Re: Now that Oyetola is governor

KEEN watchers of events in Osun State, particularly those with a direct stake in the socio-economy of the state, cannot but show concern on the most politically-consequential event happening every four years, to elect the state’s executive governor. The last election is now part of our history, but there are salient observations one desires to make, regarding the dramatis personae therein. But while there is virtually no advice, one may like to advance to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress; after all, they have won ultimately-forget the intra-party squabbles between Gboyega Oyetola and Moshood Adeoti and their respective camps which led to parting of ways between them, and lesser skirmishes within the party; the same cannot be said about their arch-rival, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Months ahead of the election, it was speculated in highly-informed quarters that the APC might not win that election bearing in mind the not-too-impressive performance of the outgoing Rauf Aregbesola administration. In fact, many analysts were of the view that the PDP would coast home to victory comfortably. That was before PDP’s wall began to crack, a phenomenon initiated and perfected by the party’s big guns themselves, considering the conspiracy against Iyiola Omisore, academically-accomplished and politically-seasoned man, who had contributed so much to the fortunes of the party.

They sidelined his group in order to plant someone else, as the party’s gubernatorial candidate. If they knew the educational deficiencies of Ademola Adeleke but decided to ignore the likely consequences of such, then those PDP leaders now know better. Those PDP leaders did not even recognise Omisore’s contribution to the same Ademola Adeleke’s election as a senator, less than two years earlier. This same Adeleke initially was a member of the APC where he had been denied a chance to fly the party’s flag as senatorial election candidate. PDP leaders at the state and national levels did so dirty a job, of scheming against Omisore, that many right-thinking admirers of the party were wondering what had become of those leaders whose names were being mentioned in connection with the plot.

A recent statement credited to the Adeleke family showed that the PDP leaders went to literally beg Ademola to come and carry the party’s flag for governorship election. They went further to ensure he clinched the party’s primary. Akin Ogunbiyi and his men had their distasteful experience in the primary which the preferred candidate was made to win. Speculations were rife that the kingmakers had certain unpublished suspicions about Akin Ogunbiyi too, so he should be schemed out too. Now, let’s consider the shame the PDP has now harvested from the governorship election and the ultimate outcome at the Supreme Court. Consider the embarrassment they have brought to Ademola Adeleke and his clan, with the dirty educational/certificate issues involved.

• Osun guber: Ogunbiyi petitions PDP

Some observers have called Iyiola Omisore ugly names and questioned his sense of judgment in aligning with the APC in determining the outcome of the re-run election. Every member of the public is entitled to his/her opinion on this matter as in other issues of public interest. However, everyone should put himself/herself in Omisore’s unpleasant position and empathise with him, bearing in mind the pressure exerted by each of the two parties on him in the gravely-testy circumstances he found himself. By and large, political party leaders while pursuing their vaulting individual and corporate ambitions, should always be guided by morality as well as by law and the fear of God.

Now, we welcome Governor Gboyega Oyetola as the new chief executive officer of Osun State, wishing him divine backing and people’s collaboration. Sorry, he appears badly limited by the managerial myopia and financial recklessness of the immediate past regime, with its satanic obsession with borrowing that eventually mortgaged the state’s economy so badly that debt servicing presently gulps two and a half billion naira every month, and who knows how long this burden will last, yet indebtedness to workers and retirees runs into tens of billions of naira, and not mentioning the indebtedness to local contractors. Anyways, this governor himself was a member of the top echelon of that regime, so the situation should cause him only feeble embarrassment if any at all.

—Alade Ogundiran, Ile Ife,

Wale Bolorunduro’s wife @50

Her personableness is commendable considering her background as a silver spoon. When you top that with her geniality, infectious humility and above all, how she has immersed herself completely in Christ and being heaven-bound, you can’t but consider her husband blessed. My sister Oladayo, of the Fawe clan in Ulesa, the only wife of my brother, Dr Wale Bolorunduro, former Osun Finance Commissioner, consummate banker, husband to one wife and an Ijesa patriot, will add gold on August 29. Proverbs 18:22 says: He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord.” A bad wife can’t be a good thing and provoke favour for the husband. So, the Spirit of God couldn’t have meant just any female under a man’s roof. That scripture must be about my sister and her ilk, who are prayer partners to their hussies and not prayer points. Because Mrs Bolorunduro is living for Christ, all she is asking on that day is songs of praise. Here is Gibbers leading the orchestra singing, “To God be the glory, great things He hath done….and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.”