By TUNDE ODESOLA
TUNDE ODESOLA writes that the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party must mend cracks within it and ensure a level playing ground for all its members as 2011 elections approach.
In his inaugural speech as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, said in Abuja, ”The days of imposition of candidates by the PDP, hoping to hoist such leaders on the people of Nigeria through rigged elections are over and over forever. We rode to power on the massive support and enormous goodwill of the Nigerian people. Over the years, we have squandered this goodwill to the point that even some of our members are no longer proud to be identified as PDP members and other Nigerians say that the problem of Nigeria is the PDP.”
The alarm raised by Nwodo in his inaugural remark is echoing within the Osun PDP, where the ruling party is battling with the crisis of presenting a credible governorship candidate and ensuring good governance in the 19-year-old state. Speaker of the Osun House of Assembly, Chief Adejare Bello, in a recent interview, hinted that the charge by Nwodo might be akin to a tall order if the party and the national chairman did not walk the talk!
No sooner had the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola winner of the April 14, 2007 Osun governorship election than some members of his cabinet and politicians within the PDP started angling for his job. As at the last count, 17 members of the Osun PDP have signified interest in succeeding Oyinlola. They include a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; incumbent Chairman, Ife-East Local Government Council, Chief Gbenga Owolabi; a former governorship aspirant of the Alliance for Democracy, Chief Femi Alafe- Aluko; Chief Tunde Odanye; a former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Akinade Akinbade; a former Chief of Staff, Mr. Peter Power; Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Chief Iyiola Omisore, Nigeria‘s Ambassador to Cuba, Chief Segun Bamigbetan-Baju; and Chairman, Nigeria Wire and Cable, Alhaji Lateef Bakare.
Others include Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Chief Gbenga Onigbogi; Chief Diran Odeyemi; Chief Nathaniel Oke (SAN); Chief Dosu Fatokun; Chief Remi Olowu; Chief Wahab Toye; Mr. Fatai Sarumi; Mr Akin Jegede, and Prof Wale Oladipo.
Unlike the remark of Nwodo denouncing godfatherism, the tussle for the Osun PDP governorship ticket is a battle of godfathers and godsons. The Osun State Traditional Council had long thrown its hat into the ring with some Ife traditional rulers supporting Omisore while some, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, are said to be not favourably disposed to Omisore‘s governorship. Oyinlola is perceived to be in support of Omisore. Some of the traditional rulers took the battle to the pages of newspapers, where advertorials highlighted their preference and misgivings. But the Ooni has maintained a studied silence, opting not to trade words with any of the opposing rulers. Traditional rulers from other communities are tacitly supporting other aspirants.
Omisore is fighting the greatest battle of his life to claim the governorship ticket. Unlike 2003 and 2007 when nobody in Ife challenged his senatorial ambition, Omisore is faced with a stiff competition at home with at least four Ife indigenes vying for the governorship ticket with him. They include Owolabi; Fani-Kayode; Oke and Oladipo. The leadership of the party in the state has overtly thrown its weight behind Omisore, and this has caused a great rift within the party as many other aspirants have called for the dissolution of the Alhaji Ademola Rasak Oyelowo-led state executive. The foul cry by aggrieved chieftains of the party necessitated the setting up of a reconciliatory panel which sat in Ibadan , Oyo State . Appearing before the panel in Ibadan, Akinbade, the immediate past SSG, and many other bigwigs accused the Rasak-Oyelowo state executive of unfairly supporting Omisore. Defending the stance of the executive, Deputy Chairman, Osun PDP, Mr Ojo Williams, said members of the executive were free to support an aspirant.
Some of the obstacles standing in the way of Omisore‘s governorship ambition are his trial over the death of a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, and his fallout with the erstwhile Governor of Osun, Chief Bisi Akande, when he (Omisore) was deputy – over a water chemical contract and an impeachment saga that led to the appointment of Sooko Adeleke Adewoyin. However, Omisore said his travails in the hands of the Akande administration paved the way for his political ascendency, stressing that he bore no grudges against the former governor.
An aspirant from the Ijesa axis, Onigbogi, has been picked by the Ijesa Elders‘ Caucus to be the standard-bearer of the party. Other aspirants from Ijesaland include Odanye, a lawyer; and Fatokun, a chartered estate surveyor and Alafe Aluko, an economist.
Alafe-Aluko is a son of a former principal of Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, Ogun State, the late Dr. M.O.Alafe-Aluko. A businessman and founder of DFA Ventures, the aspirant is an ex-student of Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos; Compreshensive High School, Ayetoro; Government College Ibadan; University of Ife, Osun State and Waltham College, London. Alafe-Aluko parades a wide experience in the private sector having worked as a financial adviser at Life Insurance Company, London
His blueprint for development of the state consists of education and culture.”Education is all-encompassing. Lack of it will ultimately lead to poverty,” Alafe-Aluko said while defending his emphasis on education. He added that emphasis on culture, especially tourism, will generate millions of naira for the state, which is blessed with many tourist attractions.
Of all the aspirants, Akinbade, an indigene of Ogbaagba community in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Council, has the largest grassroots support. As a result of his influence, some prominent traditional rulers and party chieftains have appealed to him to step down and run as deputy governor – an offer which he shunned. The insistence of Akinbade has caused anxiety within the party with many supporters saying that if Akinbade pulled out of the PDP, electoral defeat is imminent for the party in 2011.
Owolabi, a fresh and resourceful blood in politics, and Fani-Kayode are perceived as the jokers of the Ooni. Fani-Kayode, a Harvard trained lawyer, and Owolabi, a Liverpool trained banker, are very close to the Ooni. Fani-Kayode‘s late father was a friend of the Ooni while Owolabi is the Oluomo of Ile-Ife.
It is believed that the Ooni may, however, settle for Owolabi because it was the monarch who pressurised him to run for the chairmanship of Ife East Local Government Area so as to remain in the mainstream after he (Owolabi) was requested to drop his senatorial ambition in 2007.
As the Chairman of the Ife East LGA, Owolabi‘s performance in terms of infrastructural development is also said to have impressed both the monarch and Oyinlola. And his connection with all the council chairmen, who control the grassroots in the state, will be an added advantage to his candidature.
Another major obstacle in the emergence of a PDP candidate as the governor of Osun in next year‘s general election is the administration of the Oyinlola administration, which a cross-section of the citizenry has described as inept, lacking vision and wasteful. The government has continued to be upbraided by the citizens over its decision to obtain a controversial N18.3 bn loan on the ”eve of its departure.” The rainstorm that killed people and lay waste buildings and goods worth several millions of naira in Osogbo, last week, has become another subject of criticism for the Oyinlola government, which has been accused of lacking environmental planning.
Indeed, there are cracks in the wall of the Osun PDP and the stakeholders are not handling the situation with tact. Analysts believe that the best the party can do as 2011 elections approach is to bring a fresh perspective to the governance of the state.
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