Osun decides between continuity and change

ON Saturday, the Osun governorship election will be held and expectations have understandably reached a fever-pitch high as the leading parties jostle for political advantage. At the last count, 48 political parties have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to participate in the crucial election, which, like the Ekiti poll, may be a forerunner to the possibilities inherent in the 2019 general elections. Many political observers are unequivocal that the Osun election will be a three-horse race among the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Gboyega Oyetola; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, Sen. Ademola Adeleke; and serial guber aspirant, Sen. Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). If the crisis that trailed the party primaries are anything to go by, it will be foolhardy to underestimate the portents posed by a ‘third force’ represented by the duo of Moshood Adeoti of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Fatai Akinbade of the African Democratic Congress(ADC).

The outcome of the crisis-ridden primaries of many of the leading parties and their policy direction as well as the outlook and persons of the flag bearers may yet determine where the pendulum will swing. Oyetola, a former Chief of Staff to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, is readily the man to beat given his proven track record in the private sector, the critical incumbency factor, coupled with his personality which saw him winning the direct primary with 127,017. With his Ileri Oluwa (God’s Promise) campaign slogan, this Iragbiji-born politician will be riding on the crest-wave of continuity epitomised by Aregbesola’s massive infrastructural development of the state in almost eight years of his administration. As perhaps the most influential official of the administration, the self-effacing Oyetola has been credited with the enunciation and execution of many of the state government’s flagship projects. Instructively, his academic and professional background has suitably positioned him for this arduous task of sustaining the legacies of the Aregbesola years.

He was awarded a Bachelor in Insurance in 1978 from the University of Lagos and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1990 from the same institution. In 1980, he joined Leadway Assurance Company Limited as Area Manager. In 1987, he left for Crusader Insurance Company Limited as Underwriting Manager and in 1990, moved to Alliance and General Insurance as Technical Controller. The insurance expert was to establish Silvertrust Insurance Brokers Limited in 1991, serving as its Managing Director from 1991 until he emerged Chief of Staff in 2011. Oyetola is seen as the totem figure for continuity in the development stride of Osun and many believe that a change in government may reverse the gains of the administration. Having been a member of the ‘kitchen cabinet’ of the Aregbesola administration these years, the policy thrust of his administration, if he emerges victorious, is certainly not in doubt. This much, he highlights, while unveiling his agenda for the people of the state: “Having been a privileged member of the team that has brought the current transformation that our state has witnessed these past seven and a half years, I know what the issues are.

“I know that what our people need is agenda of continuity and revitalisation that will deepen the current gains in infrastructural development. I know what we need is to continue to work and even harder to increase our revenue base to support the payment of salaries, pensions and other deserved emoluments of our teeming workers. In furtherance of the enormous achievements we have already made, we need a leader with steady hands, whose words are his bond, who can further invest in the prosperity of our people. We need a bridge builder, who would continue with the leadership values of the incumbent administration to unite our people, inspire them to jettison primordial sentiments and work for the development of their people, and secure a prosperous state for the benefits of our generations yet unborn. What our state needs urgently is to further soar with inclusive, innovative and unwavering governance. We cannot afford to retrogress. Not anymore. The job at hand is too urgent to be left alone for just anyone unprepared.”

In spite of the many factors in his favour, Oyetola would, however, have to contend with some of the challenges facing the outgoing administration such as the huge pension bill, the arrears of salaries owed civil servants and the quite emotive campaign in favour of the governorship slot being zoned to the West Senatorial District. Significantly, the mammoth crowd that held Osogbo prostrate during the mega rally of the APC standard-bearer may well be an indication that Oyetola remains the candidate to beat at the poll.

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The workaholic Oyetola is not giving anything to chances. A first-time visitor to Osogbo, the Osun State capital, is likely to conclude that only APC is contesting in the gubernatorial race, with designer billboards of Gboyega appearing in almost every nook and cranny. Every street has miniature billboards with catchy phrases of promises of Ileri Oluwa, complemented by a burst of posters. Formidable as the credentials of the other candidates are, the critical factors of vote buying, the safety of election materials and security at polling units may ultimately decide where the pendulum swings. Already INEC, worried about the incidence of vote buying during the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti, had read the riot act to all stakeholders. The commission says it is working on secret balloting to curb vote-buying in the Sept. 22 election. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, says the current trend of inducing voters with money popularly known as ‘see and buy’ in the local parlance is worrisome.

“The issue of vote-buying is worrisome to the commission because it is not easy for INEC to prepare for election and on that day people will come with bags of money. This undermines the credibility of elections; so, INEC has decided to re-arrange its voting cubicle in a way that voters cannot display their votes. There will no longer be a way of showing your votes to politicians to go and collect money. We are also working on not allowing voters with phones into the area and security agents will be there to make arrests. Vote-buying is a disease that is graduating to kill our electoral system and must be stopped,” he says. If the commission and the security agencies get their acts right, only then will it be clear that the people of Osun have been given a level playing field to vote for continuity or effect a change. All told, with the APC campaign apparatus solidly and visibly laid across the state, and with a formidable team of foot soldiers daily criss-crossing the entire Osun, from door to door, community to community, city to city, appealing and canvassing for votes, Gboyega, as he is fondly called, remains the man to beat.