Re: The Battle For the Soul of Lagos State
By Ayodele Adewale
My attention has been drawn to a feature story written by some writers on the political desk of the ThisDay Newspaper edition of Monday, September 13, 2004.
In a desperate attempt to re-write living history, Nigerians have been told by the feature in Paragraph 8 that, following the annulment of the June 12, Presidential Elections, there " was a time when some politicians like Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi had to go abroad to ensure their safety, just as Senator Musiliu Obanikoro who held the home turf bring meaning to the struggle and efforts of those abroad". For emphasis, the same point was reiterated in Paragraph 18 of the same piece as, "while Afikuyomi was in exile, Musiliu Obanikoro joined forces with pro-democracy activists on ground in Nigeria. Now, let us even venture into the truth content of the paragraphs quoted above. Was there a time Senator Musiliu Obanikoro joined forces with pro-democracy activists on ground in Nigeria? Thank goodness, the likes of Dr. Beko Ransome-kuti, Olisa Agbakoba, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana, Chima Ubani, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Abiodun Aremu, Bamidele Aturu, Joe Okei-Odumakin, Mayegun Olusegun, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Jiti Ogunye, Jaiye Opayemi, Prof. Toye Olorode, Dr. Dipo Fashina, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, Dr. Frederich Faseun, Comrade Lucky Akaruese, Wale Balogun, Shina Loremikan, Debo Adeniran and a host of other foot soldiers of the Nigerian democratic struggle are still alive and probably read the piece and are reading this first reaction. I challenge Senator Musiliu Obanikoro to name those Pro-democracy activists with whom he joined forces to hold the home turf as the write-up would want us to believe. He should please disclose where their meetings were held. For someone like Afikuyomi who was one of the objects of attack, the meeting places were either Best Hope Hospital, Mushin or Century Hotel, Okota both owned by Dr. Frederich Faseun or 6/8 Imaria Street, Anthony Village, the Secretariat of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and the residence of Beko Ransome-Kuti. It may interest Senator Obanikoro to know that, after a lobby session held on the controversial Labour Bill at Hearing Room 3 of the House of Representatives on Tuesday August 31, 2004, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti had confessed not knowing Senator Obanikoro to an aide of one of the legislators and requested to be helped to identify him should he be seen within the precinct of the National Assembly.
Nigerians have not forgotten, that, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro was an irredeemable part of the "five fingers of the leprous hand" of the late General Sani Abacha through the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). If Senator Obanikoro is referred to as a "grassroots" politician because of his membership of an Abacha party that has "grassroots" attached to its name, I have no quarrel. The truth is, wasn't he one of the "grassroots" mobilisers for the Abacha 2 million man march in Abuja? Wasn't he a part of the mobilisation for the Maiduguri Convention of the GDM where Abacha was adopted as the consensus candidate of the five political contraptions called parties by General Abacha? There are still living witnesses to the number of buses hired by Senator Obanikoro to convey youths from the Lagos Island to Abuja and Maiduguri for the different political projects to foist Abacha on the nation at all cost.
The piece would also have us believe; that, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi's second coming to the Senate was " unlike the first election victory that was won on the wave of the June 12 sentiment". According to Paragraph 11 of the piece, Afikuyomi's second coming had to be "facilitated by Governor Bola Tinubu himself".
Again to the truth of another issue raised in the piece. If Afikuyomi was found worthy by the Lagos Central people to represent them because of his past pro-democracy credentials, that showed clearly that they are a people with good sense of history. They probably knew that it was not good to cast the children's pearls to the swine. They never forgot, as some of us are living witnesses that Afikuyomi marched with them from Oyingbo, right within the Lagos Central through Ikorodu road on July 5th, 6th and 7 1993 all the way to Moshood Abiola Crescent, the residence of Chief M.K.O Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12 presidential elections where scores of pro-democracy activists addressed the crowd. They could not have forgotten so soon that Afikuyomi was arrested and beaten at the Yaba Bus stop rally called by the Campaign for Democracy (CD) to protest the annulment of the June 12 Presidential Elections. Others who were arrested along with him are still alive and well. They never forgot too the night after night Afikuyomi's voice resonated round the nation's air waves on Radio Kudirat. What the writers of the piece tried to dismiss, as a wave of sentiment was to many an expression of the collective conscience of the Lagos Central people.
Today, there is a feeling of vindication in the Alliance for Democracy about the decision of Senator Afikuyomi to switch constituency and hold the turf in the largest Senatorial District in the State. Discerning AD members have in fact imagined what it would have been like for the only AD controlled administration in the land if the vicious attacks on its policies and programmes were being coordinated from within a PDP-controlled Lagos West. Let us even assume that Afikuyomi was a "usurper" of mandate as alleged, I invite the original writer of the piece to visit Senator Afikuyomi's Lagos West Constituency Office Complex which houses his official accommodation and see a Senator warmly at home with his people. I invite them to come and see a Senator bold enough to reside right in the midst of his people in the densely populated Idimu area of the old Alimoso local government area. By the way, how come Senator Musiliu Obanikoro hurriedly moved away from his Ebute Metta residence to the highbrow Park View Estate, Ikoyi as soon as the April 2003 elections were concluded? This whole talk about being a grassroots politician of reckoning will soon be revealed as a fluke that it is. The writer of the piece also gave a verdict on Senator Obanikoro in Paragraph l7. According to them "his grassroots approach to politics stands him out on a better stead".
Interestingly, the writers of the said article have raised the naughty issue of the origin and paternity of Senator Obanikoro himself as a factor to qualify him for the exalted office of the Governor of Lagos State. But again we challenge Senator Obanikoro to an open debate on this. We are students of history. But let us see what the advocate of Senator Obanikoro said in the original article. "Whereas there are insinuations that Obanikoro, Musiliu's surname is merely a surname, there are those who insist that, had it been his surname, it would not have been as easy as hand him such a title in the traditional line of Lagos." First, I want to prove that hanging the name Obanikoro around one's neck is not all that is needed to become the holder of the title of "Obanikoro of Lagos" The first Obanikoro of Lagos was Oluwo-Nla, the second, Adeyari, the third Kueji, the fourth, Kumuyi (note that the third and fourth were sons of Oluwo Nla), the fifth; Oyerokun. There was also the controversial Ilumo, the sixth Obanikoro of Lagos who was said to have claimed to be a grand son of Kumuyi, the fourth Obanikoro of Lagos, when in actual fact he was later discovered to have been merely a friend of Oyerokun and was mistakenly ordained an Obanikoro by default having been raised in the household along with Oyerokun. The truth is, the current Obanikoro of Lagos, Adesoji Ajayi-Bembe is known to be the great grand son of Ilumo, the controversial Obanikoro of Lagos. Interestingly again, the current title holder is not also an Obanikoro by name. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro would need to answer to an advertorial of the PDP published by the ThisDay that alleged that his real name is Bakare and not Obanikoro. There have also been leaflets circulated around the Lagos Island alleging that the Distinguished Senator merely adopted the name to prepare himself for the title in the near future. One is worried that till date, Senator Obanikoro (Bakare?) has not deemed it fit to respond to these publications despite all the boasts about being a grassroots politician. Just for the records too, the writers of the article may wish to know that the seventh Obanikoro was Kumeyijo, the eighth, Ajayi Bembe, the ninth Adamo Akeju, the tenth, Ajasa Ogunlana, the eleventh, Sikiru Oyerokun.
The feature story also alleged that Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi is not known to have won any election without help from the top. Again, this is a lie from the pit of hell and an attempt to re-write history. First, Afikuyomi won his Ward D councillorship election in Lagos Mainland but was rigged out in favour of one Mr. Asuramu. Secondly, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi contested the House of Representatives elections in 1992 against the counsel and apprehensions of his former boss, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, who felt that a loss at the polls by Afikuyomi would demystify the Yar'adua political machinery in no small measure. It is on record that Afikuyomi not only earned the ticket of the Jakande group, otherwise referred to as the "Ase Group" but his defeated opponent, Chief Babatunde Okusanya, fainted from the shock of his defeat by a young man called Tokunbo Afikuyomi. We must also not forget that inspite of the exaggerated realities of Senator Obanikoro, he could not deliver the Lagos Mainland local government where he was resident at the polls to Tinubu at the April 19, 2003 gubernatorial elections. It is an incontrovertible fact that Tinubu lost the Lagos Mainland, Obanikoro's home base in that elections. It took Governor Tinubu's directive to Afikuyomi to return to Lagos Mainland for the AD to recover the lost Lagos Mainland in the House of Assembly elections.
Adewale, former President of Lagos State University Students Union writes from Lagos.
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