At the inception of Oyo 2019, the hope of the people of Oke Ogun rose with the “Oke Ogun Lokan Agenda”. Being the second largest zone in the geographical division of Oyo state, Oke Ogun region has been hungry of ruling the state and considering the fact that Ibadan, Ogbomoso have ruled.
But fortunately and unfortunately as destiny will have it, the four major political parties have picked their gubernatorial candidates from other zones, leaving candidates from Oke Ogun for the minor political parties.
In Oke Ogun, one thing we should be concerned about is the vibrancy, activeness, brightness and value of whoever will emerge as the Deputy Governor. Enough of non-active and non-vibrant Deputy Governor from Oke Ogun zone! This, in one way or the other, is affecting our chances of producing the governor and the development of the zone.
As the ruling party in the county, the All Progressives Congress (APC) needs to consider some crucial factors in picking the running mate of Adebayo Adelabu. The role and position of the Oke Ogun votes cannot be over emphasized in Oyo politics. Hence, some strategies need to be employed to win Oke Ogun.
A quick look at the 2015 general election in Oyo state shows that the Oke Ogun votes made Governor Abiola Ajimobi the “Koseleri” of Oyo state after numerous agitation that “Ibadan ki sin eyan lemeji”
Political analysts argue that the picking of Ajimobi’s running mate from Oke Ogun is a major key that fetched the APC the victory in the 2015 election. Ajimobi’s running mate comes from Zone 1 (Saki East Local Government) in Oke Ogun which is stronger than Zone 2 in terms of voting strength and development.
Pundits also argue that the picking of Ajimobi’s running mate from Zone 2 in Ifedapo Federal Constituency is a aiding factor considering Saki and other neighboring local government voting strength and political experience since the creation of Oyo state.
In a similar development, a prediction of the 2019 election states that there is a need to have a strong office contender in the Zone 2 of Oke Ogun considering the fact that the African Democratic Congress, ADC has picked a Senatorial candidate from that zone. Giving the Deputy governorship slot to another Zone aside Zone 1 is very dangerous for APC which may make them loose the governorship election.
Another study reveals that the defection of the Unity Forum members from APC is a threat for the party. One way to limit or quench the damages is to pick a strong and well-known person as Adelabu’s running mate. Not just a strong and well-known person, but someone who is loyal to the party and has been working with the people of Oke Ogun for so long not a new comer.
Another crucial point to consider in picking a running mate is the popularity of the person. Gone are the days where popularity doesn’t count, it does count nowadays. Especially with the emergence of four major political parties for the 2019 general elections. A popular running mate across the two Zones is the key to 2019 victory for APC.
Numerous group in Oke Ogun have agitated for the emergence of the rightful candidate for the Oke Ogun Agenda to grow. The good people of Oke Ogun have been adjudged to be very supportive and progressive. No wonder, the Oke Ogun 2015 vote was referred to as BLOCK VOTE. The 2019 general elections holds many things compared to the 2015 elections. In that, the crisis the Oyo APC battled needs to be considered and reviewed before the picking of running mate.
Few weeks back, I read a news about a group suggesting Dr Jacob Ogunmola as the running mate of Adebayo Adelabu. Ogunmola is a former chairman of ATISBO local government. A quick check about him in the Oke Ogun area shows critically that he has been with the party and still remains loyal despite leaving office a while ago.
Further checks shows that he is one of the indigenes of the zone who have their love at heart. He has, in the last 12 years, empowered over 6,500 widows with cash gift to start their various businesses throughout Oke Ogun despite not holding any political office.
Also, while in office, he tarred over 80 kilometres of Road across the towns and villages in the council area. He built 3 blocks of class room in 37 schools across the Council area. He also constructed 2 health centers.
The candidature and personality of Ogunmola cannot be compared with others in the APC. The location of his local government in comparison with other contenders is a natural point favoring him in all odds. Other areas like popularity, laudable achievements, loyalty and others are areas where Ogunmola give a clear cut gap between him and others.
Going by the predictions and analyses, the victory of the APC is certain if the cautions and recommendations can be strictly adhered to. Without any iota of doubt, Ogunmola exhibits the features required for the APC to win the 2019 general elections.
Tunde Oladokun writes from Saki in the Oke Ogun Area of Oyo state .He can be reached via tundeoladokun003@gmail.com
