BAYO AGBOOLA from Ibadan reports that it’s a very busy time for the political gladiators in Oyo state, as in other parts of the country, with few days to the March 11 governorship poll, uncertainty pervades the race to Agodi Government House, Ibadan
APC wins in Oyo, clears NASS seats, in February 25 2023
The political atmosphere in the state for now can better be described as unpredictable going by the events before and the outcome of the February 25 Presidential and the National Assembly elections which saw the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) clearing all the available three senatorial seats and a good chunk of the seats in the House of Representatives in the state.
Few days to the presidential election, it was all about conjecture who and who is the anointed candidate of the APC presidential candidate, now the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, among the three major governorship candidates in the state, namely Governor Seyi Makinde of the PDP, Senator Teslim Folarin and Chief Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord.
Tinubu’s visit to Makinde, an accord with G5?
This uncertainty was further heightened by the courtesy visit paid on Governor Makinde at the Oyo State Governor’s Office Agodi in Ibadan by Asiwaju Tinubu during his presidential rally in Ibadan.
To some analysts, the courtesy visit was a sign of possible relationship between Asiwaju Tinubu and the PDP G5 Governors including Governor Makinde who were hellbent on a Southern President even at the expense of their party’s choice and are leaving no one in doubt of their commitment to the course.
However, the overall results of the presidential election which the APC recorded a distance lead in the state over the PDP, somehow gives credence to the insinuations on ground in the state that all the major governorship candidates, one way or the other, might likely have had understanding with Asiwaju Tinubu on the need for them to ride on his acceptability in the governorship polls.
Asiwaju Tinubu during the courtesy visit to Governor Makinde said: “I am aspiring to become the President of a united, one country, Nigeria, and for that sake, political divide and separation must be clearly out of our way.
“That is why the first port of call should be the Chief Executive and the Chief Security Officer of the state, constitutionally. So, I am here to give you insights into why we are all in Oyo state. I really want to thank you for your good reception because it is not easy to take an opposition entourage into the canopy of your own shade, but you did.
Equally, you have demonstrated the characteristics of a good leader, a persevering individual, hardworking regardless of our political divide, and respectful in every aspect of your behaviour. So, today, I decided to pay you that respect and thank you for the good job you are doing in
Governor Makinde in receiving Asiwaju Tinubu to Oyo state said
“We don’t play politics with governance here. I have my brother here, the former governor of Osun state, Gboyega Oyetola. We worked together irrespective of the party affiliations, to solve a particular problem, which has lingered between Oyo and Osun states.
“It is a demonstration of putting our people first as opposed to the party affiliations. Like you rightly pointed out, sir, if you look at the wall (in the Executive Council Chambers), you will see from the colonial masters all the way to the immediate past governor Abiola Ajimobi. Here, we do have a sense of history, and some of them ruled under different political parties. So, players will come and go but our country will remain.
“We, the G-5 and Integrity group are saying that, look, if we have to choose between the unity of this country and our political aspirations, we will choose the unity of this country. So, I alluded to the sacrifices made by our APC colleagues, the governors from the Northern part of this country because we also monitored your emergence, and they sacrificed certain things for the unity of this country.
“If we have to move forward as a people, we have to evolve a system such that there is inclusivity, fairness, justice and equity in how we run this country. If the country does not survive, the political parties will fade away. So, I will say that I wish you well. It is only few days to go, about nine days. One thing I want you to take away from this visit today is the fact that we will vote for equity, for fairness, for justice and for unity of Nigeria in this presidential election.”
The APC in reaction to the insinuations arising from the visit minced no words in emphasizing that contrary to the notion of supporters of Governor Makinde, the courtesy visit by Asiwaju Tinubu and his campaign team was far from been what the PDP members and lovers of Governor Makinde were taken it to be, “a tacit endorsement of the governor”, saying, the different interpretation being given the courtesy visit was laughable, childish and revealing.
“To set the record straight, Asiwaju Tinubu only demonstrated statesmanship and maturity by visiting Gov. Makinde in his office as the number one citizen of the state at the moment. And in as much as it is highly necessary for all hands to be on deck in Yorubaland to secure maximum number of votes for the APC’s presidential candidate in this Saturday poll, it won’t be out of place for Tinubu to pay such visit while everything he was quoted as saying was circumstantially appropriate.”
APC debunks claim of Makinde’s endorsement by Tinubu
Oyo APC, in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Comrade Wale Sadare said, “as a matter of fact, Governor Makinde would be able to get the endorsement of the cerebral leader of the Progressives in Tinubu only if he could boast of 10 percent of what Governor Sanwo-Olu has done in Lagos. Rather than dropping the name of Tinubu, Gov. Makinde should first seek forgiveness from all the gladiators who assisted him to power in 2019 only to be humiliated immediately he was sworn-in.”
To political observers in Oyo state, the results of the just concluded National Assembly elections, particularly, that of Oyo South senatorial district, like it used to be, in past governorship elections from 1999 till date, if history will repeat itself, could go a long way in dousing the tension over the possible purported endorsement of Governor Seyi Makinde by the APC presidential candidate, though already rubbish and described as mere day dreaming.
Signs of APC taking over
Down memory lane, in Oyo state political history since the advent of this democracy in 1999, the contest for Oyo South senatorial district has always been a tough one among political parties in Oyo state as it often determined the party that will produce the governor of the state at that specific election year.
Oyo South senatorial district with nine local governments, comprising of six from Ibadanland and three from Ibarapaland is believed to have over 40% of the total votes in Oyo state thereby making it a hot cake for political parties contesting the state governorship election.
Based on this, political analysts in the state still hold the view that the party that would win the governorship election must first win at least two of the senatorial districts or particularly Oyo Central with eleven local governments and Oyo North with 13 local governments.
Now that all were won by the APC candidates in the February 25 polls, there are fears whether it is due to the Asiwaju Tinubu factor be responsible for the victory or not.
Ensuing propaganda
Aside the Asiwaju Tinubu factor, another issue cropping up ahead of the March 11 polls is the raging last minutes propaganda in the state political circuit in which some of the governorship candidates are al
purportedly stepping down or planning to bow out of the race.
Although some of the named candidates are coming out to disown this propaganda, they blamed it on those they tagged “desperate ” politicians bent on misinforming the electorate in the state ahead the March 11 elections.
For example, the gubernatorial candidate of the Accord in Oyo state, Chief Adebayo Adelabu over the weekend again debunked the rumours of his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race attributing it to “the work of political desperados determined to keeping Oyo in a web of lies and ineptitude”.
The former Deputy Governor, Operations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said the upsurge in misinformation, malignant, and outright fake news against him within the few days to the guber election was a testament to the acceptance of his message of awakening the electorate in the state.
He stressed that with the fake news of his withdrawal, it is now glaring that other candidates in the Oyo state governorship race are already jittery of his popularity and that the people of the state are already aware of the antics of some politicians which cannot take them anywhere in the governorship election.
“Their anger is that the citizens have woken up and are ready to take back our state. Through my campaign, I have not, and will not engage in their politics of character assassination, bitterness and lies,
we want to inform the good people of Oyo state that there was no time Chief Adebayo Adelabu held any meetings with any candidates or political parties with a view to stepping down.
This was another lie from a political schizophrenic, whose political career was built on falsehood and manipulations. Chief Adebayo Adelabu is not stepping down for anyone. Rather than allowing those political liars to distract us, Adelabu will focus on how Oyo state will have portable water, clean environment, smooth & car worthy roads and how our youths can begin to dream again while technology will be harnessed for the progress of everyone”.
Chief Adelabu emphasised further, “My focus is on getting electorates to know where their fingerprint will go on March 11. Adelabu is contesting to win the gubernatorial election in Oyo state under Accord and our door is open to any candidate who wish to join us in liberating the state”.
With the governorship election around the corner, the fact remains that no matter the tension, fears or anxiety over the March 11 governorship election, it will surely come and go with a winner emerging at the end of the election.
