In day to day arithmetic, 1+1 is equal to 2 but in the game of politics 1+1 could be eleven. In spite of the fact that Honourable Adebo Edward Ogundoyin, the PDP flag bearer of the june 2 by election into the Oyo State house of assembly is intellectually savy and educationally qualified than every of his fellow aspirants in the just concluded poll, people were still scared and they were left in the dark as to what the outcome of the June 2 election might be. Eruwa people are educated, they understand the power of social media and they can distinguish between a prospective well-deserved honourable and a senior school certificate holding Obama-styled barber but with that, who are we? Who are we to say 1+1 will be equal to 2 when an authority that can stretch beyond the constitution can call it 11.
The above reasons made the Adebo inclined constituents of Ibarapa East to be calm than they normally are during electioneering process. Even while they would not be gentle by nature, scores of unidentified stern looking thug lookalike that entered the community some hours to election keep warning to take time. What about the armoured personnel carrier? The hundreds of police manning each of the several roundabouts in the community keeps telling people that intimidation is part of electioneering process. I could remember some set of thugs that branched the shop I manage as store keeper. They asked me to sell them cigarette, I told them I don’t sell cigarette and it took God’s intervention to save me from the mentholated carbon monoxide starved bimbos.
That experience of mine was what transverse around the constituency through 24 hours bafore and after the election. To say the number of votes Adebo will have could adequately take out the candidate of the ruling APC can only come from seers who are trained in seeing the future of mankind.
However, like the American 2017 election where a business iconic figure, Donald Trump defeated the Politically conscious Hillary Clinton Edward, one of the Nigeria trained son of the then business mogul from Eruwa turned the table against the ruling APC by willing the mind of the elites and using the elites to in turn win the people. As it is that ‘Vox Populi vox dei’ Voice of the people is the voice of God, Edward got himself a stack of 4315 votes to strip off the APC candidate that was despite the Governor’s interest in the election could only get 4423 votes. Adebo has beyond reasonable doubt take all sons and daughters of Ibarapa on a journey that with unity and sincerity of purpose we can whatever we deserve politically.
Though some of the worldwide observers making comments regarding the election on social media platforms said the election was a smooth ride because of the division in the APC. They are as wrong as they are right because though it is part of the factor but like the name of one of the factions existing in the APC, it is Unity that brought the victory to Eruwa (not PDP). I see Adebo as a fighter and hence I will call him honourable comrade consequently.His victory came from the synergy between his party loyalists and the Ojoko people. The Ojoko people dropped every element of bigotry and hold on to unity in their political diversity.
Since the signing of the not-too young to rule bill, Adebo is the first in Nigeria to have emerged from a keenly contested poll with the executive governor of the state coming down to annoint and campaign for his opponent. Though the victory is joy that causes emotional leaps but youth mobiliser from the constituency who stood tall ensure the right candidate emerged have since been sending warning to Adebo so as to make sure his stewardship will not be similar to that of a sit-down look honourable who only collect salary, support motions without making the voice of his people heard in the house and without dividend of his stewardship reaching his people as it has been in some constituency in the region.
Hammed Jimoh
is the Editor-in-chief of
Federation of Ibarapa Students Association(FIBSA). He can be reached via jimohhammed36@outlook.com
