Comrade Sunday Akintunde is the former Chairman of National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos Chapter and former Lagos State House of Assembly aspirant under the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC. In this chat with KAYODE APONMADE, Akintunde speaks on his political ambition and state of the nation

How did you feel losing the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election for a seat to the Lagos State House of Assembly?

I am okay. I contested for the Agege Constituency 1 ticket into the Lagos State House of Assembly but lost to the incumbent lawmaker. In spite of that, I remain a loyal party member and I am still contributing to development of the party. I’ve joined others who are working hard towards the success of all our candidates at state and federal levels through mobilization and funding. If I can serve my party in this capacity, definitely I can serve the party and Nigeria in general in many other capacities in the nearest future.

With the general elections shifted to 28 March and 11 April, respectively, do you think your party has all it takes to win?

On this election by our findings and current evidences, it’s certain that Nigerians need change. We have got all it takes to win the general election. As you know, the common parlance now is Sai Baba which means that the change is real and inevitable. Come 29 May, General Muhammadu Buhari will be sworn in as our president in the presence of all those political jobbers castigating him because of their corrupt tendencies.

•Sunday Akintunde

How would you react to the rumoured plans to freeze the accounts of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC national leader?

I believe taking such step will be an ill wind that blow nobody no good. However, nothing can be taken beyond this people. Already, the wind of change is blowing at them which has made them to lose direction. They started with the sponsored hate campaigns and libelious documentary on Nigerian Television Authority and AIT to dent the image of our national leader, Asiwaju, and now the rumour of frezing his account. But this people should be ready to freeze the accounts of millions of APC members that are sponsoring these inevitable and imminent change including myself Comrade Sunday Akintunde. All their plans on this coming election will not see the light of day.

What is your take on the gale of endorsements of President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election, especially by the Afenifere?

Afenifere’s endorsement of Goodluck Jonathan in my own opinion could not be as a result of the national confab report implementation but as a result of their personal interest. Yorubas are the most educated, most enlightened and most intelligent tribe in Nigeria. It is a tribe where father or mother cannot dictate for any adult of 18 and above, or husband or wife can not influence either on who to vote for or to be voted for or influence the religion to be practiced. The endorsement of Jonathan has nothing to do with the decision of Yorubas at the poll. Yorubas and Nigerians in general have made up their minds ever before now on who to vote for. They have embraced change and no amount of last minutes bribing can change their minds.

Did you share in the recent claim by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the Finance Minister, that Nigeria has been rated as one of the best economies in the world?

Nigeria’s economy has witnessed retrogressive development since 16 years of PDP rule. The truth is that the current economic situation in Nigeria is worrisome as our gross domestic products, GDP is low. The purchasing power is low, there is a visible lack of adequate power for social-economic development. Many industries are closing down, there are decaying infrastructures, rising unemployment, brazen corruption and other social vices are the order of the day in Nigeria. No nation thrives under these conditions. But we have to stage a revolution without shedding blood, and that’s through our votes. We have to send packing all the virus, hawks and vampires that have eaten deep into our system and put a new government of General Muhammadu Buhari in place for us to have a new Nigeria.