2023: The Major Obstacle Between Seyi Makinde And His 2nd Term Is Oyo PDP Part 1 | By Henry Odeh
Henry Odeh
Politics they say is a game of numbers and it has over the years proven to be so true such that the smartest, armed with the required numerical strength, wins the game. The winner may not necessarily be the best candidate with the brightest ideas but the one with the highest numbers at the end of the day.
Divergent and contrary political views should be encouraged and accommodated especially under a developing democratic process like the Nigerian political space.
Just like in every other game, a winner must emerge one way or the other, either by personal popularity and acceptance or by collective efforts of politicians from different political divides who worked together towards a common goal.
The Holy Bible makes us to understand that, “the race is not for the swift, nor the battle for the strong, but time and chance happen to them all, while Ecclesiastes specifically stated that to everything is appointed time and season.”
The fact that you did not emerge winner today does not mean that is the end of the road or your political journey, as a matter of fact, the game continues. Those who lose out today may emerge victorious tomorrow. Who knows? You may want to ask the present Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde, or President Muhammadu Buhari, for their experiences in the business of losing elections and trying over and over again until they eventually won at the appointed time.
The battle rocking the Oyo state chapter of PDP is not essentially peculiar to it as it cuts across other political parties especially in the main opposition party, the Oyo state chapter of the APC but for the purpose of being the party in government, PDP and Seyi Makinde shall be the focal points.
Considering the performance especially in the areas of education, workers welfare, critical infrastructures, and Makinde’s genuineness of purpose which has been evidently exhibited, it is safe to state that the race to achieving former governor Abiola Ajimobi’s political feat as a two term governor being the first to so be, is largely dependent on the unity in the Oyo State PDP as a house divided against itself can not set out for war with the intent to return with a victory.
A source privy to the talks and agreement reached at the 2019 coalition meeting chaired by former Oyo Governor now Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja once hinted me that despite reaching the adoption of a “Seyi Makinde” candidature by the coalition, Makinde was still the one who bore the financial implications of the 2019 governorship election.
The source stated that most of the PDP leaders who are now at loggerhead with Seyi Makinde and alleging him of none patronage collected huge sums of money from the Governor which was in several hundred of millions of naira to work with him on the 2019 governorship election.
A top Oyo APC chieftain once stated in the affirmative during a private discussion that setting politics aside, the way and manner Seyi Makinde was going about governance was disturbing members of the opposition especially governorship hopefuls in the area of economic development, workers welfare, and critical infrastructures stressing that Makinde has continued to sustain what many opposition leaders thought were unsustainable.
According to the APC Chieftain, one of the shockers some of the PDP leaders who are now entangled in a political battle with Makinde have is the fact that they had thought Makinde would be easy to manipulate and toss around considering the fact that he was yet to hold any elective office prior to his emergence as the Governor and garner needed experience for such exalted public office.
The opposition party leader explained that the situation would be tricky for any politician who is not politically clever enough to understand that a man who singlehandedly built a multinational company from scratch would become politically naive such that would be easy to toss around as envisaged.
According to the APC chieftain, many of the uncompleted projects by the last administration under late Senator Abiola Ajimobi are being tended to and even improved upon in terms of expansion and standards by Seyi Makinde-led Government siting Moniya-Iseyin road, Bashorun-Akobo road, Apete-Awotan road among others as examples.
The party chieftain specifically mentioned the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba Ibadan, which is being upgraded to Olympic standard as one too many among the successes of the Seyi Makinde led government stressing that it was almost unbelievable that such infrastructural development could become reality within the space of two years saying that some of the APC strongholds in Oyo and Oke-ogun areas have already received physical infrastructural boosts making it seemingly tough to go speak ill of Seyi Makinde to the people in those areas.
Makinde who has repeatedly at different fora emphasized the commitment of his administration to make Oyo State the new investment destination after Lagos state took the brief inauguration ceremony of the returning seven Commissioners on Friday August 6 to demand for improved commitment and dedication from his returning cabinet members while hinting on elevating other performing aides to bigger offices with greater responsibilities.
Although, power is very transient and every new administration takes over both assets and liabilities of the state from its predecessor, it is however, very commendable that a successor is committed enough not to play politics with the very scarce resources by abandoning projects started by a predecessor to embark on fresh ones in the name of politics at the detriment of the taxpayers.
As evident in various news reports, the aggrieved leaders of Oyo state PDP had attributed their grievances to lack of recognition and patronage by Seyi Makinde by giving credence to his performance as Governor which implies that their grievances are not connected with the PDP or Makinde’s performances but Makinde as the Governor.
When an administration regardless of its political linen performs below expectations, it is part of our civic duties as citizens and residents to critique such government and when things are done rightly we should replicate the same energy to give kudos to them while duly separating politics from governance.
The APC Chieftain who stated that his political camp are critically watching the turn of events as they play out noted that one of APC Starboys in Oyo state and second runner up in the 2019 governorship election, Chief Bayo Adelabu otherwise called ‘Penkelemes’ is touted to be a very strong contender for the APC 2023 governorship ticket largely because of his ties with the ‘Jagaban’ of Lagos state.
Describing the prospects of others on the same race with Adelabu, the APC Chieftain said Senator Teslim Folarin who is a three time Senator of the Federal Republic is no push over as his relationship with the Abuja leadership of the party and personal experience over time are factors that readily makes him another strong contender while discountenancing Folarin’s political popularity in Oyo state to win the governorship ticket without strong external influence from both Lagos and Abuja.
……to be continued
