MERGER: LEARN FROM AWO’S MISTAKES, OGUNLEWE TELLS TINUBU

Former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, on Monday warned the National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Bola Tinubu, to have a rethink on the on-going merger of opposition parties because the other regions will only use and dump him.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Independent at his residence, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said the same fate that befell the late Obafemi Awolowo, when he merged with the opposition parties, will soon befall ACN and Tinubu in no distant time.

“How many times did Awolowo merge with them, at the end what happened? If it is a question of merger, working arrangement, all the other zones will deceive the South West.

“They will never be sincere. It is for you in the South West to form a formidable team and join the national government.

“But if you think merger will save you, at the appropriate time, you will see. They should ask Awolowo.

“They should go and do research on the travails of Awolowo with all these merger and working relationship on any part of these people. It has never worked and will never work”.

Ogunlewe said the other parties in the merger are only interested in Tinubu’s largesse and will ditch him after the ambition has been realised.

“At the appropriate time, they will cry because they will be deceived. Awolowo provided the money for all of them during the election, believing that they were genuine; but at the end of the day, they ditched him.

“He will provide all the money at the end of the day, he will cry because it is his money they need. They will never trust him.

“He should go and consult some young people to do research for him. They have not done enough research and see the level of hatred other zones have for Yoruba people”.

Ogunlewe, while also admitting the fact that the Yorubas are being marginalised in the current political dispensation, said it was because the South West is in the opposition to the national government.

“The way forward is for the South West to join the national government and not the formation of the All Progressives Congress (ACP), which he says will not help the region.

“We are back to Awolowo’s days, the era of marginalisation. For 35 years, they marginalised Yoruba because we are in the opposition, and I believe that South  West should not be in opposition at all, and ACP headache will never assist them”.

Source: Daily Independent