What Oyetola is bringing to Osun as gov —Akinola

Ayo Akinola is the media aide to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and coordinator of Osun Renaissance Group for Continuity. In this interview by OLUWOLE IGE, he speaks about achievements of the governor and reasons the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fielding Gboyega Isiaka Oyetola for the September 22 governorship poll.

The political tempo is currently on the high side considering the coming governorship poll in Osun State. What’s your take as the citizens elect a new governor?

It is natural that in an election year, as the election D-day draws nearer, the tempo of activities would increase by the day. Again, this is a transitional period and as you are aware, the outgoing Governor Rauf Aregbesola has made an indelible footprint in the sand of time. This has attracted quite a number of interests in the people wanting to be governor: from the ruling party to others. You will agree with me that if the man has messed up the place, the interest of people coming in to seek for the position would have been very limited. This is the first time in the history of the state that such a huge number of aspirants would come up to seek the governorship seat. This means that someone has brought dignity to the office such that people from diverse backgrounds want to build on the good foundation of Aregbesola.

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But because of politics, many of the aspirants from other parties would not want to admit this. It is understandable. They will prefer to rubbish his achievements thinking that rubbishing him will sway votes in their favour. But let me tell you this: I’m a trained social scientist, a sociologist and anthropologist to be precise. We have done our research among the masses of the people.

What we discovered is instructive. We found out that the awareness of the teeming masses, those you will refer to as illiterates, is even greater than those of the average educated elite. They are very honest and they know who their true friends are. And this constitutes the mass of voters anywhere. They queue up come rain, come shine, to vote whereas the elite, like you, will sit in front of television to make armchair comments on the day of election.

There is this insinuation that the candidate of the ruling party, Gboyega Oyetola, is an imposition by the leaders of the ruling party. What is your take on this?

I don’t understand what you mean by imposition. Is he eminently qualified? Yes, and in fact, he has an enviable career in the private and public sectors. Was there a primary? Yes. Were all the aspirants given equal opportunity? Yes. Remember that each and every one of the aspirants went through the same rigorous process after which one of them emerged. Let me tell you this: if the party wanted to smuggle in anyone, it would not have gone through the novel direct primary in the first place. It is more convenient for a governor or the party hierarchy to impose through the indirect mode. You all know the influence which a governor wields.

What are his strengths?

What many do not know is that the man that eventually emerged, Gboyega Oyetola, because of his peculiar nature, is not a noise maker who wants to announce or plant his influence at every opportunity, which many do not see as strength. He is a quiet achiever. He has been a silent care-giver in the grassroots and has therefore won the hearts of the citizenry, which many of the other aspirants do not reckon with.

Do you know that most of the other aspirants quickly conceded victory immediately he was declared winner? They were unequivocal in conceding victory and even accepted to campaign for his eventual victory at the polls because he is well respected as the natural successor to the outgoing governor. Those who decided not to accept and eventually left the party, a couple of them though, we already know beforehand that they weren’t loyal to the party ab initio.

The direct primary which they complained of is the most democratic form, devoid of manipulations. No wonder the national hierarchy of the party adopted it after the Osun litmus test. Even some of the other parties are quietly adopting it. It gives the grassroots the opportunity to choose whomsoever they want to emerge the candidate of the party. I think their grouse has to do with the fact that their plans to manipulate through the indirect primary were aborted.