My arraignment, plus for democracy - Adedibu

Lamidi Adedibu

High Chief Lamidi Adedibu is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State. He was recently arraigned in a Magistrate Court in Abuja and granted bail. He spoke with journalists at his Molete residence on arrival from Abuja. JACKSON UDOM was there. Excerpts:

Have you ever been arraigned in the law court since you joined politics 58 years ago?
So many times. I was arraigned during the Action Group (AG) era. So many times I’ve been bundled into the Agodi Prison and so on. That is not news. Even during the Babangida regime, we were kept in Epe for almost three weeks. What happened last Thursday in Abuja is part of history today.

So you were not surprised that you were even arraigned?
No, no, no. I am very happy in one aspect. And that is the ability of the police to be free and independent from any control. It shows that they are not being tele-guided by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government. The judiciary has also demonstrated its freedom and independence from the control of politicians, otherwise, they are not supposed to have arrested me, not to talk of bringing me into the court for trial. Their action is a plus for democracy and its tenets. The police, as at today, is now free from criticisms that they were being tele-guided to arrest or detain anybody. They now do their job honestly. Because, with my position in the PDP, and the party that forms the government in the state and the federal levels, they shouldn’t have arrested me, let alone arraign me in the court.

The people believe that your arraignment in the court has some political undertone, do you share in that belief?
My sleeping is politics, my eating is politics, my doing everything is politics.

So your arraignment is also politics?
Everything is politics.

Can you recount your experience at the police headquarters?
The Inspector General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, wrote a letter to me two weeks ago, that I should come to Abuja to see him. But he wrote back that I should postpone it. He sent another letter again that I should leave it till last Tuesday. And on that Tuesday, he sent a message that I leave it for Thursday. I now said that whenever I am in Abuja for other business, I will find time to see him on Thursday. I got to his office last Thursday at about 11.35, many of you (press) were there. They treated me with great respect. I was put in a very comfortable room ,where the IG himself, came to meet me to explain to me. The news was not as big as this when it happened. I gave the type of undertaking they are now mentioning during Ehindero’s time. But the IG now, wants to get out of the newspaper’s criticisms. He said we should go and give an undertaking before the magistrate. We should keep the peace. Why should I not allow peace to reign at the age of 80? That was what happened. The magistrate said he would not do it privately. It was only the magistrate that disagreed with the police. The police never thought it was going to boomerang as it is now.

The belief in some quarters is that your arraignment last Thursday was a kangaroo one, to show the public that you are afterall, not above the law, and that your party believes in the rule of law. Do you agree with that submission?
Whatever meaning anybody is trying to give to what happened, it is their own view. But to me, it has shown that, truly, nobody is above the law.

Could your arraignment be linked to your declaration by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the father of the PDP?
Well, people are saying that. But to me, whether anybody calls me father of PDP or not, I am the father of PDP.

With your arraignment in the court of law, don’t you think your honour has been destroyed?
People started coming in here since yesterday, when they knew that I would be returning home. You can see for yourself how jampacked this place is. That paper is always telling lies. They said that people were jubilating that I was arrested and detained. Thousands of people were waiting for me at the airport in Lagos and when we came to Ibadan, people were dancing to welcome me. I am very very valuable to my people.

What is the stance of the PDP in the state with regards to the forthcoming local government elections?
The election is holding on the 15th December, 24 days from now, and we are fully prepared for the election. You can see that we do not allow primaries to be held here. That is our political system here. We don’t conduct primaries here.

Why were you arraigned in Abuja?
They said I am a leader of Nigeria. They said it at the open court. That because I am a leader of the country, my words are laws. Go and check it in the records of the court, it is there. I was in Abuja last August 13th, when I was coming back from London, they believe we would leave Ibadan and go and cause problem in Abuja. They just want to do it the way they did it. I don’t see anything wrong in what the police has done. I don’t blame them. The criticisms from you media men are too much on them(police) and they had to bow to what you want.

You have been ordered not to talk for a whole year
They did not say so. They have not given me any charge. They do not even know the charge to place on me. They are preempting something. They said, because they foresee that I may commit an offence, so they will charge me for an offence yet to be committed?

Do you think your arraignment has anything to do with the jostlings for the BOT chairmanship of the PDP because of your staunch support for Obasanjo?
No. It has no connection with all that. They cannot do that because Obasanjo is a God -sent person. Those who support Jesus know they are in the right path. Those who support Mohammed are also in the right path. It was not only two messengers of God that we had, but it is only two of them that we have been mentioning everyday. On Sunday you will hear people shouting Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ and on Friday like today, you will hear people shouting Mohammed. So, in Nigeria today, it is Obasanjo, Obasanjo and they will continue to mention this man’s name forever.