Why Ogun West will produce next governor —Akinwande

Gbenga Akinwande, a philanthropist and socio-economic activist, spoke to IFEDAYO OGUNYEMI  about his political ambition, the 2027 gubernatorial race in Ogun State, and other issues. 

What is your assessment of the current run of politics in the country?

l don’t really think my assessment is what is important. I said this because we, as a people, know we have failed in building a nation we can be proud of. Nobody is to be singled out in this failure of ours; we have both the leadership and followership challenges. But, I am still of the opinion that with the right leadership in place and the enormous resources we have, we can build a nation of our dreams. Let’s hope that the Renew Hope agenda of President Bola tinubu, will soon manifest into vibrant and thriving economy that can renergise the country to the path of growth.

Are there areas that need urgent overhauling?

This democracy that we are practising is not only alien to our cultural background, but a legacy bequeathed on us by the colonial rules, just like some of the religions we are practising today. You can see that both the Christian and the Islamic religions have contributed positively to our development as people. I wished we all pay more attention to democracy, and practiced it accordingly. Only then can I assure you our nation will be among the best 10 countries in the world. Our electoral system is one of our greatest problems and needs a complete overhauling. We need to put some finishing touches on some grey areas of our constitution. We also need to begin value reorientation and the need to put country first ahead of primordial interests.

You were a LG chairmanship aspirant in Ogun State last November. Unfortunately, you could not get your party ticket. Why did you decide to venture into LG politics?

I am a grassroots person, who believes in grassroots development. I founded a charity to this regards to empower people within Ogun West Senatorial District. Moreso, I was a leading advocate for LG autonomy in Nigeria because the LG areas, as a third tier of government, have collapsed since 2003. As a socio-economic development activist, I started my LG autonomy advocacy during the Buhari presidency till the last day President Bola Tinubu took the matter to the Supreme Court.  So, my venturing into LG politics is borne out of my desire to develop my local government to the standard l have seen abroad. Secondly, l believe in a bottom-up approach of political leadership with thriving and functional LGAs.

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You are from Ogun West senatorial district, a zone that is yet to produce a governor. Where do you stand for the 2027 Ogun governorship?

My position is that it is the turn of Ogun West to produce the next governor of the state. The Egbas and the Ijebus have been in political leadership for about 40 years now. It is the turn of Ogun West to produce the governor come 2027. The reasoning among Ogun Westerns is that both the ljebus and Egbas should concede the governorship position to Ogun West in 2027. Our appeal to the good people of Ogun East and Ogun Central is to emulate the virtues exhibited in Edo State and many other states in the country, where power is being rotated amongst the three senatorial zones.

Do you see the zone making it to Oke-Mosan, the seat of power,  in 2027?

Yes, of course. 2027 is very feasible, particularly from my own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). l think the party leadership at the centre will wade in and appeal to the great and good people of Ogun Central to drop their ambition and let Ogun West produce the governor in 2027. We, the people of Yewa and Aworis, are more determined for 2027.

In your view, what have been the factors militating against the zone’s governorship aspiration since the return of democracy in 1999, and what can the people do differently to succeed in 2027?

There are multiple issues that led to the failure of the past governorship attempts from Ogun West. What matters most now is the future. We, as a people, are now more resolute than before about occupying the Oke-Mosan Government House. Our current democratic and political status will be of great advantage to our course. More so, we have strong contenders in the 2027 project who have feasible presence across the whole state. So, we are more certain and confident that 2027 will usher a new era of politics in Ogun.