2019 elections: Deputy gov Adelabu
deserves
By Tribune Online
November 04, 2018
AHEAD
of the 2019 governorship election in Oyo State, the major political parties
have played their cards with the selection of governorship standard-bearers,
with the All Progressives Congress (APC) already being thumbed up for playing
the best hand in this round.
Those
praising the emergence of the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria, Chief Abudl-waheed Adebayo Adelabu, as the standard-bearer of the APC,
are of the opinion that his selection, without much rancour despite the
imbroglio that characterised primaries in other states of the federation, is
the best thing to happen to the party in the state.
Oyo
State, renowned for its status as the pace-setter, is the political hot-bed of
the South-West and many people had expected the party to go up in flames over
primaries. But the APC demonstrated a good spirit of sportsmanship and avoided
unnecessary disaffection and division in the party ranks.
With
the standard-bearer’s emergence came the permutations over who would be the
running mate to the seasoned banker. Many names had been touted, with claims
and counter-claims flying about regarding who had or had not been picked as the
running mate to Adelabu. But informed watchers of politics in Oyo State have
maintained that for the APC to continue in the saddle in the state, having
picked a credible candidate as governor, it will be in its best interest to
have a seasoned, credible and capable candidate as running mate to Adelabu.
While
names had been touted for the strategic position, the name of Dr. Wale
Okediran, a seasoned medical practitioner, writer and politician, has been in
the mix for so long that those versed in the politics of the state have
suggested that he should be given a look-in if the APC intends to win the 2019
election.
According
to those who know, Adelabu deserves a crowd-puller and a diplomatic politician
that can navigate the political murky waters of the state following the crises
faced by the party, which occasioned its losing many supporters to other
parties. Though many arguments have been advanced to support some of the names
being touted from Oke-Ogun as running mate to Adelabu, the feeling is that the
APC needs a deputy governorship candidate who is an astute politician and a
bridge-builder to complement the governorship candidate.
An
interaction with politicians and community leaders in Oke-Ogun and across the
APC revealed the general agreement that the party needs a candidate who can
unite the party and not someone who is considered as a paper-weight or stooge
to some individuals. Some of these individuals, whose stock in trade is
character assassination, which they are currently exhibiting, cannot deliver
the goods for the APC.
In
fact, lovers of the APC in the state have been sending feelers to the governor,
Senator Abiola Ajimobi to be wary of some politicians and civil servants who
are Lilliputians and dwarfs that cannot win their polling booths let alone
Oke-Ogun axis of the state.
“The
governor can conduct independent assessment on the antecedents of these
acclaimed ‘big wigs’. The result will prove otherwise of their claims. We
should not play into the hands of the opposition, if we are not doing that
already. The local government election of May where they claimed clean sweep
cannot be used as a yardstick to measure their performance. None of them can
withstand the political standing of Dr. Wale Okediran, the former member House
of Representatives, former National President of Association of Nigerian
Authors. He should be the preferred deputy governorship candidate if APC is
desirous of electoral victory at the poll in 2019 general election,” a notable
APC leader in Oke-Ogun had said recently when the issue of deputy governorship
candidate came up.
Since
1999, Okediran has been one of the few standing progressives and leaders in
Oke-ogun even when some of those backing political minnows for the strategic
position were still mid-level civil servants and politicians without base. The
former lawmaker gave his house to APC for use as the local government
secretariat in Iseyin and the place also serves as the senatorial party office
till date. That arrangement has been on for the last five years and it is there
for anyone to confirm. This is part of Okediran’s contributions to the party
apart from sponsoring officials and party members to some of the functions in
the area intermittently. What are the contributions of these self-acclaimed
party chieftains?
Okediran
was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and won creditably on the
platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the same time Governor Ajimobi was a
serving Senator at the Upper House. He did not re-contest because of the
rotational arrangement among the four local governments in
Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola. Till date, he has remained relevant and one of
the few loyal party members standing better than any of the hawks who are
denigrating his reputation. In a free, fair and credible election, no
opposition candidate can defeat Okediran because of his political worth, note,
standing and popularity.
Even outside his federal constituency and Oyo State,
Okediran has political relevance, as most of his former colleagues in the House
of Representatives, like Senator Ahmed Lawan, the current Senate Leader, Rt.
Honourable Aminu Bello Masari, Abdul-Aziz Abubakar Yari and Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal, the governors of Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States, still reckon
with Okediran. Okediran was among the House Caucus leaders from Oyo State. What
is more credible, relevant and desirable in politics than these credentials
paraded by the former lawmaker?
Loyal
party members would recall an occasion when Okediran brought and introduced
Governor Ajimobi to the party members in Oke-Ogun and he was well-received and
hosted. Where were these Lilliputians purporting to be calling the shots today?
When the chips were down and our party was in tatters and disarray, it was the
likes of Dr Okediran from Iseyin, the former Deputy Governor, Chief Iyiola
Oladokun from Ado-Awaye, Alhaji Abu Olododo in Ilero, Chief Adeleke in Iganna
and Chief Adekola in Ago-Aare and many others across Oke-ogun that rose to the
occasion, begging and appealing to the political conscience of the Unity Forum
members to return to our fold. None of these name-droppers dared do so because
they don’t have the credibility to do so.
The
interest and concern in Oke-ogun APC is the success of the party with Adelabu
and Dr. Okediran as the standard-bearers in the 2019 election. Adelabu deserves
a deputy governor that can complement him politically and not these political
dwarfs whose intention is to mess up ‘Penkelemesi’ and the party.
- Koleoso writes from Saki, Oyo State.
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