By Comrade Bisi Alebiosu
Reading through a piece with the above caption in This day newspaper at the weekend, one is not left with any doubt that those who are afraid of the widespread acceptance of Hon. Bayo Osinowo, candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Lagos East senatorial election, will not stop at anything to pitch him against the good people of the district and the party.
For lack of anything cogent to say about the man many have come to know and accept as the UNIFIER of Lagos politics, these confused characters, starred in the face by imminent political demolition, sought to ascribe the toga of arrogance to Hon. Pepper!
But it turned out a misfire, for Hon. Osinowo, in Lagos East, Lagos state and the nation as a whole, is well known for the uncommon humility with which he has been handling both his political and private life.
So, to many who read the litany of lies, it was easy to discern that it is nothing but a badly executed hatchet job. Thus, the plot to discredit Osinowo failed at the very first try.
It is also instructive to examine the attempt by those behind the faceless write up to cause confusion and bad blood within the APC by alleging that Hon. Osinowo attacked the person of distinguished Senator Gbenga Ashafa.
Osinowo, the gentleman that he is, will never abuse or disrespect any of his teeming followers, talk less of a man he is desirous of succeeding. He holds Ashafa in high esteem and he has said so on many occasions. A good example was at the last reconciliation parley at the Ikorodu town hall on Wednesday December 19, 2018. Speaking about Ashafa, Pepper said, “Senator Ashafa is a gentleman whose approach to politics is highly commendable.” This he said in the full glare of guests and party members present.
We are thus happy that according to the writer of the piece, Senator Ashafa too insisted that “Bayo is my brother and I do not believe that he has said all the things you have confronted me with this afternoon. I have also not heard any such audio recording, where he might have said those things.” We feel there is nothing more to add to the statements of these two political associates. In their own words, they’ve told trouble makers to steer clear.
The situation in Lagos East today is that Senator Gbenga Ashafa of the APC is the senator representing the district and Bayo Osinowo, also of the APC, by the grace of God and the support of the good people of the area, will succeed him. Dreamers can continue to build castles in the air though.
There is no crisis within the party in the district. Under the able leadership of Governor Aminwunmi Ambode, Lagos East is set to return, not only Osinowo but all APC candidates in the next general election. We understand how pressured by this reality our detractors are, hence their panic induced efforts to create enmity among our chieftains.
It is important to add the reconciliation efforts initiated by our leaders are yielding great results. Thus no effort by the opposition can renew bad blood in APC. We are uniting fast in the task ahead. The primary elections had come and gone, and calm has returned to the political circles within the APC in Lagos State. Our Governor is no longer aggrieved; he is a true party man who is prepared to lead us all to victory once again.
Also, Senator Ashafa has been drumming up support for all the candidates of the party in the state. He and Hon. Osinowo, alongside other stakeholders, are working closely together in the build up to the 2019 election.
The facts are there for all to check. Given the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by our leaders and contenders, it is very certain that APC is formidable enough to annihilate the rag tag opposition existing in Lagos East.
And to the questions about Osinowo’s representation for Kosofe in the Lagos State House of Assembly for 16 years, space and time will not be enough here and now to reel out the very long list of his achievements.
We urge those in doubt to avail themselves copies of brochures produced by his office to showcase that or call (08026003772) to be further educated about the legislator called Hon. Bayo Osinowo.
To provide a brief of what you will find out about him, let me just say aside the numerous legislative interventions of his in the assembly, he became the symbol of effective collaboration between the executive and the legislature in the government of the state. I wish you happy reading of the brochures.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that when elected into the red chamber, Hon. Bayo Osinowo, a.k.a Pepper, will build on the towering track record laid by Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, which is now being sustained by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, in such manners that Lagos East will remain a respected and sought after in the comity of senatorial districts across the country.
One thing worked against the intentions of those behind the hatchet job though; the choice of the person to do the writing. While even the visually impaired could discern the sponsored and suborned nature of the article easily, the writer further made a lazy job of it all by making his jaundiced write up too patent and obvious, so much so that it came across exactly as what it is; a devilish script by evil minded political players.
Coming at a time when a couple of credible and proven research and media opinion polls have put Hon. Osinowo over and above his opponents, as the man to beat in the senatorial race, one can understand the worries of these characters. But what we frown at is the desperation that is now so obvious in there sinister moves. We don’t need that in the politics of Lagos state.
So, for the opposition candidate or candidates and their collaborators, eyeing an opportunity from a perceived crisis in the APC to clinch a senatorial seat in the city of excellence after a long hiatus, we say, ‘it is not yet uhuru.’
If truly there is an opposition candidate that enjoys popular acceptance in the most populous zones in the district (Ikorodu and Epe with and Ibeju Lekki) as claimed in the piece, let the gladiators patiently wait till Election Day to reap from their real or imagined popularity. Hon. Osinowo is willing to wait, others should too.
Alebiosu writes from Maryland, Lagos
