Issues as Senator Ademola Adeleke joins Osun governorship race

Oluwole Ige writes about the matters arising since the declaration of Senator Ademola Adeleke on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship position of Osun State.

The race for the occupation of Oke Fia Government House in Osun appears to be gaining more attention in the public discourse, even though the governorship election in the virtuous state is tentatively slated for September 22, 2018.

Despite the beleaguered condition of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the number of gladiators from both parties, believed to be the major political platforms are increasing with the latest resolve of Senator Ademola Adeleke throwing his hat into the ring for the contest, which may put to test the ability of the outgoing Governor Rauf Aregbesola to reassert his wits and mastery of the political turf in the state.

Regardless of the unfolding realities within the rank and file of the PDP, most especially the rumoured or planned exit of the former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore from the party, Adeleke’s entry into the race had further lent credence to the burning issue and clamour to zone the governorship ticket to Osun West Senatorial District.

Ademola, who has become famous in the nation’s political circle with his marveling choreographic skills, earning him the sobriquet of a dancing senator, currently represents Osun West in the red chamber of the National Assembly and he is also the younger brother to late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who was the first executive governor of Osun State.

The deceased Senator Adeleke, popularly  known as “Serubawon”, who was a strong factor not only in Osun politics before his demise on April 23, 2017 decamped, alongside Ademola and his teeming supporters from the PDP to APC few weeks to the conduct of August 9, 2014 governorship poll, which pundits believed worked in favour of Aregbesola’s re-election for  second term in office.

It is also recalled that Aregbesola’s predecessor, former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who is now the chairman of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) also defected with his political allies and supporters from the PDP to the ruling party, a development which also shored up the electoral fortune of the APC in Osun during the then gubernatorial election.

Ademola, who had initially kick started his senatorial ambition in the APC last year to replace his brother emerged as the winner of the primaries, but was denied the ticket following intrigues and power play within the ruling party. Few weeks into the by election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacant seat of Osun West Senatorial District, he dumped the APC for PDP, his former political party, which gave him the ticket and he won the July 8, 2017 poll with a landslide, trouncing his opponent, Senator Mudasiru Husssein in nine local governments out of 10 that constituted Osun West Senatorial District.  The rest is now history.

Analysts and keen watchers of Osun politics hold the notion that the failure of the APC to hand Ademola the senatorial ticket then was a tactical error and grave miscalculation that culminated in the humiliating loss of that crucial election by the ruling party.

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Though, this agitation of allowing Osun West to produce a successor to Aregbesola somehow lacks political boundary, as promoters of the agenda are domiciled in APC and PDP, the number of gubernatorial aspirants from that part of Osun had continued to swell. In the APC, the current Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam, a native of Ejigbo who is a governorship aspirant is from  Osun West, ditto for the incumbent Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, an indigene of Iwo town and few others.

Keen watchers of the evolving political activities in the state are also mindful of the fact that despite the genuine clamour for zoning the ticket to Osun West by any party desirous of victory in September 22 election and doggedness exhibited by some stakeholders in Osun politics, such agenda should not subsume or overwhelm the need for competence, eligibility and freedom for any  indigene of the state with ambition to become a governor.

Oyinlola, who is one of the leading voices for governorship seat to move to the domain of Osun West in a recent statement contended  that successor to Aregbesola  must come from the district and he must not be over 50 years old. His line of argument is that Osun West had only governed the state for only 22 months out of the 27 years of the state’s existence, advising that the people of the area should beam their searchlight on a young eligible man, who can succeed Aregbesola.

Premising his position on gauging peoples’ feelings, he averred “out of 27 years of existence of Osun, the West had only been  there ( governorship position) for just 22 months. The aspiration of the founding fathers of the state is that no part should be marginalised. I don’t mind if I stand alone. I have told  my political family to find somebody young from the West who can lead the state after the tenure of the governor. I said that is the man I will want you to bring to me.”

In a statement issued at the end of a recent meeting with his followers, which held in Okuku, his country home, the retired army general affirmed that successor to the outgoing Governor Aregbesola  must come from Osun West Senatorial District and he must not be over 50 years old.

Similarly, while addressing the crowd of individuals, including dignitaries that recently converged on Ede, the country home of Adelekes for the 10th year coronation anniversary of Timi of Edeland, the former governor, however,  clarified that he had no particular candidate in mind, considering his push for the zoning of governorship ticket in September 22 election in the state to Osun West Senatorial District.

While arguing that Osun West had only governed the state for only 22 months out of the 27 years of the state’s existence, he tasked the people of the district to beam their searchlight on a young eligible man, who can succeed Aregbesola.

He, however, promised  his backing for any competent person presented by the Osun West, disclosing that he had gauged the feelings of the people of Osun, through reports from his political allies, saying “out of 27 years of existence of Osun, the West had only been  there ( governorship position) for just 22 months. The aspiration of the founding fathers of the state is that no part should be marginalised. I don’t mind if I stand alone. I have told  my political family to find somebody young from the West who can lead the state after the tenure of the governor. I said that is the man I will want you to bring to me.”

Meanwhile, the secretariat of the PDP in Osun, located around Biket area, Osogbo has now become Mecca of a sort as contenders for the tickets of the party have begun a political jamboree of submitting their intention letter with funfare and frenzy.  Apart from Chief Lere  Oyewumi, who hails from Ikire, Ademola Adeleke is the second aspirant, who had also submitted his letter, even though by proxy, with both of them coming from Osun West Senatorial District, while the former Secretary to Osun State Government (SSG), Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, who is also from Ogbaagba, one of the communities in the district had also submitted his letter.

Other aspirants who have delivered their letters of intent to Honourable Soji Adagunodo-led state executives of the PDP in Osun include the renowned legal luminary, Chief Nathaniel Oke, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Ayoade Adewopo and others.

But, the official declaration of ambitions of governorship aspirants on the platform of the APC, including the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Aregbesola, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, known among his admirers as “Ileri Oluwa”, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Lasun Yussuff, Hon Yinka Ajayi, representing Boripe/Ifelodun/Egbedore Federal Constituency and few others have been curiously put on hold as a result of the non readiness of the party’s leadership to lift the blanket order on such expression of interest.

But, investigation conducted by the Nigerian Tribune indicates that for now,  Adeleke had chosen to adopt a low key approach to his governorship ambition as a mark of honour to his late brother, whose one year posthumous anniversary came up on April 23, 2018. This sombre tone actually informed his decision to submit his letter of intent through Mr Taofeek Olayiwola, who is one of the ex- Special Advisers to  Oyinlola.

Presenting Adeleke’s  letter, Olayiwola  posited  that the lawmaker had decided to obey the clarion calls from major stakeholders in the PDP, party members in Osun and generality of the people, who are not even in the PDP to contest the September, 22 governorship election in Osun State. Among the entourage that accompanied Olayiwola to submit Adeleke’s letter included former vice chairman of the PDP in Osun, Mr Basiru Salam, Honourable Kazeem Akinleye, Honourable Rotimi Ogunrinade and host of others.

In his response, Osun State chairman of the PDP, Honourable Soji Adagunodo maintained that the lawmaker practically demonstrated decorum and maturity in his approach to join the gubernatorial race, just as he assured to provide a level playing ground for all the aspirants, regarding  the conduct of primary election, where the flag bearer of the PDP would emerge ahead of the poll. Nonetheless, Adagunodo hinted the PDP is mulling consensus arrangement in picking the standard bearer of the party in the governorship poll, describing consensus candidacy as not alien to democratic process.

He further explained that the conduct of a primary would be the last option if consensus failed, stressing that “our state executives would not be compromised by financial inducement from any quarters,  regarding the conduct of primary. All those who will votes during the primary are in all the wards in 30 LGs and Area council”.

Adagunodo stated, “the state executive will support whoever emerge from the primary and we are urging all the aspirants to support the winner of the primary exercise if we cannot agree on a consensus. There should be no rancour. Go and canvass for votes of delegates. We are to play the roles of impartial umpire. Many people are contesting in the PDP for the ticket.

As it stands now, the emergence of a potential governorship candidate of the main opposition party in September, 22, 2018 poll may still be subjected to vagaries of political exigencies and ultimately be decided by stakeholders in the PDP and God, the Almighty who divinely determine what tomorrow holds for the virtuous state among the comity of states in the Nigerian Federation.