It is now crystal clear that Oyo State indigene and residents have to make a choice between the trio of Chief Bayo Adelabu (APC) , Engr. Seyi Makinde (PDP) and Engr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao (AD) while going to the poll on Saturday, 9th March, 2019 to elect a governor that will pilot the affair of the state for the next four years after the withdrawal of other notable contestants for the exhaled office.
While Engr. Seyi Makinde has been in the politics of Oyo State for more than a decade now, the duo of Engr. Hakeem Alao and Chief Bayo Adelabu are fisrt timer with extensive administrative knowledge.
While alignment and /or alliance is not new in politics, the dimension it is taking in the politics of Southwest today is worrisome. Since the Osun State election debacle, most politicians are now contesting because of opportunity to get a largesse out of alliance not to win election any longer. Alliance should be between politicians who share the same ideology and ready to collaborate on ideas that will move society forward. However, reverse is the case, especially in this coming election.
It is worrisome that people like High Chief Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, Sen. Olufemi Lanlehin, Barr. Sharafadeen Alli and notable figures of the ‘defunct’ unity forum can ate their vomit and adopt Seyi Makinde all in the name of ousting APC and particularly Ajimobi from Oyo State politics. No wonder some believed that Nigeria politics is not based on ideology. These are the people, especially Chief Ladoja, Sen. Lanlehin and Barr. Alli, who parted ways with PDP not up to a year due to their ‘supposedly’ ideological differences to Makinde. What has now changed?
More worrisome is the alliance of Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala with the APC. It is now a fact that the former governor has now turned politics to business and investment where he can invest a little and gain much. Otunba Akala is now sacrificing the development of his kinsmen for penury. Every aspiring politician should be wary of characters like Otunba Akala. While he was able to negotiate a good deal for himself and his immediate family, all ADP Candidates for House of Assembly seats are now political orphans.
What is the gain of Oyo State people in all these alliances? Nothing and absolutely nothing. This is the reason why the people, in their numbers – thousands if not millions should as a matter of urgency form their own alliance and stand with a candidate who is one of them. It is clear that neither Adelabu nor Makinde will be responsible to the people who may elect them.
Adelabu allegiance is to Ajimobi and Tinubu. Aside that, nothing more. All policies of government under Adelabu will be dictated from Lagos and will always be anti-people because money must be made. It will be more worse since Ajimobi is not returning to the senate. The outgoing governor will have a luxury of time to rule by proxy. LAUTECH will remain underfunded and closed intermittently. Workers will continue not being paid as usual and so on.
Makinde on the other side will not deliver. He will not deliver because he is currently bitting more than he can chew. It is a general fact that Makinde is not administratively sound. As such, for him to combine the business of governance and satisfaction of his newly found godfathers, the hell will let loose. We should not forget that unlike late Chief Adedibu, you can not satisfy High Chief Ladoja. With Makinde’s alliance with Ladoja and co, there will definitely be issues of not honouring agreement on the part of Makinde which the godfathers will vehemently resist. As a result of that, brigandage, thuggery, gangsterism and arson which are characteristics of PDP government will be re-enacted.
While many states in the federation are looking forward to the next election as one that will ursher in a dawn of new era, Oyo State can not afford to be stagnant by voting Adelabu or retrogress by voting Makinde. The only option for the people to say O to gee to the self acclaimed political juggernaut who have now turned merchants is to stand with the credible alternative. Thank God the alliance does not make us choiceless, it only narrow our choices than to three. And now that the right is bad and the left is worse, it is better the people of Oyo State choose the middle by Allow Alao as his campaign slogan read.
While all the three notable candidates possess a rich credentials Hakeem Alao seems to stand out. When he was asked why he is better off other candidates at the Guber debate organized by Fresh FM, he simply said “Universal Experience”.
While Adelabu has tremendous experience in public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy, he has not worked outside the sore of Nigeria. Makinde on the other hand can boast of his imaginary firms in four continent, he is still yet a contractor. Engr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao is a manager of contractors like Makinde. An expatriate who has a good working relationship with government of many countries even as a private individual.
As we march to the poll next Saturday, the people of Oyo State should not join bandwagon effect of what does not concern them. The present alliance from the two divides is not for the people. None of the two alliances will make Oyo State peaceful, provide free and qualitative education, boost our economy and industrialized our state. Rather, it will only subject the already meager federal allocation to a sharing formula of the godfathers within and outside Oyo State. We can collectively show the political class that politicians are not up to 50% of the voters. Since they have form their alliance against we, the people. It is time to form our own alliance again them, too.
O to gee (Enough).
Lekan Salawu is a Public Affairs Commentator with keen interest in grassroot mobilization and strategy. He writes from Ibadan.
