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, 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’’