Dipo Olorunirun, representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency1, is the only member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) out of five elected on the platform of the PDP in 2015, that refused to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, he shared his experience, his contributions, expectations in 2019 and other national issues. Excerpts:
Why did you refuse to defect to the ruling party, APC, with your colleagues?
They may be the ruling party at the federal and state; but the ruling party in my constituency is the PDP, they are the majority in my local government area. I refused to defect to the APC because I needed to stick to the votes of my people; they elected me into the House.
We don’t play politics here in the House of Assembly, and as a lawmaker the major thing I do here is to legislate for the people of Lagos State, I mean legislate on laws that concern the people; it was the decision of the majority in my constituency for me to come to the house, and that is why I am here; and they have not asked me to leave PDP for now.
The defection of my colleagues to the APC was their personal decision, and let me also say that am not aware of any promise that was made for me to defect to the APC.
But are you not afraid of losing your re-election bid and how have you been weathering the storm in the house?
Let me say that no one wants to stay alone; but we must remember where we are coming from; before coming to the House, I was aware am going to be in the minority. The people put me here; I am here to speak for the people, legislate and contribute on how to make the state better.
For anything about second term, I don’t know about that; am not even aware of the promise made to my other PDP colleagues to defect.
Anything second term comes from the people and the party, I don’t know why they left the party; I think you should ask them. Personally, I see no reason why I should defect to the APC; my political career is in the hands of God.
Is there any form of pressure on you to join APC?
Everybody’s future is in the hands of God: I don’t have fear because it is not my business, if God put me here he would manage me; I don’t believe opportunity comes but ones, you have to identify opportunities, if God has put me here he would do his will. I am not desperate, I believe that if it is what God wants; fine. If that happens and I lose, that means we are losing our onions or the reason why we came in the house because we can’t solve them.
We are elected as leaders to solve problems; when we are elected and it is an opportunity to my leadership skill.
Many of your party members left during the PDP leadership crisis?
And you can see that the party is moving forward after the Sherrif crisis was resolved; we have had issues and there was a convention which had given us a new leadership.
What have been the challenges as the only opposition in a 40-member Assembly?
Yes it is a House of 40 members; but the first thing is to get back to the people that sent you here. Am not saying sometimes I don’t fill lonely, even the Bible says that a man should not be alone, he should marry a wife that would keep him company, but my people have not asked me to defect.
We must know that if God wants to bless you he would single you out, when you talk about challenge it is a personal thing, am not one of those that have issues and I am not inferior to anybody. I have never been to APC; I don’t have problem with the leadership of the House and we have been working together.
There is the perception that most state Houses of Assembly are rubber stamp?
Let me say this to the people; anybody expecting the lawmakers to go into the house and quarrel with the executives should not expect result. We must change that orientation, because you have given us mandate to legislate for you and represent you in government.
Let us stop expecting rancour between the legislature and executive; if we want result and things to work in the country, we must change our mind-set.
The people want us to go and make laws for them but the mind of many people is already polluted.
You should know that if you fail it is your name that failed and not the party. It is not what you think; I want you to know that the House is not a rubber stamp as you have said, we act in the interest of the people; we are aware that a lot of people have made mistakes and we are willing to make amends.
How do you react to the land use charge bill?
As a representatives of the people there is nobody that would not feel bad about the law, or that will not realise it is an extra load on the people. If you are buying a loaf of bread for certain price it would go up and you would still smile; I have some level of compassion for the people for the land use charge.
But if you look at the benefit of the law, it is for the betterment of infrastructure of the state, they say truth is bitter, even the Bible verses say you know the truth and it shall set you free.
We have a responsibility to ensure that the country is moving, if you look at Lagos and where it is now it is because of what we are doing right which has taken us far.
I am a lawmaker; we need to make laws that would move the state forward and I think that bill may have been necessary.
So you are saying the bill was a good one ?
Well it may have been necessary and it may not have been necessary. The governor would not just come out like that and the Assembly would just be looking at the land use charge bill, but there is a reason we need roads, basic infrastructure, the light up Lagos project is still on, the maintenance and tax would be used in this projects.
You can’t eat your cake and have it; even though a minority, you can’t but say that the government has done well. The governor has catered for the majority to some extent; so why should we bother?
Critics say that the public hearing on the matter was not done with the interest of the masses at heart?
Let me be honest with you; the Assembly is an institution; there is no law that is passed without public hearing. But where people did not show up what happens? All these have a process and we are cognisance of that, especially in a democratic society that we are now.
How true is it that there is division in Lagos PDP?
You need to know that there is no family without issues, but it is an internal problem. Your view may be different from mine; but the most important thing is that we are moving the party forward.
I know Salvador is with Bode George, but you can’t rule out administration issues; it is everywhere; that is not to say we have divisions in the party; I know Salvador came on as the head of PDP in Lagos on Bode George slot and I know they are still together.
How have you been giving back to the people?
I have given scholarships to the people and I have free bus and I have other things. We also have capacity development for the youths; we have programmes and especially for talented students; we have a studio for those that want to sing; where we subsidise the cost for them and their full album.
How confident are you of winning re-election?
My confident is in God; no matter what happens I can assure you that as far as God is there I would win re-election into the House.
The waste management issue is drawing sharp criticism against the Akinwunmi Ambode administration. How concerned is the house about this issue?
Even a blind man would know that the administration is doing a lot, especially, as the in thin the area of infrastructure. I would say he has fought a good fight. Who does not know he has developed Lagos more than he met it? And this did not happen without the effort of the lawmakers.
The government may have made a mistake in the area of waste bins. People make mistakes; that is the word and I think he can, and will amend.
How do you assess the Muhammadu Buhari administration?
The simple word is, he has failed us. Let him bring forward somebody that is young that knows the job.
For me, he did not have any agenda; all he has promised have been a mirage; his fight against corruption is not visible; it is only the opposition that is being targeted.
What are the chances of the PDP in 2019?
For me, the PDP is going places; we have the opportunity to make it. We have apologised to the entire country for failing, and we have realised our mistake.
