The story of Oyo North Senatorial District is one all major political parties must be taken very seriously. Why other senatorial districts majorly spread across geopolitical zones, that of Oyo North can be said to be dominantly made up by Oke-Ogun with 10 local governments while the remaining 3 from Ogbomosho.
But the mantra of “we cannot be using 10 local government servicing 3; the three local governments from Ogbomosho”, was strictly adhered to in the name of solidarity, as that was the main reason the crisis within APC was more heated than expected.
Politics is not anybody’s mate, especially in the hand of a sitting governor like Gov. Seyi Makinde. But then in their own party, the Oke-Ogun PDP leaders and members politically lose it to GSM. And tactically sold their chances of negotiating for a better deal after the 2023 election. And maybe we wouldn’t have been wrong if we should have a poser that, Makinde has sized the Oke-Ogun entirely, see them very relatively not tactical in securing the senatorial ticket, as for him to have shopped and offered Akinwole Akinwale aka Wolekanle, the senatorial ticket of the district, what is the way forward for Oke-Ogun in the next political settings with them throwing away what is politically advantageous for them to Ogbomosho?
Even though a bittered Sen. Gbenga Babalola from Oke-Ogun geopolitical zone would have been more positioned to flag the party ticket than assumed to be a newbie in the name of Wolekanle.
Then in APC, the drama that marred the Oyo North primary election is a sorry case for the democratic actors, and as a matter of fact, divided the party in the geopolitical zones adding to the already balkanized state chapter. Congratulations to Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari for scaling through the hurdles for the party ticket that time but it is time for him to role his shirt sleeves up more, and hit the campaign ground. It won’t be easy, it will be more tedious than that of what he faced in 2019.
Low and behold, Shina Peller and few others lose out of APC, and interestingly, they are the Oke-Ogun son and daughter. Is there anything missing with that?
Yes, there are things missing, and those things missing politically have been filled by Accord Party, or so to add, Mulika Adeola’s SDP. And the wise Shina Peller buy his way to pick up the Accord Party ticket against Saheed Alaran that majority wanted on the ballot to tackle Wolekanle and Fatai Buhari. Even with the many hatred and rejections he met along the lines.
But why the hatred and rejections?
In a matter of truth, Shina Peller cannot be rated by any political observers of his federal constituency compared to his other colleagues from the state. He performed abysmally low. And just like someone has put it, Peller overrated himself and put himself above the strength of the office. He ends up getting choked and falling down ‘yakata’.
His abandonment of all the factors that produced him as the member of the House of Representatives, and sadly, the constituents have no regards for him and his office because he distanced himself from them with no major developmental projects credited to his name.
Going back to where we are coming from, when will he adjust accordingly in his home town of Iseyin and Oke-Ogun as a whole because, he cannot continue to be oppressing those who voted for him with his high heavy security guards. It is funny how a sitting House of Representatives member is parading such an heavy security officers as an escort wherever he is going. No, it won’t be working for him like that; he is not the only serving House of Representatives member from Oyo State, why are others not parading such? And if Senators can be walking around without heavy security guards against the people voted them in, why is that of Hon. Shinna Peller is different?
It is time those closer to him need to whisper into his ear that, enough is enough, he should be more humble and move closer to his people if he wants a better deal and chances come 2023, and again, not to afflict undue hatred for other Accord Party candidates across the board.
Akintunde Yusuf is a public analyst and observer, he writes from Ibadan.
