A former Commissioner for Housing and a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rahman Owokoniran is a chieftain of the coalition, African Democratic Congress in Lagos State. In this interview with OLAOLU OLADIPO, Owokoniran who was also the secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West zone talked about sundry issues relating to the progress being made by the leadership to consolidate on its popularity as a viable opposition as well as efforts being made to organise the platform to defeat the Bola Tinubu led government come 2027. Excerpt:

Can you tell us the update with regards to the mobilisation drive of your party, the APC in Lagos where you are based?Would you say that your party, ADC, is getting the right momentum?

Of course, yes, we are getting the right momentum. The mood of the public is very much in line with our expectations.

Our people have been very receptive to us across the state and our message of change and hope have been resonating positively with the people of the state and I can say that that in itself have made makes our job a lot easier but nonetheless, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of properly registering our ideals and manifestos in the minds of the people and I can confidently say that we are up to the task.

You seem very upbeat about the likelihood of your party doing very well in Lagos State. Can you tell us the vibes that you are getting from the electorates that, you know, bolster this confidence?

Well, for one, our party is the only viable alternative in this state and this is because all the other opposition parties have been decimated with many becoming friendly and sympathetic to the ruling party but some of them are however relating with us positively.

I’m sure that as a party, we are having a headway in terms of coming together to challenge the ruling party and in addition to that is the fact that ADC is very well primed and positioned to not only win elections but to also render effective and impactful governance.

Like I said earlier, our people have been very well receptive to our members who have been interfacing with them and our campaign to the public resonates with them because they are living the experience.

So, I can confidently tell you that there is not too much of a stress or explanation that we must give because when people are living in pains regarding their lifestyle, regarding their being neglected, as if they don’t matter in a society yet, we have a state that is very buoyant but refuses to invest in the progress of the people of the state.

So they are very concerned and are working hand in hand with us and they are looking forward to a stronger party that is people-oriented and that is what we represent. That’s what the ADC represents.

So we are very optimistic of a positive showing in 2027?

Of course, we are based on our findings and the disposition of the people whom we have spoken to and related with so far.

Apart from a mobilization drive, do you think the ADC has the right caliber in terms of candidates that can actually, you know, arrest the control of the state from the ruling APC?

Well, the caliber, that’s the way you put it, seems to me as if it is about some special positioning of individuals within the party jostling for positions.

That is not the case, we are not a party made up of individuals but of the people. Let me tell you however that we have in abundance, qualified and capable individuals who are accomplished professionals that we can pick from to fly the flag of the party during election

The ADC is gaining traction across the country on a daily basis with the movement of people at the grassroots. Do you think what is going on will eventually pay off electorally for the party in terms of winning the presidency?

Yes, I do believe this is an election that ADC will win comfortably come 2027. The statistics are out there on social media, the newspapers, and other media platforms to suggest that victory is very sure for the ADC.

These news platforms have in recent times been articulating the frustrations of Nigerians on a daily basis and so, it is quite clear that even members of the ruling party have become jittery with regards to the popularity of our party in recent months across the country.

They (APC members) are worried by now; they are looking for the way out of this challenge because otherwise, they will not be harassing the opposition parties.

They will not be harassing them to abandon their parties and cross over to ADC. So, it is all about panicking, it’s all about worries.

But we are not worried, we are systematically approaching it. And we also believe that with the efforts that we are putting in place, victory will be ours. Victory will be for ADC, ultimately.

Are you not worried that virtually all political office holders are drifting to the ruling party while your party? I mean, do you think you really have the critical mass enough to defeat the formidable structure the ruling party is trying to put in place by winning people in government?

There is nothing formidable about what they have in hand. There is nothing formidable about keeping the people in offices that have failed the people. It is about the people, and we are approaching, those are the decision makers. The people, we have been asking those pertinent questions relating to their welfare.

Questions like; how do they feel? What do they feel about this government? How do they receive them? And if it is negative, negative, negative, the choice is for the people to make. It is all for individual occupying offices.

And I can assure you that most of these governors, they are not returning to their offices, because there has been disappointment to the people. Between the presidency and the governorship in the various states, you have about 95% of our resources.

And the people are feeling these things, and they have to be able to account to them, what happened to all the money? Why is it that we are so short of electricity? After four years of somebody who promised that electricity would be delivered within the first two years of his administration and the same thing, food. We are growing our food here, and yet the prices are still very high.

What went wrong? So what went wrong, we are still selling diesel oil. We are still selling crude oil. And we are still selling the raw materials. And we have them in abundance. And they are selling in billions of naira. So where are the money going? We are also told that they are recovering some money from certain individuals that have stolen money.

Where are this money going? And yet upon that, we are having so much loan. So much loan being taken on behalf of this. Where is the money sinking into? So for those who cannot give account, who cannot render all these accounts, I don’t believe that the people will still go ahead and retain them in office. So that’s where our confidence comes from.

You talked about the government harassing opposition figures. Would you say your members have been targeted? And if yes, can you be more specific on that?

Well, I’m referring to the members of the PDP that have been harassed by this government. Those who were harassed were Nigerian people in office and as you have already identified by all but we don’t have that number.

Too many of them are already coming to us because we know that they were part of this conspiracy to weaponize poverty so that they can have their way.

So, it is up to the people to decide that. They’ve kept us in bondage for so long, and we want to be out of it. So those are the people that we are talking to. Those people that they think have kept in bondage, we want a relief for all of them. We want a new Nigeria that can guarantee progress for everyone in this nation.

You have many gladiators who are very prominent in the country who are coming out to contest the presidential ticket of the party. How well do you think the party is capable of managing these interests?

Look, I assure you that they all have one interest and that interest is, how do we take our country back? How do we ensure that we remove these ruling parties from office? So if we are able to achieve that, then everybody, not just them, will begin to realize their aspiration, their mission nationwide.

It is not just about them. It’s about the nation. It’s about everybody, everyone. So their major concern is about recovering Nigeria back.