Three prominent politicians are in the race for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the Ogun West senatorial district, throwing up a number of issues, writes KUNLE ODEREMI.
By May 24, candidates of the political parties for the Senate are expected to emerge from the conduct of primaries. Across the country, many of the aspirants for tickets are contending with varying challenges and obstacles that threaten their dreams of being part of the 10th National Assembly in the next dispensation. The threats are coming, in spite of a plea by the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership to reciprocate the gesture of the APC caucus in the Senate that has guaranteed a mutual tie and seamless balance between the executive and the legislature. But, while some senators seeking to secure APC tickets are faced with stiff challenge by forces loyal to state governors, others are confronted by other factors based on interests and sentiments.
For Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the battle for APC ticket, this time in Ogun State, has been characterised by uncanny intrigues and hype engineered by some elements within the state chapter of the party. Currently representing Lagos West senatorial district, Adeola is the chairman, Senate Committee on Finance. Some voices are not favourably disposed to his decision to ply his trade, so to speak, in the next political dispensation in his country home, in his bid for the APC senatorial ticket for Yewa/Awori constituency. Only recently, he was bestowed with a prestigious honourary title in Yewaland in appreciation of his philanthropic contributions to the growth, development and progress of his area. Beside, he is not new on the political turf, having been a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Alimosho State Constituency II between 2003 and 201; member, House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015. He later moved up the leader, when he won a seat in the Senate to represent Lagos West, and in 2019, he was re-elected.
Ogun West
At the moment, Adeola is a leading contestant for the APC ticket for Ogun West senatorial district. The catch phrase for his bid is West-To-West. But, his decision to run in the federal constituency has engendered disquiet in a few political circles in the district. The incumbent senator for Yewa/Awori zone is Senator Tolu Odebiyi who, incidentally, is also of the APC, a situation that has led some pundits predicting a titanic battle for APC ticket at the primary that will produce the Ogun West senatorial candidate of the party. Incumbent Senator Odebiyi is the son of late core Awoist, Senator Jonathan Odebiyi, the Minority Leader in the Senate during the Second Republic, who was elected on the ticket of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) founded and led by the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was the permanent secretary in the office of Chief Of Staff, Ogun State Governor’s office. He later served as the Chief of Staff during the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun and won elected senator in 2019. There are claims about a frosty relationship between the incumbent senator and the Governor Dapo Abiodun because of alleged romance with his former boss, Senator Amosun. Nonetheless, Odebiyi is still considered as a potent force that could give his challengers a good fight for the APC ticket in the zone.
Another contender for the ticket is Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI). He is a well-grounded politician in the state. The former governorship hopeful in the state is regarded as capable of creating an upset at the primary of the APC. He is behind the pressure group called: The Believe Movement’ (TBM) and teamed with the APC after the 2019 elections. An indigene of Imeko, he lost the last governorship poll in the state to incumbent Governor Abiodun, Isiaka ran on the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He recently gave an insight into his mission, saying: “My aspirations have never been about myself but to ensure the development of Ogun State in whole and importantly, the socioeconomic growth of Yewa-Awori land. I have consulted widely and I believe this decision is in our best interest at this time.I will be contesting for the Senate seat to offer quality representation via contributions to legislative proceedings that serves the best interest of the majority per time and also the facilitation of top-notch democratic dividends to my district.” Of course, his loyalists believe he towers above his peers in the contest and are confident of his victory. In their view, “Nobody can defeat GNI in Yewa-Awori land. He has the strongest structure to prosecute this election and he is also at peace with the leadership of the party and the governor in the state,” an ally said.
Opposition
In the wake of subtle horse-trading preceding the unveiling of his plan to shift base, there were insinuations by some party members in Ogun that a national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu was planning to impose Adeola on them. In the opinion of their spokesman, Chief Sikiru Adegbite, it was not proper that Adeola, who started his political career in 1999, as a member of Lagos House of Assembly, and later became a member of the House of Representatives and now a second term senator representing Lagos West, to become senator in Ogun West. Adegbite alleged: “It is an open secret that Adeola, who has some supporters running a strange ‘West to West Campaign’, is being prepared not to only emerge as Ogun West Senator in 2023 but to also take over from Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027.” Acting under the aegis of Ogun West Stakeholders Forum, the leaders believed that the plan could only lead to serious crisis in the party.
Clarifications
However, the chairman of the APC in Ogun West senatorial district, Mohammed Azeez, swiftly debunked the claim, giving clarifications on how the party plans to elect its standard-bearers for the general election. He gave an assurance that APC would follow laid-down rules and guidelines to decide its candidates. He emphasised: “As the elected APC Ogun West senatorial district chairman, I am not aware of prominent leaders of All Progressives Congress from Ogun West meeting and asking our National Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu not to impose Senator Olamilekan Adeola, on them. The duly elected leadership of APC in Ogun West senatorial District have equally not received any request to impose anyone in any position in the race towards 2023. We are a party of progressives and democrats and will choose our candidates on the basis of our party guidelines and the rule of law as applicable to all Nigerians. Every aspirant, particularly legislative aspirants, should conduct their campaign with decorum devoid of falsehood and unfounded allegations and leave the leadership and members of the party to decide who represents them in the race for 2023 elections.”
On his part, Senator Adeola also took on those ‘spin doctors’ that tried to misconstrue his action via what he called a sponsored and slanted ‘opinion’ concerning the “rousing welcome and enthusiasm of the people of Ogun West” for his declaration to contest for the Ogun West senatorial seat in the general election. “For the records, Senator Adeola as an indigene of Ogun West, is not new to Ogun State and indeed APC, in the state even while serving as a legislator in Lagos State. As a true progressive politician with a record of not jumping political ship like some notable politicians, he was a foundation member of APC and would always work for the success of the party at all levels of government and across Nigeria. His record for supporting party positions in government are in public domain with his service as an electoral umpire at the recent national convention of APC.
He urged those behind the outbursts to read the 1999 Constitution as it affects the rights of individuals. “All those sponsoring write-ups for exclusion of Senator Adeola from Ogun West race are directed to read the relevant parts of the Constitution on freedom of association and movement in Nigeria as well as other extant laws and regulations,” he stressed. in his statement on the issue, Adeola recalled that his adventure into Ogun politics dated back to 2012 when he widely consulted on the possibility of contesting for Ogun West senatorial district as a way of shoring up the waning progressive spirit and making direct impact on his people. He said it was on record that in that quest, he fully supported the ambition Senator Ibikunle Amosun for second term through massive mobilisation, erection of billboards and other publicity blitz costing multi-million naira.
According to the senator, the effort was not in vain as Amosun won the 2015 while in a divinely arranged circumstance, he (Adeola) became the senator of the largest senatorial district in the country in terms of population. He further justified his bid for the ticket of the APC for Ogun West on enviable record at the senate so far. The statement went further: “His performance in that position for six years and counting, has now made his people from Ogun West to earnestly seek his representation at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly ruing that his massive developmental initiatives in the 10 LGAs of Lagos West would have been their portion in just five LGAs if he had contested in 2015.
What does Ogun State stand to gain if Adeola succeeds in contest for the Yewa/Awori seat, some observers say, will mean much to Lagos State. This position is corroborated by the views of the president of the Senate, Senator Lawan and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. While the former says the senator represented part of the conscience of the ninth Senate, the latter declares that Adeola has consistently represented value addition to good governance by toughing lives positively.
In a matter of weeks, the APC and its major stakeholders will decide where the pendulum swings as the primary beckons.
and then