Osun:Collapse Of Tinubu’s Political Empire

By Lateef Adegbite

 When  Babachair Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation  lamented that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, f one-time governor and Jagaban of Lagos state and now the ruling  All Progressive Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate for the  2023, general elections,   that the flak of  the APC, flag bearer had been left open for sycophants  and lapdogs to exploit for  their own pecuniary gains , nobody took him serious.

  He had  said that that the former Lagos state governor and National  Leader of the APC have been left stranded.  He may have jumped into the conclusion  because most of his close political allies like  Raufu Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of Interior, Babatunde Fasola, also a former governor of Lagos  state and minister of Works and Housing and  Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman of Nigerian Governor’s Forum, NGF, including  Muniz Banire and Dele Alake , who could look straight in his face  and tell the truth  have since grown  -up and moved  ‘’to establish their own systems’’.

He had said that the former Lagos state  who  has become stranded  in ‘’strategic planning , valuation, principles  and ideologies, which may have informed  why   Gboyega Oyetola, the incumbent Osun state governor  and his  Candidate in the  south west state  governorship election   On the ticket of the ruling APC, on Saturday, July 16, 2022,  lost the election to   Ademola Adeleke, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria and Candidate of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP with a very wide margin.

Adeleke, who is not a pushover in Osun politics  and an uncle of the popular multi-millionaire, Musician, Davido, may  have won the heart of the people of the state  because he had based  his campaign at ‘’developing the state and  retrieving his stolen mandate  in 2018 by the APC, Candidate’’ with the support  of his godfather, Tinubu.

. Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state , had said that Senator Adeleke victory in the Osun governorship election  was as a result  of ‘’the sacity,  hardwork,  teamwork,  skilful campaigns,  sufficient resource allocation, openness and  humility exhibited  by the governor-elect’’.

According to him, the Osun state governor-elect had ‘’concentrated   on issues that mattered  most to  Osun people and they responded in kind, bestowing   on him and the PDP, an earth-shaking victory  of historic proportions’’.  He noted that the Osun has shown that  ‘’everyone  matters  in politics, particular, the electorate’’, confirming  the famous  dictum that ‘’God’s time is the best’’. He urged Nigerians to be vigilant  and anticipate  all the  antics  that the dying APC , will come  up with the Presidential and National Assembly, Governorship and States House Assembly elections.

   Senator Adeleke, going by the final results released by the  Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under the close watch of Professor. Mahmood Yakubu,  for the Osun governorship election, Adeleke, had polled  403, 371 votes, 28,344  , more than  Oyetola, his closest rival  who secured 375,027 votes.

The loss of Osun state, described  in political circles as one of his strongholds in the south- west, next to Lagos  to PDP, according to political analyst was a signal of the  gradual collapse of the Tinubu’s political empire in the south west , which had existed since  199 till date.

 His towering political influence in the region  is evident with the installation of  governors in  the states that make up the region level and nomination of ministers at the Federal level under the APC government . He was said to have also been instrumental  to selection of Yemi Osinbajo, a Professor of Law and a former Lagos state Commission of Justice and Attorney General as Buhari’s Vice President running mate   2015 and retained in 2019. The dual are still in power. He was said to have also masterminded the election of Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of south-south state of Edo and the National Chairman of the APC but later removed by the cabal in the party with the support of the Presidency as a way to reduce his influence in the party.

In going into the Osun stat election, he may have had the mindset that as  the ruling APC, Candidate in the Ekiti state governorship election,   Biodun Oyebanji, last June, defeated  Segun Oni, a former governor of the state, on the ticket of the PDP, and now Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, an  Bisi Kolawole, the PDP Flag bearer, Oyetola  would  be re-elected for the second term in the Osun state governorship election.

 Determined to deliver the state to APC,  he had Campaigned alongside  Ahmad Lawan,  the Senate President,  and several APC , governors including Bbajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state  for Oyetola, the APC,  governorship Candidate in the state.

It was a full force of the APC stalwarts , that had  stormed Osun state to give Oyetola, their support to ensure that he wins the governorship election. He may have not have taken into consideration that  thetimes have changed and that 2018 was different from 2022, as INEC, had successfully blocked all loopholes  used in rigging as electorate votes now count.    

.Signs  that the ruling APC, in the state  would lose the governorship  election to the opposition PDP, emerged when   Oetola,  lost the polling Unit  near the Government House at Ohogbo, Capital of Osun state to Adeleke, the PDP, Candidate. While  Adeleke, the Osun state, governor-elect  secured  117 votes at  the GRA  Polling  Unit, Agowande, in Olurunda  Local Government Area, Oyetola, garnered 106 votes.   It was bad advertisement to Tinubu who felt disappointed.

Tinubu, the APC, Presidential candidate may have read the handwriting on the wall that Oyetola, the party governorship Candidate would lose his reelection bid that he was forced to leave the state amidst the collation of the results from the 30 Local government areas in the state to escape the humiliation.

 With the APC  loss of  Osun state to the PDP,   the  ruling APC, Presidential Candidate may have become convinced that the voting  pattern  in the statate may repeat itself in   the Presidential and National Assembly  polls   on February 25, 2023,  and the governorship and states House of Assembly  election slated for  on March 11, 2023, that he  had reached  out to the Speakers of the APC controlled state to restrategise  ahead of the 2023 general elections.

   Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and immediate past minister of Transportation, may have made it known to his supporters in PortHarcourt recently  when he returned from his  oversea vacation,  after  he lost his bid to  be become the APC, Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections to Tinubu, that’’ the era of staying in a room to write results after elections  is over as ‘’electorate  votes now counts’’, urging those who have not registered and collected their Permanent voters Card to do so.

Given the turn out of the Osun governorship elections which may have whittled down his political influence in the south west and signs of collapse o political empire, may have informed while he quickly he lefy Oshogbo on Saturday, July 16, 20222, without waiting to hear the outcome of the governorship to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, where he held  a meeting  with Speakers  of the APC extraction to restrategise on how to win the 2023, Presidential election.The APC ,Speakers  were said’’ to have pledged  to support him ahead of the general elections’’. 

 Initially, the PDP Leadership had the impression that Tinubu rushing   to Abuja was a desperate move ‘’to manipulate the process  and frustrate the smooth conclusion  of the election’’ , having realised  that ‘’the APC, has been rejected  by the people would not return the party back to power in the state’’.

Political analysts believe that that the PDP Leaders were merely hitting up the polity as Tinubu, the APC, Presidential Candidate, who had repeatedly told those that cares to listen that it is his turn to rule Nigeria is fighting a battle of survival  and  not thinking  on how to overturn  theOsun state governorship election  result which are already known  to the people both within and outside the state  on who the next governor of Osun state would be.

 Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state that ‘’the second PDP Flag flying in the south- west geopolitical region clearly confirms  that ‘’the power of the people  will continue to triumph’’ , noting that this  is better  for Nigerian nascent Democracy’’.   Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state and Nyenson Wike, governor of Rivers state, political ally, had said that  the victory of the PDP,  in the Saturday, July 16, governorship election  in Osun state, was an indications  that ‘’the Opposition party  takeover of the governance of Nigeria has begun’’.

President Muhammadu Buhari: Congratlates Senator Adeleke

 President Muhammadu Buhari, who had congratulated the PDP, governorship Candidate  in his victory  in the  elections had said    that ‘’the will of the electorate  must always prevail’’.  The Katsina state born Nigerian President who expressed conviction that’’ the people of Osun have spoken through the Ballot’’ opined that the will  of the people must  always be respected , describing it as ‘’the beauty of Democracy’’.

The Nigeria President who spoke through Femi Adesina, one of Special Advisers on Media and Publicity,  noted that  ‘’the successful  conduct  of the Osun election  bear eloquent testimony ‘’ to the maturity,  and commitment  of all  stakeholders,  the electoral umpire,  security and intelligence agencies, political parties, the Media,  civil society  and the electorate, to further strengthen  the integrity  of the electoral  process in the country’’.

He was said to have reassured the nation   that ‘’the commitment of his Administration towards having credible  elections  remain unshaken’’. While the APC, Leadership are still in a celebration mood over the defeat of Oyetola, the incumbent governor of the state and Tinubu godson,  who is yet to overcome the shock  as he had suspected rigging , the  Opposition PDP , governors  had said that ‘’it is  time  for  the ruling APC, to vacate the Seat of power, in Abuja, he Federal Capital Territory, FCT’’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *