AMID widespread applause for his policy pronouncements and actions since taking office on May 29, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State got an ‘unkindest cut’ (apologies to Shakespeare) last week. The grouse had nothing to do with the state’s pensioners to whom he had donated his wages, the parents currently benefiting from the cancellation of N3,000 levy in secondary schools, or even the move to arrest brewing anarchy by proscribing the operations of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) until peace and tranquility can be. It was political: the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, announced his withdrawal from the coalition formed to team up with Makinde ahead of the March 9, 2019 governorship election. It will be recalled that Lanlehin, Sharafadeen Alli of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Chief Bolaji Ayorinde of Social Democratic Party (SDP) had, few days to the election, endorsed Makinde for the Agodi top job.
Lanlehin, who hinged his decision to quit the coalition on what he termed Governor Makinde’s non-compliance with the spirit and letters of the terms of the pre-election agreement reached by the parties, said he would now adopt a siddon look posture in the governance of Oyo State and allied matters. But the governor’s camp described his allegation as a clear affront on the sincerity of Governor Makinde and his magnanimous disposition in handling all the discussions about the coalition. A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the governor on Strategy and Political Matters, Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye, maintained that he had lived up to his promise to all parties to the coalition and, in some cases, even “bent backwards to accommodate all interests.” This means that he has lived up to his promise, not only to Lanlehin, but to all members of the coalition. Coming to brass tacks, Oduyoye averred that the agreement contained a template for sharing positions in government as well as membership of boards and parastatal agencies. He noted that the apex committee of the coalition parties had met over three times, with agreements reached and tabled at a meeting with the governor, and that the governor even improved on the agreement to further accommodate interests in the ADC and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The statement further read: “There was no dissenting voice from all the representatives of the parties at the meeting with Governor Makinde. Everyone commended how he handled the matter. Senator Lanlehin only had issues with the other leaders of the ADC on Monday when they were discussing how to share the positions allotted to the ADC.” But if there were any doubts as to the motives behind Lanlehin’s statement, those qualms were laid to rest by the state chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) which declared that it was still part of the coalition with Governor Makinde. In a statement on Wednesday by its Acting Publicity Secretary, Bimpe Adelowo, the party noted a point that most fair-minded Nigerians would be more than willing to agree with, namely that “this is not the time to trade blame, but to consolidate the forces that terminated the APC government in the state.” A pragmatic dissection of this statement within the context of Nigeria’s current existential troubles would no doubt attest to its authenticity.
The ruling APC government came to power, in Oyo and at the federal level, promising to fight corruption, revamp the economy and address worsening insecurity. But four years down the line, the problems it identified and pontificated on have not only worsened but pushed the country towards the precipice. Despite all its boasts, the APC in Oyo did not significantly advance the development narrative. And in any case, if the recent outcry over the ethnic expansionism dubbed ‘Ruga settlement for herders’ has proved anything, it is the fact that the APC government is isolated from the feelings of the vast majority of Nigerians and has no solution to the myriads of challenges confronting the country. Against this backdrop, trying to undercut a performing government which provides an alternative to the ethnically insensitive and irredeemably inept party and the Federal Government in one of Nigeria’s most important states amounts to cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. It amounts to enabling the already rejected APC and, I dare say, such a venture is dead on arrival.
The foregoing naturally throws up questions regarding Lanlehin’s real motives. Is the outburst a mere smokescreen with 2023 undercurrents, or is it a ground-softening effort preparatory to an eventual move to the APC? Considering what the distinguished senator and his team of supporters went through in the APC, that option is not a very good one. On another level, is it meant to extract further commitments from Makinde? Whatever is the real case, it is quite instructive that as the ADC recognised, minor issues should not be allowed to set Oyo State backwards. That would actually becloud the bigger picture, which is rescuing the South-West from the clutches of the APC, a behemoth upending state and traditional institutions, seeking to perpetuate itself in power. That is why the critical issue at hand transcends the implementation of the coalition agreement on appointments across boards. It is about putting the state on the path of development and making life better for the citizenry. That is the most important issue for now.
- Aderemi lives in Ibadan
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