ADEBAYO WAHEED writes on the pitfalls of the outgoing governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi and the challenges before the new governor-elect, Oluseyi Makinde.
The much-anticipated 2019 general elections have come and gone, and winners of the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission. INEC.
While some are celebrating their victories, others are not happy with the outcome of the results and possibly, some may be heading to the tribunals to seek redress.
As expected, the outcome of the polls was also accompanied with surprises and shocks to politicians, especially, across the country.
In the Pacesetter State, Oyo, it is official that Engineer Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won the March 9 governorship election in the state, having polled a total of 515,621 votes against the 357,982 votes scored by his closest rival, Chief Adebayo Adelabu (Penkelemesi) of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The PDP candidate, according to INEC, won in 28 local government areas out of the 33 local councils in the state, defeating his APC counterpart with a margin of 157,639 votes.
This is a no mean achievement, considering the fact that Makinde did not only win in almost all the entire local government areas in Ibadan (his place of birth), but also a feat that is alien to the state.
Also, this is the first time any political party in the state will sweep the majority seats in the House of Assembly since the inception of the present democratic experiment since 1999.
In the past, seats in the House of Assembly were shared among the parties and in most cases, there had always been an impeachment threat by the lawmakers, but this time around, PDP has a clear cut majority with 26 lawmakers, the APC won 5 and Action Democratic Party, ADP, won 1. This is contrary to what it used to be in the past, and this is the first time the PDP will sweep the governorship poll especially in Iseyin, a local council that had always been an exclusive preserve of the progressives.
It should be noted at for over one decade, Makinde had patiently, but steadily and firmly pursued a conviction, which spanned several years of waiting, toiling, carpet crossing and moving virtually across the entire landscape, holding long enduring meetings, mostly at inconvenient hours.
There is no doubt that more than anyone else, he is the only one that will really know and feel the depth, intensity and impact of the burning furnace he went through before coming to the present reality.
While his long time waiting has eventually paid off, having failed three times in earlier shot at the coveted seat of the number one political office in the state, it should be noted that the consistency and doggedness have finally paid off. It gladdens to know that, with determination, backed by a very strong courage, there is no mountain that one cannot climb.
Despite the power of incumbency, the defeat of the ruling APC in the state is an indication of total rejection of the outgoing governor, Senator Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi, and may not necessarily translate to the rejection of the APC as a party, although, the party also share in the blame of the loss, for failing to call its governor to other when he was acting the bull in the china shop all along. The people showed that they had had enough of Ajimobi.
Ajimobi did not only lose all the elections at his polling booth, he lost his bid to return to the National Assembly as a senator and also his bid to install a successor in person of Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
To political observers, Ajimobi failed not because he did not perform, but because he lacks the behaviour of Omoluabi expected of a typical Yoruba man.
According to some political observers, “Ajimobi is the reason why you should train your kids to grow up and become decent human beings. Let them learn petty stuffs like ‘please’, ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’. Teach them how to respect others and be diplomatic.
“Don’t let your child grow up with the attitude of ‘I’m not accountable to anybody, I can do and say what I like’. Teach them to be bold, daring, but modest, which is a key word, so also is diplomacy and tact.
“Don’t let them grow up saying ‘that’s the way I am, deal with it’ to their friends and people who are important to them, in fact not to anybody”.
The truth is that Ajimobi will be remembered as one of the best governors Oyo State ever had in terms infrastructural development, peace and security.
He did so much for Oyo State in terms of roads reconstruction. Ibadan people will never forget him for upgrading the metropolis drastically. But he ruined it all with his unbridled arrogance. Some of his sins included how he attempted to disgrace the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the long time revered chieftaincy laws and customs of Ibadan people. Remember how he addressed Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, students when they protested in Ibadan, after staying at home for more than a year due to the perpetual close down of the institution and the attack on the meat sellers inside Bodija market, when he could have moved them with some diplomacy and moral persuasion.
The event that eventually broke the camel’s back was when he sent bulldozers to demolish Yinka Ayefele’s Radio House on an early Sunday morning. His cup was full; Ibadan people will take it no more. They kept quiet and waited patiently for him. He ended up getting disgraced in the place of a well-deserved honor.
Adelabu, who would have succeeded him, was also accused of arrogance. He was seen in the mirror as another Ajimobi. The people are not ready; they don’t want to have a repeat of Ajimobi;s years of lordship.
Ajimobi as the governor of Oyo State will no doubt remain a moral lesson for us all and indeed, this will be the end of an era for the people of the state and importantly, the governor-elect and the incoming administration in the state.
Though, the victory of Makinde calls for celebration, no doubt, a big lesson in perseverance that calls for a big, worthy celebration. However, while it is not out of place to celebrate this hard-won victory, it is apposite to sound a note of warning here: the merriment should be done with caution, laced with deep, sober reflections.
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The truth is that a heavy burden has been placed on his shoulder as the governor-elect and there is no room for complacency, as the entire people and residents are looking up to him and to the incoming PDP-led administration with great expectations, hopes and aspirations.
The support received from across the state, starting from the build up to the election and in the course of the poll, was no doubt massive; the outcome of the exercise was indeed a testimony to the will of a people who put in everything to ensure that the candidate of their choice emerge the winner of the election.
As a result, the governor-elect cannot afford to let the people and residents of the state down, as it is a victory for all which came at time when some Nigerians have lost faith in the PDP.
Makinde’s victory at the poll should not be misinterpreted as affiliation with the PDP, but simply because the people have absolute trust in him as a person. It is unbelievable that PDP could find a place in the heart of the people so soon, an indication that they were yet to find and get the desired change from the ruling APC government.
For the governor-elect, for more than a decade, he had been on ground, providing and giving succour to thousands of hapless and poor people, which have made him one of the great humanist and selfless philanthropist, who is deeply concerned about the poor and degrading inhuman situation of his fellow man. This is the time for him to show and prove that the milk of kindness flowing in him was no fluke, or a means to an end or for political gains.
Without any iota of doubt, the outgoing governor has elevated governance in the state, his lapses notwithstanding. The onus rests on Makinde to take Oyo to a greater pedestal. Let Oyo, once again, be the shining example unto other states in the South-West, nay the entire country.
When there are lessons for us to learn in all human endeavours, that is, knowing that the best experience can only be learnt from the experiences of our fellow humans, he should try as much as possible to avoid the pitfalls that dogged the trails of the past occupants of that exalted office.
The governor-elect should not only see himself as the governor, but as a father of all irrespective of party leanings. Let all the people of the state, both those who voted for him and those who did not, feel the positive impact of the government.
Though, it may be difficult to find acceptance from all, it will not be out of place for him to seek to promote the happiness and welfare of the greatest number of people, let the entire people of the state drink from freshness of water that will be coming out of the new well.
A political observer and analyst, Olusola Ogundele said, “As the saying goes, success has many children, but please be wary of sycophants who will be milling around you in droves, only seeking for your attention and currying your favour.
“Many of them are fair-weather friends who are out for pecuniary gains and relevance. Nothing hasten the fall of a man in power faster than surrounding himself with ego massagers.”
According to Ogundele, he should start implementing his marshal plans and compact policies now for the corporate interest of the state, adding that in doing this, he should align himself to and with the people, the masses, who brought him to power, especially those who have been with him through thick and the thin; under the sun and in the cold.
He added that he should not leave out those who formed alliances with him, saying, “Let the people have a say in your government.”
He added, “He should prove it to the whole world that power is, truthfully, transient and ephemeral, and that you are just holding it in trust for the ultimate owners, the people. He should be magnanimous and humble in victory, even as some of his defeated opponents would still be smarting from and nursing their losses, unwilling to sheathe their swords.”
While noting that this is a new dawn in the state, he described the governor-elect as the new face of politics in Oyo as many of the old politicians are left with no choice than to seek to enjoy their retirements, saying that Makinde must “prove your critics wrong.”
“He should let them know, through his impactful programmes and people-oriented policies that he is not a novice. He should prove it to them that as young politician, he has something meaningful to deliver.
“The youth should enjoy his administration; let the senior citizens know that they are part of you. Restore the dignity and honour of the traditional institution. Make living more meaningful for the entire citizenry and residents of Oyo State, irrespective of their sociopolitical and religious inclinations,” he added.
Ogundipe who noted that four years is a long journey, seemingly far, but very near, said the time to start working is now, there is no time to waste.
He called on him to prove to the voting citizenry that the ‘once-upon-a-time ruling party’, both in the state and at the federal level, has rediscovered itself and can therefore provide what Nigerians are yearning for. He should not let the people see his victory, through the PDP platform as a fluke.
“History beckons and he must start writing his own now, as he cannot afford to fritter away the massive goodwill on the altar of complacency. The task, no doubt, is challenging but not insurmountable,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the governor-elect, Makinde, has promised not to betray the confidence reposed in him by the people of Oyo State who elected him to fulfill their desire for a better life.
He said the political struggle of the past two weeks reminded him of the struggle of 1968.
He said, “I compare the two historical events because the original Agbekoya struggle was a peasant revolt that kicked against high taxation and tariffs, particularly of farmers by the powers that be, yesterday’s voting pattern, clearly showed your dogged determination in spite of spirited efforts to frustrate you.”
Speaking further, the governor-elect said, “It is for us to move together and for me to fulfill my campaign promises to you in the clear understanding that we will take realistic decisions together because you did not elect me to compensate me for anything, you elected me to fulfill your desire for a better life and God helping me, I will not disappoint you.”
Meanwhile, it is expected that politicians who think that they are doing the people a favour should learn one or two lessons from the rise and fall of Ajimobi.
