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Omisore, Adeleke after Oyinlola
• Osun 2007 battle
Unfolding drama on the political turf of Osun
State is getting more intrigueing by the day. ABIODUN FELIX reports that
schemings for the 2007 gubernatorial election by politicians in the state are
gradually attracting the attention of indigenes of the state.
THOUGH year 2007 is still some
years away, the governorship
race has started earnestly with politicians already positioning themselves for
the race. In Osun State, the state’s slogan "a step ahead of others"
seems to have already been translated to the political scene with regard to the
race to the Government House.
With the demise of the former
Internal Affairs Minister, Chief Sunday Michael Afolabi, the need arose to fill
the vacuum left behind such that barely a month after the burial of the
political titan, his anointed godson, who is also the governor of the state,
Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was named the leader of the party in the state to
step into the shoes left behind by Afolabi. Analysts quickly saw this as
calculations toward 2007.
At the meeting, held at the
Government House, Osogbo, virtually all PDP political office holders who are
indigenes of the state were present. Among them were the deputy national
chairman of the party, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun who had few days earlier at a press
briefing denied his interest in occupying the position and disclosed that
Oyinlola is automatically the leader of the party by virtue of his position as
the chief executive of the state. The statement gave a clue as to what to
expect.
Also present at the meeting were
senators representing the state including Iyiola Omisore who had also denied
media reports credited to him shortly after his acquittal over complicity in the
murder of Chief Bola Ige that he would make himself available if given the offer
to head the party in the state.
Chief Yemi Farounbi, a veteran
broadcaster who is also the chairman, Board of Directors, Osun State
Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) and the Daily Times of Nigeria moved the motion
for the adoption of Oyinlola as the leader of the party. He was seconded by Hon.
Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the deputy chief whip of the House of Representatives.
No single voice opposed the nomination of Oyinlola as the new leader of PDP in
Osun State.
The appointment was hailed by
those who saw his appointment as a fallout of his achievements in the last one
year in office. However, the appointment of the Okuku born prince, some argue,
may be a deliberate ploy to edge him out of the race in 2007. The feeling is
that the second term ambition of Oyinlola may have been mortgaged with his
acceptance to head the party in the state. How weighty this argument is, is
really for another day.
Posers that readily come to mind
are: Is Oyinlola the most qualified politician to occupy the position vacated by
Afolabi? Why the sudden emergence of a new leader barely a month after the
burial of Afolabi? Why the choice of the Government House as the venue of the
meeting? Could somebody else have emerged if the meeting had been held
elsewhere? Why was the meeting held just few weeks to the South West Expanded
Zonal Executive meeting of the party hosted by the state? Why was it held few
days to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s working visit to the state? These are
some of the questions begging for answers.
Prior to his election, Oyinlola,
fresh from United Kingdom where he was conferred with a degree in law had wanted
to go to the Senate but was drafted by Afolabi to pick the nomination forms for
the gubernatorial election. Even at a post election victory luncheon held for
Oyinlola shortly after last year’s polls, the former governor of the state,
Otunba Isiaka Adeleke had revealed how he convinced Oyinlola in far away London
to come home and participate in politics. According to Adeleke, "I never
knew he would be coming to snatch my job." He was apparently referring to
his loss to Oyinlola at the primaries. Unconfirmed reports have it that Oyinlola
actually used the form meant for Omisore who was then standing trial for his
alleged complicity in the murder of Chief Bola Ige.
The governor, during his
electioneering campaign had reiterated the fact that he is a new comer in the
party. Attributing his emergence as the gubernatorial candidate of PDP to God,
he confessed that if the party had wanted to use queue to determine who picked
the ticket he would not have been considered.
In late 2002, when the race to
the Osun State Government House began among the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
chiefs, over 14 aspirants signified their intention to occupy the coveted post.
Not many analysts gave the PDP a chance to wrest power from the then ruling
Alliance for Democracy (AD) which was then in control of the entire South West
States. Although the then administration of Governor Bisi Akande was at logger
heads with the state’s work- force which culminated in incessant strikes and
labour unrest in the state, many were of the view that labour unrest or not, the
achievement of Akande would win votes for him.
As a result of this, the
aspirants that wanted to contest on the platform of PDP were then seen by some
people as mere jokers, who wanted to add the title former governorship aspirants
to their curriculum vitae. At the 1999 polls, the duo of Senator Olu Alabi and
Alhaji Fatai Akinbade of PDP had squared up with Chief Bisi Akande and Otunba
Iyiola Omisore of the AD but were roundly trounced at the polls.
Alabi was later appointed the
chairman of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) while Akinbade
became the chairman of the party in Osun and later the Secretary to the State
Government in the present dispensation. However, the victory of Akande/Omisore
was to later turn sour as the duo turned out to be strange bed fellows whose
tenure was characterised by feuds and tackles. Virtually everything was brought
to a standstill all through the time of the fight. Omisore was said to have then
started moves to align with the PDP apparently in a bid to fulfill his
gubernatorial ambition which was allegedly being thwarted by the AD who had then
concluded plans to hand over their ticket automatically to all the then six AD
governors in the South West. Omisore, who moved en masse with his
supporters and loyalists to the rival PDP however had his ambition thwarted with
his impeachment and detention over the alleged murder of the then Attorney
General and Minister for Justice, Chief Bola Ige who was also an indigene of the
state.
With the detention of Omisore,
the coast became clear for an avalanche of aspirants who apart from apparently
wanting to add to their CV, actually wanted to capitalise on the political
crisis then rocking the AD government to wrest power from Akande.
The first executive governor of
the state who contested against Akande on the platform of the then All Peoples
Party (APP), Otunba Isiaka Adeleke, who later joined the PDP, topped the list of
the aspirants. The Ede-born businessman turned politician had the full backing
of his town folks who decamped with him from the APP (now ANPP) to the PDP.
Also, a former commissioner in the state, Elder Peter Babalola, an erudite
politician painted the state red with his intimidating wealth to show his
seriousness when he donated millions of naira towards the state secretariat of
the party and bought over 30 cars painted "Peter Power" to pursue his
ambition.
Another woman politician, Erelu
Olusola Obada led other Ijesha contestants like Mrs. Remi Olowu, Dr. Bayo
Faforiji and Chief Kehinde Bibiliari. Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo from Osogbo, Mr.
Sola Oni from Modakeke and Chief Abiola Morakinyo who was later expelled from
the party, all positioned themselves to hold forte at Abere, the seat of power
of the state government.
The battle was quite fierce as
the party had to hold its congress three times with the final one made to take
place at the Eagle Square Abuja after the first two held in Osogbo were marred
by protests. At the Abuja congress, the battle was between the new entrant,
Oyinlola, a retired brigadier general and former military governor of Lagos
State and Otunba Isiaka Adeleke, a former executive governor of the state.
Majority of the initial aspirants later teamed up with Oyinlola who eventually
defeated Akande at the April 19, 2003 polls.
Most of the aspirants who paved
way for Oyinlola to emerge as the party’s flag bearer have been compensated
with plum appointments. Erelu Obada became the deputy governor; Elder Babalola
was appointed the Chief of Staff to the Governor, (a new office created at the
advent of the Oyinlola administration). Dr. Bayo Faforiji (Commissioner for
Works and Transport) and Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo (Commissioner for Finance).
However, there are indications that some allies of the erstwhile aspirants are
regrouping with the aim of repositioning for 2007.
Alabi, who took a shot at the
Senate under the platform of the UNCP but who had his ambition truncated with
the death of former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, is also said to be
interested in the race to the Upper House come 2007 bearing in mind that the
position of the Senate presidency would likely be zoned to the South West.
Hence, Alabi might have opted out of the governorship race so that his
senatorial ambition would not be dashed. He is said to have begun underground
moves in this regard since his removal as the chairman of the Federal Capital
Development Authority (FCDA).
Another candidate that may likely
emerge is Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, the current secretary of the party in the
state, who piloted PDP to a resounding victory over the then ruling Alliance for
Democracy (AD). His cool mien and humility, many say, are factors that may work
for the Ogbaagba-born politician who served three consecutive military
administrators in the state as commissioner.
Also said to be interested in the
governorship position is Otunba Omisore who, however, is said to have been
advised to shelve his ambition, at least for now but who may spring up a
surprise on the eve of 2007. The man’s current posture, many argue, cannot be
translated to mean resignation to fate. There are indications that his allies
are working underground to ensure he fulfils his long standing ambition of
ruling Osun State.
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