fasehun■ Says those who expelled him from party are jokers
Founder, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and embattled National Chairman, Unity Party of Nigeria, (UPN), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, has declared that nobody can expel or suspend him from the party even as he described party chieftains who recently sacked him as jokers.

Making the declaration in an interview with Saturday Sun in Lagos, Fasehun described UPN leaders who announced his expulsion from the party as renegade members who are being sponsored by former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He described arrowheads of the action, Alhaji Bariu Salau and Mr Tunji Olateju, as political prostitutes who were out to sell UPN to Atiku in exchange for money. In this interview with TUNDE THOMAS, he spoke further on this and other issues. Excerpts:
What is happening in UPN as some members recently announced your expulsion from the party?
It is time for Nigerians to know the truth. These people claiming to have suspended or sacked me from UPN are being sponsored and used against me and majority of other party’s exco and ordinary party members who are with me by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. These people met with Atiku in Abuja recently and he gave them an initial sum of N10 million to go and look for a building to be rented as party secretariat. I challenged Atiku to deny my allegations. Atiku’s ploy is to use UPN as another platform to actualise his ambition to contest the next presidential election should he fail to secure APC’s ticket. I make bold to say Atiku is behind these re­bels in UPN and I challenge Atiku to disprove my claim. I have strong evidence linking him with the plot to hijack UPN.
Both Atiku and Salau and other rebels in their fold will fail in this mission. Have you ever seen a tenant ejecting his landlord? I founded the UPN and the party’s certificate of registration is with me. Let me see how Bariu and Atiku, with all his millions, will succeed in their mission. They have embarked on a failed mission.
Those who expelled you from UPN complained about your style of lead­ership, that you are dictatorial among others, what is your reaction to this?
This is purely falsehood. I allowed Salau and some of these other young men into UPN fold because I thought with their young age, they will be able to assist us in crystalising ideals of UPN as championed by the late sage, Papa Obafemi Awolowo, into a reality, but unfortunately it was a mistake as these young men are after money they can make in poli­tics. They are for politics of the stomach, and not stickler for politics of ideology. They are bread and butter politicians. It is a big shame that Salau and his co-travellers have exposed our great party, UPN, to this needless crisis. But I pity these rebels and Atiku, they don’t know me. I’m a fighter, they should prepare for a long battle. I’m out to sanitise Nigerian politics, and I will never succumb to any at­tempt to derail my vision to achieve that goal.
What has been INEC’s reaction to the crisis?
I’m waiting for INEC to speak out on the issue. Already, INEC is aware of the crisis, and actually, it was some officers from INEC that called me when some of these men plot­ting against me went to INEC headquarters to collect UPN’s registration certificate without my knowledge.
Unfortunately for them, these INEC offi­cials alerted me, inquiring to know whether I was the one that asked them to come to IN­EC’s office to collect the certificate.
I was shocked, but I quickly told them that the certificate should not be released to any­body. The following day, I travelled to Abuja to collect the certificate, and I have kept it where it is safe, well beyond the reach of these rebels.
How far is it true that Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade has inter­vened with a view to resolving the cri­sis?
It is true, kabiyesi has summoned a meeting for the palace at Ile-Ife. Ooni’s intervention is a welcome development. Oba Sijuwade is somebody I hold in high esteem. I will honour the royal father’s invitation, but once again, I want Nigerians and the whole world to know that these men plotting against me are doing so in order to sell UPN to the highest bidder.
With what is happening in UPN, do you entertain any fear about 2015?
I pray for our dear nation, I pray that love of money would not put our democracy in jeopardy.
There are no politicians again. What we have today are pretenders. You have people who are into politics because of pecuniary gains. It is sad that many of our young men that ought to be men of honour and principle have been compromised. The love of money has taken over their hearts and souls and these are supposed to be newbreeds who should be ready to give politics a new face.
Our political leaders need to imbibe a new orientation towards politics. They should start seeing politics as an avenue to serve rather than a platform to loot.
How would you rate President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration?
Jonathan has not fared badly. Nigerians should exercise patience with him. I know that today Nigeria is facing a lot of challeng­es, especially insecurity occasioned by Boko Haram insurgency. My appeal is that we should all join hands with the Federal Gov­ernment to tackle the challenge.
We should also realise that the issue of se­curity should be of everybody’s concern. We should be our brother’s keepers.
I’m not trying to speak on behalf of Jona­than or to be an apologist for his government. I’ve not taken any contract from government, even the proposal we made to government to recruit OPC men in helping to guard the oil installations and pipelines has not been ap­proved.
And for those who are talking about eli­gibility or otherwise of Jonathan to contest 201`5 presidential election, I will say that the man is constitutionally allowed to seek a re-run. But while it is the constitutional right of Jonathan to seek re-election, it is also the right of the electorate to either accept or reject him....post by expdonaloaded