Dr Ademola Akintomiwa
Renowned Apala musician, Yesufu Olatunji alias Baba L’Egba, in his Volume 17 “Yegede,” alluded to how his detractors were shamed by his ability to walk with his two legs intact after they had rumoured about his amputation. “Yegede won o ge o, ese teni won ge la fi n rin yi o…Agbeke Adebisi ni o je o, Olorun d’oju ti won o…Yegede won o ge o, eh,” Olatunji sang.
Like Olatunji, Dr Muraina Saubana Ajibola, himself a lover of Baba L’Egba’s songs, can sing Yegede into the ears of his detractors today. Though the three-term Member of the House of Representatives and Doctor of Laws, has always been an unassuming politician, focusing on delivering good representation to his people and bringing happiness to them, an editorial content by OYO INSIGHT published on Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, showed the hands of his detractors, revealing the hurt and pain they are currently experiencing as a result of Muraina’s demure nature and his resilience.
The editorial, which ordinarily should not be opinionated, since it is supposed to be an informed commentary from a nonpartisan journalist, berated and lampooned Dr Muraina for seeking to contest for a fourth term into the House of Representatives and even went as far as stating that the ranking lawmaker’s experience has amounted to nothing in his constituency. Through the prism of that hatchet-writing disguised as an editorial, one could see that the power-hungry individuals, who rigged out Dr Muraina from getting the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to represent Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency for a fourth term, are actually in severe pains.
Their expectations were that they would pull Muraina down by scheming him out and that he would remain down forever and that the versatile politician would bite the dust and come to beg them with his ‘gobi’ in his hands. Sadly, Omo Muraina ni IgboOra, a man backed by Allah Subhana Wa Taala, bounced back strongly and defied all odds to emerge as the House of Representatives Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency. What an amazing way to sing “Yegede won o ge?” or better still sing “As e dey pain dem, e dey sweet us, as e dey sweet us, na so e dey pain dem?”
But in a direct reaction to Dr Muraina’s audacious bounce back, his detractors, choosing to hide behind the editorial probably written by the Publisher of OYO INSIGHT, have sermonised about how he should leave the stage when the ovation is loudest and hiw a dancer should know when to quit the stage. While we know Mr Akinola to be a journalist working for Dr Zacch Adedeji and recently the APC Governorship Candidate, Senator Sarafa Alli, we didn’t realise he has become a crafter and gatekeeper of Nigeria’s Constitution, who can set limits on the number of times an individual can contest into the National Assembly.
In the editorial, the writer or writers pretended to be advising Dr Muraina to quit before the music stops, meanwhile they were directly assaulting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that there is no hold on the number of times someone can contest for legislative positions. Apart from the fact that the write-up is jaundiced and self-serving, showing that the APC is already afraid of the doom that awaits it in the National Assembly elections in Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North. For instance, in international norms and practices relating to the legislature all over the world, the older a legislator is in parliament, the more ranking he becomes and the more useful and beneficial he is to his constituency. But Akinola would have the world believe otherwise or was he just a messenger who didn’t understand the message he was sent to deliver by his paymasters?
However, their pretence was immediately exposed when they moved from accepting that Dr Muraina is, indeed, a great performer and representative, to commanding him to quit the stage where he has done his best to serve his people and outperformed even the Senator representing his senatorial district in terms of positive representation and empowerment of constituents. Ask the writer/writers of that editorial why they didn’t offer the same advice to Omooba Akeem Adeyemi SKIME, who is also running for a fourth term. Interestingly, Publisher Akinola is from Oyo Town, yet, his editorial is only seeking to stop Muraina from running for office for a fourth term in Ibarapa? Is that media tyranny or the young man is simply being used by some individuals, who do not want Ibarapa’s progress and development?
Inasmuch as Dr Ajibola Muraina is not one to gloat or engage in unnecessary showboating, his representation of Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011 and 2019 to 2023, has brought unprecedented developments to the constituency and the entire Ibarapaland. From independent power projects to infrastructure, health and educational facilities to the employment of residents into federal MDAs and the training and empowerment of thousands in different vocational skills, Dr Muraina has, indeed, been a great dancer like the editorial pointed out.
In fact, Muraina’s excellent delivery made him stand out as one of the best politicians in the country, as he demonstrated his love for his people even outside election cycles. Over the last three years, he organised different vocational trainings and gave startup capitals to beneficiaries and also empowered the 10 Traditional Rulers in Ibarapa Central Local Government and Ibarapa North Local Government. He did all this despite not holding any political office since he lost election in 2023. He was such a great dancer and ojulowo omo that the entire people of the Federal Constituency have continued to cheer him, bidding their time till he would get the APC’s flag, only for the power mongers behind Akinola’s opinion article to rig the party’s primary, subvert the will of the people and install someone they can use to thwart Ibarapa’s rise.
Were the writer or writers of the editorial not alive when Muraina was bring happiness to his people, facilitating trainings that taught hundreds in vocational skills and empowering constituents? Thank God, the Chairman of the APC in Oyo State, is from Ibarapaland and he attended some of the programmes and so did many party leaders. Where were Sarafa Alli and his backers at this time and where were they when Muraina was building the APC in Ibarapa?
But, they have done their worst by denying Muraina, a Solicitor of the Supreme Court, a Ph.D holder in Law and outstanding lawyer for over two decades, the House of Representatives ticket in APC, because they do not want him to become a top shot in the House once re-elected for a fourth term and probably the most senior House of Representatives Member from the South-West. However, Allah has done the best by giving him the PDP ticket and in sha Allah, he will contest and win the election to serve the interest of Ibarapa’s continued development, which he started years ago.
Has anyone wondered why they are writing against Muraina again? Why are they trying to rubbish his achievements and, especially, his experience, which cannot be wished away and which every sane person knows to be an advantage in the legislature. Why does Akinola or anyone for that matter, want such dancer to quit the stage? Why do they want a ranking legislator to leave the stage in Ibarapa when others are enjoying the same privilege elsewhere? Simple; it is because some people somewhere want Ibarapa’s growth to become stunted or because someone’s ego will be bruised that whereas he failed as a senator representing Ibarapa, who has nothing to show for the representation, a Member of the House of Representatives would outshine him? Mr Akinola should tell the world whose script he played in carrying out that hatchet job.
However, one would like to warn Sikiru Akinola and his paymasters to allow the people of Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North to make their choice. They should not use the tyranny of the media to suppress democratic willpower by trying to blackmail Dr Muraina. Most especially, Akinola should not turn himself to an attack dog for desperate politicians. He should know that his write-up is against the Constitution of Nigeria, which sets no time/tenure limit for the National Assembly and also know that it is against democratic norms and practices to write anyone out of an election.
Most importantly, the writer or writers should know that the unwarranted attack against Muraina is an assault on Ibarapa sons and daughters, who continue to enjoy his empowerments even when he has been outside office. No journalist should become a tool to spread ignorance, enforce a vendetta and derail the wish of a people in a democracy. You can’t rob Muraina of the APC ticket and try to snuff out his life by telling him that a dancer should quit the stage at a period that his people are enjoying him. That is wickedness and anyone who engages in wickedness must fear Karma. Karma will be ruthless!
As for Ajibola Saubana Muraina, I’ll revisit Olatunji’s Yegede: “Okiki ko nii pa iya eleko, ah, ka mi kami kami, okiki ko nii pa iya eleko,” urging him to walk tall and calling on the good dancer in him to dance on, as the people of the people of his federal constituency have resolved not to allow outsiders to derail the development and growth Muraina has brought to the area. They have resolved to stand with the representative who has represented them well for three terms and has stood with them over the years irrespective of political platforms. The people of Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency have said that the music of positive representation that Muraina dances well to won’t stop and that Muraina, their best representative ever, should not quit the stage and so shall it be!
Dr Akintomiwa writes from Ibadan.
