SIR: Many people were not shaken up when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the governorship election in Osun State. He polled 403,371 votes to beat Adegboyega Oyetola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and the incumbent governor, who got 375,027 votes.
The campaign of Ademola Adeleke was not particularly striking. He is a beneficiary of the expression of the people’s frustration against the government of the APC. There is a clear indication that people are disappointed because of the failed promises made by the APC and have chosen to express this through the rejection of their candidate in Osun State. The woeful performance of the government at the center and internal party conflict also aggravated APC’s misfortune.
As a governor seeking re-election, one would expect that Oyetola’s campaign would be laced with highlights of measurable achievements. The instrumentality to measure the performance of any administration is based on how well it has met the needs of the people. Most importantly, this must be coupled with a strong leadership ability to manage human and material resources. Rather, regular payment of salary took the centerpiece of his campaign, no thanks to the debt the previous administration of Rauf Aregbesola plunged the state into.
In the build-up to the final campaign, the best the two major political parties could do was to pitch two young artistes in the music industry – Davido and Portable, in their campaigns. On the one hand, this speaks volumes of the emerging role of young artistes as campaign figures for politicians. On the other hand, it points to the need for a cultural shift in Africa’s agenda for its youths in giving them a voice not only when they are needed to canvass elections but also to contribute their quota to governance.
If the election were to be won by ideas and visions for development, none of the two leading candidates would be in that position. Unfortunately, elections in Nigeria are neither won through grammar nor competence. The third force did not play out in Osun politics for several reasons. The candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) trailed behind in a distant third position with 10,104 votes.
Now that Osun has decided, what performance will Ademola Adeleke put up in governance? What will he do differently to raise the revenue of a debt-ridden state? How exactly does he intend to revive the economy of Osun despite the heavy salary burden? How fast can he settle for serious governance and jettison entertaining people who have been plunged into misery through governance?
It is a good thing that expectations are not unnecessarily high on the governor-elect. Many people believe his love for dancing will impede the leadership quality he will provide. It rests on him to prove this opinion wrong and make the world see that hobby and work are two different things. In the next four years, we will be here again. When the music changes, so does the dance. The drummer will change his beat, and the dancer must also change his step.
- Matthew Alugbin, PhD,
Modakeke, Osun State.