LANRE BANJO, National Conscience Party (NCP) gubernatorial candidate in the April 14, 2007 election does not believe in unconstitutional removal from office of the state Governor, Gbenga Daniel. In this interview with FEMI OGBONNIKAN, the USA-based Public Accountant, however berates the administration and leadership of the governor

Excerpts:

You are one of the strong critics of Governor Gbenga Daniel's administration since inception in 2003. Above all, you kicked against the outcome of the April 14, 2007 gubernatorial poll, which you claimed was fraught with irregularities. Why didn't you challenge the results in the tribunal?

I elected not to seek justice for the people because everywhere in the world, pursuing justice is very expensive. For some of us who have insight into the judicial events in Nigeria, we are really weeping for the country. The legal system is so bad that I don't think lawyers and judges pray there will be a free and fair election in Nigeria. The worse the elections are, the richer people in these professions get. These are factors which I don't want to delve into, that handcuffed me, coupled with the time it takes to deliver judgment in Nigeria, if you can raise funds to sustain it. This is why I doffed my hat for my elder, Gbenga Kaka, my comrades, Otunba Dipo Dina and Senator Ibikunle Amosun. Those involved in electoral tribunal cases would not want to make public what is actually transpiring in our judicial system.

Was it the fear of the unknown that forced you to 'abscond' to USA?

I am gifted with foresight and the ability to analyse issues with a view to determining results. I speak freely because my source of income does not depend on Nigerian governments at all levels. If I am not allowed to make meaningful changes in the life of the oppressed masses and I do not want to corrupt myself, I can go about my business in a society being governed by sane, patriotic and visionary leaders. That does not make me an absconder but a highly principled person who goes about his business to refuel in order to fight another day.

Don't you think your relocation to USA might be misconstrued that you chickened out in the heat of your agitation?

No sir. If I chickened out, I would not continue to speak whether I am in or out of the country. I am one of the very few Nigerians who speak without guile and with national interest uppermost in mind. I do not play politics with my views, because I am not a professional politician. The Akarigbo of Ijebu Remo is as of today my King. I am the only one who publicly condemned his witless statement that anyone who plans to impeach Daniel should be lynched. When Daniel threatened to dethrone the Alake of Egba-land, and my people cried foul, I was a lone voice in saying that the governor owes them no apology because when he was after opposition to the extent that we could not even hold a simple debate, where were these careless elders and where was the Alake that I respect dearly. So chickening out is not in my dictionary.

Was your life threatened during the 2007 campaign?

Yes, several times by the thugs of the rigged-in governor in the state and several times by the natural fruits of his governance. Jesus, the Christ explained to me that by their fruit we shall know them. One cannot pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Daniel is a bad tree that bears bad fruit. When you have a governor, who surrounds himself with 'fayawos' the fruit of his governance could only be hooliganism and thuggery. After the chief thug took over the state in 2003, there was no place we went to campaign in 2007 that we were not harassed. The state and the entire country plunged woefully within four years. Daniel's government was aware that oppositions within and without PDP were being harassed, the man neither uttered any word nor engaged in any action to deter harassment, attack or assassination. The most dangerous attempt to attack was our campaign at Ijebu-Ode. A fellow gubernatorial candidate warned me not to go to Ijebu-Ode because of what happened to him a day earlier and I told him that I had to campaign to my people there. On getting to Lagos garage in Ijebu-Ode at about 12 pm, PDP thugs trooped out with cutlasses, guns, woods etc. smoking weeds. They were under the intoxication of the weeds; they were no longer ordinary human beings. If you have seen Lucifer before, you would see some who were smiling, and in those smiles were ready to kill. The police behind my vehicle ordered the driver of the van in which they were to move to about 500 feet from me and stayed there. So I was left with my orderly, wife, deputy and a brother in my vehicle. Other vehicles in our entourage stood aloof. I rose to address them through the Sunroof of my Jeep. My first comment was, 'bring that Indian hemp since you are welcoming me here with Indian hemp.' "Baba can you smoke igbo?' one of them asked. I banged on the roof of my jeep and said 'bring the damn igbo' (weed) and by the way I need to drink paraga. Don't you know I have told Daniel that those of us smoking weeds will take over the State House in Oke Imosan? They shouted "Hey... hey thank you baba.' After that one-second madness all of us engaged in and after realising that my tactics worked, I asked, 'where do your children go to school?' A majority of them responded 'the windowless, door-less and roofless building over there? I then followed up by asking 'where do Daniel's children go to school?' They all shouted 'over-see' meaning overseas. I said to them, if I am one of you, a staunch member of weed smokers, and I want to build the type of schools that enticed Daniel to send all his children overseas, do you think killing me is the right thing? Well, let me alight from my Jeep so that you can kill me,' I offered. They all said 'No baba.' At this stage, they called their president who was waiting about 15 feet away to give an order to attack and asked him to apologise to me. This is Daniel's trademark, achievement and hallmark. Sorrow, tears and blood!

Three times, my house was attacked. The last incident, I was outside my compound with the chairman of our party in the state when the PDP thugs arrived with axes, cutlasses, planks etc. My head security moved around me; pushed me inside, while the policeman attached to my house ran outside the compound. The windows to my house were broken, gate axed, my colleagues injured and in the dead of the night, abortive attempts were made to cut my barb wires to gain entrance into my house to assassinate me. The second time, I was outside the country when the bold Nigerian policemen and the PDP thugs engaged in shooting for about 10 minutes in my house. This prompted my mother to hold a press conference to alert the world that if anything happens to me, Daniel should be held responsible. Daniel's government responded that it is unelderly for an African woman to cry out. Daniel forgot that his government has no welfare programme for the elderly and I take care of her welfare like many Nigerians.

But you were being accused of making unguarded utterances against the person and administration of the governor, which you even demonstrated at a debate organised by Gateway Television for all gubernatorial candidates in the state prior to the April 14, 2007 election. Going down the memory lane, you did not hide your emotions and accused the governor of being irresponsible. Haven't you gone too far as he was elected by the people of the state?

Everything that I told Daniel that day was guarded and stood with all its implications. I have no regret. First, it is extremely undemocratic for him to be intrinsically involved in a debate among candidates for an elective position he is illegally and immorally occupying. This much was exposed by one of his aides, Yemi Sodimu, who said that the organiser has been directed not to invite me, and wondered aloud that he did not know why that instruction was flouted. Secondly, the debate was scheduled for 12.30pm, to prove that the governor was in firm control, he called and spoke with a representative of the organisers at about 2pm when he was about to leave his office. This fellow directed all the candidates to move into a conference room for a pre-debate discussion. He arrived at exactly 2.15pm without regret. Yes, it was true that I did not rise to my feet and bow like the rest of my colleagues. In my pet view, by him not dignifying his position as one illegally occupying the position of a governor, I had no basis to accord him any respect. Furthermore, it was strong conviction that he was a candidate like me, I would only give him the same respect that I accorded all candidates, except that he had demonstrated that he wanted to remain in power by any means necessary, and that abated my respect for him. After he sat down, the organisers read a riot act to the candidates and immediately altered their laid down rules. We were told that it was not a debate and that we could not make anyone uncomfortable. I objected to it and Dina supported me. The next thing Daniel did was to wink. Ishola Sharafa went out and came back, and Amosun beckoned me to look through the window. What I saw was incredible. I saw buses brought by PDP from which they were offloading guns and cutlasses. They were shooting and pandemonium broke out. Inside the big room, where pupils, guests, Iyabo Obasanjo, Titi Oseni and other dishonourable members of the House of Representatives were seated, they were throwing chairs. Olopade popularly called 'Ozogbular' was taking and breaking video cameras of individuals recording the throwing of chairs and those shooting to cover up. I was very lucky; he only took the tape from my cameraman under threat. At this juncture, Amosun, Dina, Kaka and I decided it would not make sense for us to engage in any debate when our supporters are being butchered outside. In our pet view, engaging in any debate not knowing how many of our supporters have been injured would make us look irresponsible and selfish servant of the people. In addition, my wife was the only candidate's wife present at the debate, and she sat beside Titi Oseni. Since she had not sworn to me in a coffin, eating human flesh, if I ignored her when I knew she was in danger she would still marry me, I had to really get up and ensure she was fine. In unison, all of us told the organisers that we could not stay for the debate. While the chairman of the debate committee was pleading with us to stay, I looked back, I saw Daniel smiling. He did not even join to persuade us. In his evil genius mind, it was a mission accomplished. Instantly, I became livid. Yes, it was true that I told him that he is an irresponsible governor. I cannot imagine Lanre Banjo being a governor and someone would dare shoot the people that I want to convince to vote for me in order to prevent a debate. Of course, Sarafa abused me and called Police to arrest me as a crime witness since I accused Daniel of sponsoring thugs to prevent the debate. After all the candidates left, can you believe Daniel was shown on GTV in the evening with the announcement that he debated with himself. Wasn't that insane?

Also, you (governorship candidates) were invited to Elewe-Eran, Abeokuta, Ogun State Police Command Headquarters by the then Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, Adedayo Adeoye, now a retiring Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) to parley on how to ensure a hitch-free election in the state. Why were you so critical of Daniel's administration?

I was the only candidate who attended that meeting. My brother, Ishola was present and seated at the high table was Odulawa, Daniel's Chief Security Officer, who is also my uncle. After listening to the Police advice against political thuggery, I sensed hypocritcism. Characteristically of me, I simply told all of them that they are wasting our time. I told the gathering that I found it insulting for the police to be lecturing us about political thuggery when my uncle, Odulawa, who was sitting at the high table beside the AIG, was the one who usually gave order to the police commissioner to release anyone who attacked or killed on behalf of Daniel. I mentioned name of such people. On why I am so critical of Daniel, I abhor liars, hoodwinkers, and someone whose brain does not produce anything other than bamboozling the gullible and unwary citizens. Since 2003, after assessing this character called Gbenga Daniel, I have been shouting that this man is "IBB" in the making. This is a neophyte and political Lilliputian, who befooled and cajoled citizens that he was Awolowo of their time. Even Chief Olu Onagoruwa joined him in befooling citizens until I issued a statement that critically denounced him. I knew from day one that he lacked vision that could liberate the state. I wanted to save him in spite of himself. I don't want him to end up like General Adisa who was killed on the same road he ignored when in power. When Orji Kalu and others were detained at Kuje prison, they started complaining that the prison conditions were not suitable for human beings. The Assistant Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Public Relations, Kayode Odeyemi told the ex-governors that they should not complain about the condition in the prisons, adding that it was part of the general decay in all the sectors of the country. He noted that the detainees had the opportunity during their tenures as governors, to make their contributions towards improving the prison conditions but they did not do so. I did not want Daniel to be viewed in that light. How can you say that you are a governor and your state is always in total darkness? How can you say that you are a governor and majority in your state do not have access to pipe borne water. Education is so bad to the extent you as the governor would not allow your children to go to school in your state. Insecurity of life and property is increasing because those in government are the ones arming thugs to go after co-contestants? All we are seeing are bill boards cajoling to the unwary. All we are seeing is his picture on road signs in every corner in the state. This is a cheer waste of the government's money. As I speak, there is a new billboard that expresses gratitude to the governor for securing the future of students. Apparently the students are not rich enough to pay over N400, 000 for those billboards. Someone needs to check Daniel's brain. I truly think his mind is demented. How can you erect a billboard to thank yourself pretending it is from students? Governor Fashola did not erect any billboard; his work speaks louder than billboard and he is well appreciated by the people of Lagos State.

Today in Ogun, students in most primary schools carry their desks to schools. Most primary and secondary schools buildings have no windows. Yet this feckless governor is wasting money on stadium in Sagamu, Cargo Port in Ogere, and monument for those who died in a plane crash, when he did not make life comfortable for them when they were alive. Go with me to Ilishan on the way to Ago-Iwoye, he started that road since 2004, up till today he has not completed it and life span of the citizens living in that area is drastically being reduced by dust. Daniel does not care. This shameless governor would tell you no one could criticise him on performance. He is performing, yet, the state is not good enough for his children to live in, and go to school. He sent all of them to London. Show me a newspaper that quoted his condemnation of political assassinations in the state or any attack on opponents. This IBB is just too good on propaganda. Lies threw him up, and now lies are bringing him down. Because he suffocated many while going up, no one will present him or herself as a buffer to prevent him from falling flat. Thank God, I am not a spineless "gbewudani" husband. Let me make it clear, I have no respect for General Olusegun Obasanjo because his era was not good for Nigeria, but at the same time, this man imposed Daniel on us. For Daniel to have insulted the man first by referring to him as "God of Democracy", because Obasanjo was evaluating his support for Daniel's ticket in 2007 was improper. After the impeachment of Titi Oseni, Daniel ignored 'God of Democracy' who resides right there in Abeokuta less than 10 miles from the State House and he invited evil genius of democracy, Ibrahim Babangida to my hometown, Sagamu to mediate between the 22 legislators led by Tunji Egbetokun and Titi Oseni. This is also belittling to someone who imposed him on the state twice. In one of Daniel's campaign rallies, he brought real witches who were shown on television, raining curses on candidates contesting against him. Daniel sat there grinning and blushing. All these elderly women left the venue to sleep in darkness and suffered the following morning to get water to bath and drink. Daniel did not enlighten them that raining curses on fellow candidates is appalling. You can see that Daniel is not governing, and that is why I would never refer to him as a governor, and that is part of the reason I would continue to criticise him for a better society

And what has been the genesis of your criticism?

In 2004, Daniel's government conducted the worst local government elections in the annals of the state. He disqualified all our colleagues contesting on the platform of the National Conscience Party (NCP). The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) under the crooked leadership of Tunji Fadairo, gave insufficient information about party membership as a reason for such an illegal disqualification. I wrote to Daniel thinking that he would investigate and ensure equity. My letter was predicated on the fact that since our party cleared all candidates and submitted their names to OGSIEC, it should not be the business of OGSEIC to disqualify, using such an asinine reason. After some TV stations and newspapers carried the story, it was alleged that the state government began to distribute money to stop it in Lagos. So, I dribbled Daniel's agent. I sent the letter to the Nigerian Tribune in Ibadan. Tribune published the letter verbatim on Saturday, April 17, 2004. Suffice it to say, at that time, I had not met Sunday Olajide, the brilliant, extremely patriotic, bold and courageous editor in my life. He just read the letter and was convinced that it would be educational to Tribune readers. On Sunday, April 18, 2004, Daniel conveyed the meeting of his cabinet to decide on the next course of action. There, it was decided that I should be ignored but to prevent anything that would expose their evil deeds in newspapers in the future, they should lodge a complaint against the editor. On Monday, April 19, 2004, Daniel personally called the editor to ask if he knew the publishing of the letter could trigger a libel suit because of the prominence he gave my letter. The editor simply told Daniel that if it was libelous then they should meet in Court. Daniel thereafter threatened him and annoyingly hung up. On realising that the people of the state were happy about the letter, the power of seat in Oke-Imosan became rattled and jittery. Thereafter, two Commissioners called the editor to threaten him. On Tuesday, Daniel contacted the management of the newspaper to ask the editor to be relieved of his job. The management refused to yield to that demand. Meanwhile, my indefatigable leader, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, (SAN) was contacted, and he readily agreed to defend the newspaper and its editor free of charge, should Daniel go to Court. Gani also told the newspaper that there was absolutely nothing that was libelous in the letter. On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, the governor led the Commissioner for Information, Niran Malaolu, and some sent with two kings, to meet H. I. D. Awolowo in Ikenne. They spent almost six hours telling Mama and Awolowo why they would not want to go to Court. They attributed their reason to the respect they have for the founder, Obafemi Awolowo. Daniel demanded that the newspaper editors should be instructed to check with their administration before publishing anything that is against their interest. At this juncture, Daniel and his entourage were told that they had the right to issue a rejoinder, which they settled for with the demand that the newspaper should give their rejoinder the same prominence my letter was given. They held a subsequent meeting at Oke-Imosan where they decided to go after me. On Friday, April 23, 2004, the newspaper published Daniel's rejoinder titled: "The Burden of Leadership" on page 31. Daniel was so evasive and blamed Governor Olusegun Osoba for everything that I pointed out. On Saturday, June 12, 2004, I issued a rejoinder titled "The Pains, Pangs and Misfortune of the Led' and shredded most of his defence. I was prepared to pay the newspaper to run it as an advertisement, but this time, Daniel had put the medium in his pocket, the newspaper rejected my advertisement citing libel. Two newspapers in Lagos took the letter and published it as advertisement. Since then, I was marked for assassination. In October of 2005, after the most interesting interview GTV ever had from an opponent of Daniel, some gunmen followed my vehicle from Abeokuta to Ishiun. They wanted to double cross us. After they saw our bus and not knowing how many people were in the bus, they changed their minds and turned back to Abeokuta. Since then, I have been crying loud that we have a bloodthirsty administration in the state. Today, I am vindicated. Today, Daniel has become a Mosquito. You know, Mosquitoes' songs may be beautiful but no one wants to hear it. The life of Wale Adedayo who called on that GTV programme to forcefully defend his boss and subtly insulted me is today in jeopardy. But I must warn Daniel that regardless of the kind of lies that Wale has belched out against me, absolutely nothing must happen to Wale and his family members. We cannot continue to shed blood in the State and the governor expects God to be happy with us. That young man is bold and I respect him, so he should not be wasted. Today, what happened to Waliu Taiwo should be a lesson to those who are on the fringes of the system. Taiwo was an inner member. Nobody in the entire system that Daniel set up contributed like Waliu before the 2003 elections till date. Unlike others who sit and make phone calls from Abeokuta, Waliu remains a General who personally led the boys. God is holding him accountable for his deeds in Daniel's government. Adedayo's statement that when the son of a witch communicates in tongue with his mother who is also a witch, they would both understand themselves is pregnant with meanings. Presently, Ogun State is engulfed in political crisis, Gbenga Daniel on one hand and the lawmakers on the other hand. What do you think could be the turn of event in few months to come?

I urge you to obtain a copy of my campaign tape. You can listen to it by logging into www.lanrebanjo.com. I also want you to obtain a copy of the interview, Kaka, Amosun, Dipo Dina and I had on LTV 8, Lagos and Murhi International Television after the April 2007 elections. My campaign tape simply laid out the spiritual repercussion for any leader who is cajoling and befooling those he has a physical and spiritual duty to lead out of the shackles of ignorance, want and need. In the interview referred to above, four of us could not imagine that someone would arm thugs to hijack ballot boxes from the polling booths and then had the audacity to go to Church to thank God for stealing votes. We therefore invoked all the spirits in the state to ensure that those who stole our votes in the most criminal manner did not enjoy their term in government. Look around today, Iyabo Obasanjo; Sharafa, Tokunbo Oshin and Lekan Mustafa are all principal actors in stealing votes. Are the spirits of the state not throwing confusion in their midst? In one of the meetings Daniel held with the legislators after Oseni was impeached, he threatened them that he had the true INEC results of the April 17, 2007 elections, and the legislators also told him they had the gubernatorial results. What kind of characters are these for goodness sake? Guns were stored in each of the local government buildings for distribution to steal ballot boxes! This is under a governor who claimed to be performing. Why did he have to force himself and did not allow people to decide if he was truly performing? The only way this confusion will not consume them will be for them to come to the four of us for prayers. Kaka will lead with his Quran, Senator Amosun will follow, Dina who has been to Jerusalem will bring out his original bible from Jerusalem, and I would call our ancestral in Ogun, the witches from Ota and those ones Daniel gave some money to curse his opponents. I will ask Daniel to eat pepper soup in a coffin naked so that we can perform an appeasement for him and the legislators. After that prayer, Daniel will have to atone by telling the whole world that they stole the elections. ive business. His job is to protect the citizens not the governor only.

The genesis of the festering political crisis, we were made to understand, stemmed from the decision of Gov. Daniel to handover the baton of leadership to a Yewa/Awori candidate in 2011 general polls. Must this be a genuine reason in view of all the hues and cues?

No, when a group of people had a curse on their heads for stealing ballot boxes and looting the treasury of the state while people are suffering, confusion would always reign in their midst. The Yewa-Awori's candidature that Daniel is pursuing is to set them against each other and other ethnics in the state and destroy them. Therefore, my people there should thread softly and carefully. They should insist on true practice of democratic tenets. They should realise that Daniel is only looking for a sycophant to cover his loot.

If at all, Daniel meant well and he decides to hand over to a Yewa/Awori man, does he have the unilateral clout in view of the constitutional provisions and PDP laid-down rules and regulations to anoint his successor at his own whims and caprices?

The craving for anointment of a successor in Nigeria hinges on one basic thing: to cover the governor's or president's loot, and it is stinkingly undemocratic. PDP, I must add, has every right to give its gubernatorial ticket to any ethnic it desires, since the party leadership does not believe in integrating its citizens. The party's leadership believes the only way to survive is to keep people divided and if citizens fall into that, it is their palaver.

If the G15 lawmakers make good their threat to remove Gov. Daniel from office, what do you think the development might be in the state and the country as a whole?

I don't believe in unconstitutional removal of anyone serving in government. Daniel should be charged and be allowed to defend himself. But, in Ogun State, that is a dream that would not be realised because there would be nobody for Daniel to go before and argue his case.