Tag: Ogun 2019

As Ogun West Senatorial District intensifies quest to produce the next governor of the state in 2019, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that Ogun 2019 Governorship Election promises to be a crowded race, a development he said will pose a serious challenge to the realization of the so-called Yewa Agenda

THE 2019 gubernatorial election in Ogun State is now less than two years away. Expectedly, politicians with the desire to succeed incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who will be completing his second term in office in May 2019 and will be ineligible to seek another term in office, are already all over the place, selling their possible candidature in the nooks and crannies of the state.

On a daily basis, across the length and breadth of the state, wide-raging consultations with political leaders in quest of endorsement, as well as unending political alignments and realignments, are now the order of the day as politicians and other stakeholders strategise ahead of the next general election.

Pundits however observed that political activities ahead of the 2019 governorship race may have received a boost in the Ogun West area of the state given the soaring popularity of what has now become known as the “Yewa Agenda”. Yewa Agenda, The Nation learnt is the code name given to the quest of the people of Ogun West, especially those of Yewa extraction, to be allowed to produce the governor of the state in 2019.

This quest, which is hinged on the hope that the gubernatorial tickets of the major political parties would be zoned to the area ahead of the 2019 election, is based on a recurring outcry of unending marginalisation by the people of the district. This largely emanates from the claim that no person from the zone has governed the state since its creation on February 4, 1976.

Speaking to The Nation during the week, Hon. Kehinde Odegbemi, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former state executive committee member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), said the people of Yewaland in particular and Ogun West in general are now more than ever before, determined to produce the next governor of the state.

“It is a fact that politics and governance in Ogun State have been dominated by the central and east senatorial districts to the exemption of Ogun West. This has resulted in long years of infrastructural decay and socio-economic marginalisation of our people. This is why you now see a strong agitation for power shift to Ogun West this time around,” he said.

Recurring cries of marginalisation

Another Yewa indigene, Dapo Oke, who is the convener of Ogun West Rebirth, a group at the forefront of the agitation for Ogun West District to be favored in the 2019 governorship contest, lamented what he described as ‘unfair and total relegation of the district in the scheme of things for over four decades.

“If democracy itself is about equity, it is about equal opportunity, and if democracy is all we are talking about, everybody being the same, then it means the people of Yewa/Awori must definitely be allowed to actually have a taste from the pot of power in Ogun State. It is no longer acceptable for us to be treated as second class citizens in our own state.

“1979, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) produced Chief Bisi Onabanjo, who was an Ijebu person as governor and he was returned in 1983 for a second term. In 1993, power shifted to Egba, and we had Chief Segun Osoba as governor. In 1999, Osoba returned under AD as governor. Gbenga Daniel (OGD) came in through the PDP in 2003 on the ticket of Remo. He spent eight years.

Sadly, at a time in 2011, when people felt it was the turn of Yewa, Amosun came in and got two terms. That was an alteration of the rotation because Egba was taking a second turn while Yewa is yet to take even one. So, the only fair thing to do now is for all the zones to allow Yewa to have its own turn at governing the state.

Even if we leave the issue of the four divisions and concentrate on senatorial districts, Ogun West is yet to have a shot at the governorship. So, Ogun West, made up of Yewa and Awori lands, should still be allowed to produce the next governor in the spirit of equity and good neighborliness. That is our agitation,” he said.

Rev. Adelani Adebiyi, a chieftain of the ruling APC, is also miffed at the situation of things and is strongly urging all the political parties in the state to give their governorship ticket to a Yewa aspirant. According to him, “it no longer matters who the person is or which area of Yewaland he or she is from. All that is important is that Ogun West be allowed to produce a governor.”

“Take a look at how the governorship has actually moved in Ogun State, you will see that Ogun East, where Onabanjo and Daniel come from, has produced two governors; Ogun Central with Osoba and Amosun, the incumbent governor, has also produced two governors, while Ogun West is yet to produce one. Where is equity in this?

Intensified efforts

Following the failure of similar bids in 2011 and 2015, when the multitude of Yewa-born governorship aspirants all lost to incumbent Governor Amosun, it appears the people of the zone, in their determination to actualise their desire to produce the next governor of t

he state, may have intensified efforts aimed at getting all stakeholders within and outside the area to buy into their agitation ahead of the 2019 election.

Before now, the agitation is usually left for politicians and activists to champion. But as we speak, the elite class, as well as the traditional institutions in the zones, has thrown its weight behind the current quest. Recently, the Yewa-Awori traditional council publicly urged Amosun to pick one of the Ogun West indigenes serving in his administration as his candidate for the 2019 governorship poll.

The Olu of Ilaro and the paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle made the call while leading the council, made up of 19 Obas to a meeting with Amosun at the Governor’s Office, Oke Mosan in Abeokuta. He asked all Yewa-Awori indigenes currently serving in the Amosun administration, who are aspiring for the 2019 governorship poll, not to work against any candidate picked by the governor.

The council’s call is coming on the heel of an announcement by Amosun that he will support a Yewa person to succeed him in 2019. The governor said his decision is informed by the need for equity and fairness. Oba Olugbenle said the governor’s decision to support the Ogun West candidate in the 2019 governorship poll, has posed a challenge to the traditional council to play a critical role in the governorship race. The Nation also learnt that as part of the efforts towards 2019, Yewa Obas are already discussing with the traditional institutions in the other zones of the state on the need for everybody to support the call for a Yewa man to be the next governor of the state. Several meetings have been held across the state to discuss this issue.

“We are meeting with our colleagues from other zones in the state and begging them to support our agitation. Don’t forget that when we met the governor, he specifically told us to go and lobby other Obas and chiefs outside Ogun West for support. That is what we are doing now. As traditional rulers, we cannot fold our arms any longer. This is not a job for politicians alone,” an Oba from the zone told The Nation.

Aspirants

To further portray the seriousness of the district to produce the next governor of the state, an array of qualified and determined aspirants has emerged on the scene from Yewa and Awori lands. While most of them are gunning for the plum job on the platform of the ruling APC, a few are hoping to use the opposition PDP as vehicle to get to the Government House in 2019.

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the representative of Lagos West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, popularly known as Yayi, is one of the frontline aspirants that have emanated from the zone to vie for the APC governorship ticket. Currently tagged “Lagos based” by his critics, the Chartered Accountant turned politician no doubt enjoys widespread support across the state.

The Chief of Staff to Governor Amosun, Chief Tolu Odebiyi, son of the late Senator Jonathan Odebiyi, is another leading contender. Though not a well-known political figure in the state, he is believed to be enjoying the support of the incumbent governor and the leadership of the party in the state. This, many people say, may be his main strength.

Also in the race is Gboyega Isiaka, currently a member of the opposition PDP. He was the party’s candidate for the governorship in 2015 but lost to Amosun. He had earlier contested the same seat in 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN). He lost on that occasion too in spite of having the backing of the then Governor Daniel. But his supporters say he is more equipped to clinch the seat in 2019.

Rt. Hon. Suraj Ishola Adekunbi, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, is also interested in the governorship ticket of the ruling party. A youthful politician who enjoys good followership within and outside his Yewa North Constituency, Adekunbi is seen by many as the only man who can build on the legacies of the current administration, having served as the number three man since the inception of the current regime.

Aside the aspirants named above, there are other Yewa sons and daughters seeking to contest the next governorship election in 2019. These include Senator Iyabo Anisulowo and Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, amongst others. All the aspirants are currently oiling their political machineries ahead of 2019, according to their aides and supporters.

Obstacles within and without

But it may not be a smooth sail to Okemosan Government House for Ogun West in 2019, even with the open support being given to them by Amosun. This is because some notable aspirants from other zones of the state, especially in Ogun East are reportedly rearing to go into the governorship contest in 2019.

Contrary to expectations in some quarters that Amosun’s open endorsement of Ogun West as the next zone to produce the governor of the state will put paid to the aspiration of some notable politicians from Ogun East, The Nation learnt that not a few of them have vowed to go ahead with the dream of governing the state in 2019 with or without the support of the governor.

Amosun has warned that he will not support any aspirant from Ogun East and Ogun Central who is aspiring to succeed him in 2019. According to him, he had already told his associates and aides from the two zones to forget about the governorship in 2019. But it appears his words were not enough to deter the aspirations of some of his allies.

From Ogun East, politicians like Senator Lekan Mustapha, Chief Jide Awosedo, Otunba Rotimi Paseda and Hon. Ladi Adebutu are already everywhere trying to garner support for their 2019 governorship aspiration while the likes of Prince Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Kaka are being fervently awaited by their supporters to announce their interest in the race.

While Adebutu is currently a member of the opposition PDP, Abiodun, an ally of Governor Amosun, is a chieftain of the ruling APC. Paseda is still in the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the platform which he used to contest the governorship in 2015. It is still unclear the parties the others will use to pursue their aspirations if and when they openly declare interest in the race.

But whichever way it goes and whoever else joins the race, it is definitely going to be a crowded race and this poses a serious challenge to the agitation of the people of Ogun West to have the governorship zoned to them. How ready they are to surmount the looming challenges as 2019 draws closer will likely determine how far

There is anxiety in Ogun State All Progressives Congress (APC), following feelers that Ladipupo Adebutu, the Chairman House Committee on Rural Development, may be perfecting plans to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defect to APC, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

THERE is palpable tension and anxiety within the Ogun State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress following indications that the member representing Remo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Honourable Ladipupo Adebutu, may be planning to dump the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pitch his tent with the ruling party ahead of the 2019 General Elections.

Adebutu, a staunch member of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the PDP, is the son of billionaire Adebutu Kessington and an ally of former Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel. The younger Adebutu had before now, left no one in doubt of his readiness to contest for the governorship position of the state in 2019.

Reliable sources within the ruling APC, within and outside the state, revealed to The Nation that the Iperu-Remo born politician, may have resolved to move over to the ruling party in order to achieve his 2019 political ambition following the unending crisis that has crippled his current party, the PDP.

The Nation gathered that Adebutu, who before now is an unrelenting critic of the current APC administration in the state, led by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, may have started the process of his defecting to the ruling party by reaching out to some prominent APC leaders within and outside the state to facilitate a soft landing for himself and his associates.

The lawmaker, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, according to a close aide of his who craved anonymity, has been bothered about the dwindling political fortunes of the PDP in Ogun State, occasioned by the intra party crisis that has seen the troubled party divided into factions after the 2015 General Elections in the state.

The PDP in Ogun State today is divided into about three factions with each of the factions loyal to a political leader of their choice. While the most prominent faction remains the Omo-Ilu group, led by the member representing Ogun East in the senate, Senator Buruji Kashamu, another leading faction is that being controlled by Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Hon. Adebutu.

“The trouble within the PDP in Ogun State is enough for any serious politician to consider a shift to another party. It is wrong for anybody to accuse Hon. Adebutu of jumping from one party to another. As a politician who is desirous of contesting and winning elections, it is not out of place for him to be considering his political future very seriously.

“I can tell you that as a political group, we in LADO Organisation have had reasons to worry about the current state of the PDP. We have also had reasons to ponder on possible options for the purpose of achieving our political aspirations. This is not just about Ladi Adebutu, it is about the entire political family,” an aide of the lawmaker told The Nation.

It was also gathered that the lawmaker, through his prominent father and other dignitaries, may have commenced discussion with the governor over his plan to join the ruling party. A source very close to the leadership of the party in the state said recently that there were talks about Adebutu and some other chieftains of his faction of the PDP defecting to the APC.

“It is being discussed both within the ruling APC and the opposition PDP. We are hearing of their intention to join us. This has been on for a while now and although some of them have been denying it, some others have been openly fraternizing with our party in recent times. I even heard that Adebutu’s father met and discuss the possibility of his son joining the ruling party with Governor Amosun,” our source added.

It is also part of the talks going around that the lawmaker may also be considering trading his governorship ambition which he has worked really hard on within the opposition PDP, for a senatorial ticket, if he eventually defects into the ruling APC. Sources claim this new line of thinking is part of the deal being brokered with Governor Amosun by emissaries on Adebutu’s behalf.

“Knowing fully well that it may not be easy for him to defect into the APC and promptly grab the governorship ticket ahead of the 2019 election, Lado is willing to concede his guber ambition for a senatorial ticket if given a chance in the ruling party. Another reason for his willing to take the senatorial ticket may be his desire to square up against Kashamu in the contest for who represents Ogun East in the National Assembly,” another source added.

Mounting opposition

But if Adebutu and his associates are thinking the alleged move to APC will be welcome by all chieftains and members of the ruling party, then they are mistaken as many persons and groups within the ruling party are prepared to resist the defection of the lawmaker. The Nation gathered that ever since news of the planned defection hit the streets again during the week, not a few chieftains and members of the party have spoken up against it.

Last Thursday, a group of youths who came from three local government areas in Remo Federal Constituency, converged on the APC secretariat in Sagamu as early as 9.00am in the morning, to register what they described as their opposition to any form of co-operation between the ruling party and the camp of Hon. Adebutu.

The protesters, who claimed to have informed the leadership of the party in the zone of their intention to visits the secretariat in writing long before the day, chanted songs and lampooned those they claimed are working for the alleged defection of the lawmaker into the APC. According to them, only enemies of the ruling party in Remo zone will wish that Adebutu and his people should join the party.

Speaking to The Nation at the secretariat, located on Makun road, Sagamu, the spokesperson of the group, Prince Oluwaseun Adeosin, said APC youths in the zone are up against any plan by Adebutu to either defect into the party or have any working arrangement with the party because they cherish the peace currently being enjoyed within the party in the zone.

The former state youth leader of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), who is currently the Ogun East senatorial coordinator of APC Youth Network (APCYN), explained further that they will not stand idly and watch some defectors import the culture of violence for which the PDP is known for in the zone, into the ruling party.

“I want to tell you that today, we are here to openly say that we don’t want Adebutu and his people to come into the APC. It is not for any reason other than the fact that APC in Remo zone here in Ogun State is one happy peaceful family. We are not known to fight ourselves or engage in any form of violent politicking.

“However, the same cannot be said of PDP here in our zone. The violence nature of their brand of politics is legendary and that is what we fear. That is what we are up against. We will resist any attempt by any defector to import violence into our happy family just because they are looking for a platform to achieve their political interests.

“We informed the leaders of the party that we will be here. We sent a letter to our leaders to tell them that we will tell the world that we don’t want these PDP elements among us here. Only enemies of the ruling party in Remo zone will wish that Adebutu and his people should join the party. Those working for the alleged defection of the lawmaker into the APC are working against the party,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, a chieftain of the APC in the zone, Alhaji Bariu Adetunji Shoda, described the rumored defection plan of the lawmaker as unacceptable to party members in Remoland. The septuagenarian, who was State Organising Secretary of the defunct Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) and now a member of the APC Elders’ Forum in his local government, cautioned against indiscriminate acceptance of PDP members into the ruling party as the 2019 General Elections approach.

“While many people will expect us to be happy over this alleged defection plot, I want to say it categorically that most of our party members are unhappy to hear that Adebutu and his people may be joining us. Like you said, this is still a rumour but it is fast gaining ground. We don’t want to take chances. That is why many people are speaking out very seriously against it.

“What we are saying is that those who worked vigorously against our party when we were still struggling to build it should not be allowed to just come in and reap where they didn’t sow. I recall the many effort leaders, like my humble self, put into getting the likes of Adebutu to join the APC back then. Our appeal was that we wanted a party where Remo people will be united.

“But they rejected us and worked against the party,” he recalled, warning that any attempt to force Adebutu on APC lawmaker in the zone will create serious crisis. “We don’t just trust these people. I am afraid that if they are allowed to come into the APC, the unity and oneness for which APC in Remoland is known will be threatened,” he added.

Efforts to reach the lawmaker for his reaction to the development proved abortive as he could not be reached on his mobile phone numbers as at press time. But it is not the first time Adebutu will be fingered in a defection plot into the ruling APC. However, his camp has consistently denied any such plan by the lawmaker.

The last time was last January when Afeez Bello, a legislative aide to Adebutu, debunked the claim, saying, “our attention has just been drawn to an online publication which purports a planned defection of Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu, Member House of Representatives, and Chairman, House Committee on Rural Development, to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

“For the avoidance of doubt and especially for the sake of our teeming supporters who might be hoodwinked into believing the said story to be true, the publication is false in all matters particular, there is no iota of truth in it and the suggestion or assumption can only exist in the wild imagination of the writer. We are not unmindful of the political undercurrents behind this false publication, and this goes on to confirm the rising profile of Hon. Adebutu in the political landscape of Ogun State and Nigeria in general.

“We need to remind our people about the obvious missing links in the said write up; it does not add up logically that Hon. Adebutu who was elected popularly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), holding an unprecedented overwhelming mandate of the people, did not join the APC even when there was hope of a successful governance by the ruling party, and it fails logic and reasoning that he will do so now that the party has demonstrated lack of capacity to govern.

“Perhaps this wild speculation would have looked possible and plausible if the APC had shown compassion for humanity which is the hallmark of Hon. Adebutu’s brand of politics, but sadly the welfare of the people appears not to be on the core agenda of the ruling party.

“However, one thing we have been able to take away from this false report is that Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu has climbed to such high pedestal in the politics of Ogun State so much that his name must be drawn into an obvious political propaganda warfare by all aspiring politicians, and we have no option than to wish them luck as we have strong faith in the capacity of the very enlightened people of Ogun State to discern truth from falsehoods at all times”.

In line with this it seems unclear