The glaring and inexcusable failure of the political elites in Akoko Land to present an agreeable, acceptable and preferred governorship aspirant out of the about 10 aspirants from the Akoko division for the August 27 scheduled primary election of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State is a classical instance of how political elites could place personal interests above the communal desire for growth and development. With the declaration by the former deputy governor of Ondo State and member of APC Board of Trustees, Alhaji Ali Olanusi that Akoko Land has no preferred governorship aspirant, the ugly scenario painted above might have defeated the Akoko Agenda.
As an Akoko man, my understanding of Akoko Agenda is the collective desire of majority of sons and daughters of Akoko Land to produce the governorship candidate of the APC and by extension, produce the next governor of Ondo State. The choice of APC is understandable, given the fact that the party is the most dominant and the most popular political party in our region in Ondo State.
It is instructive to note that Akoko Land has four local government areas, namely Akoko North-East, Akoko North-West, Akoko South-East and Akoko South-West.
For those who would be tempted to accuse our people of sectional interest, the temptation would be defeated if they have a slight idea of how Akoko Land has been neglected by the government of Ondo State since 2009. We have the worst set of roads in the State. All indices of development show that our region in Ondo State lacks government patronage. Infact, it appears the region has been cut off from Ondo State with the alarming level of marginalization we have suffered from the Dr Olusegun Mimiko-led administration since 2009.
According to the testimony of Alhaji Ali Olanusi, he had an understanding with the Chief Felix Ayegbusi-led Akoko Elders Assembly to summon a meeting of the Assembly to discuss the issue of choosing a single Aspirant for Akoko in the forthcoming APC primary election in Ondo State. The meeting that was well attended by the governorship aspirants resolved to inaugurate a committee to screen the aspirants. Eminent indigenes of Akoko from the Akoko Development Group (ADG) and Akoko Consultative Forum (ACF) made membership of the committee. Chief Ayegbusi himself is a member of the committee. Without mincing words, both governorship aspirants and party elders accepted the membership composition of the committee.
The report of the committee placed Prof. Ajayi Boroffice from Akoko South-West LG at first position with 74.3%. Hon. Victor Olabimtan from Akoko South-West LG came second with 69.8%. Mr Gani Dauda from Akoko North-West LG came third with 61.8%. Dr. Tunji Abayomi from Akoko North-West LG came fourth with 57.6%. Mr Olusegun Abraham from Akoko North-East LG came sixth with 54.6% amongst others. The report, which was widely publicized further showed that scores on 5-point range assessment rating scale were collapsed into five (5) inclusive and mutually reinforcing clusters of desirable attributes of governorship aspirants.
The five clusters are: – relevant educational and related background, real and potential capacity to reposition Ondo State, demonstrated consistency, loyalty and commitment to APC and its core values since the party’s inception, contributions to the growth of the party and ability and political clout/influence to relate with the Federal Government and relevant International Organizations/Agencies to attract/secure patronage and investments for development. It is instructive to note that Prof. Sola Ehindero who served as chairman of the committee is from Akoko North-West LG while the committee secretary, Hon. Pelemo is from Akoko South-East LG.
However, the committee has barely laid its report to the assembly of Akoko leaders of APC that Chief Felix Ayebusi, who is a member of the committee, whimsically and hurriedly announced the endorsement a governorship aspirant, Mr. Segun Abraham. The committee report had placed Mr Abraham at sixth position. Citing reasons for the endorsement of Mr Abraham, Chief Ayegbusi said since Akoko division has two parts, namely Akoko South and Akoko North, Akoko South that had been favoured most should give opportunity to Akoko North. He, however failed to tell the world the parameters he deployed to adopt Mr Abraham out of the many aspirants from Akoko North. Dr. Tunji Abayomi and Mr Ganny Dauda are from Akoko North Federal Constituency.
The intrigues and manipulative actions that culminated in an attempt by the Ayegbusi-led group to impose an aspirant on other aspirants left the group in huge integrity deficit. That is why all aspirants rejected the endorsement of Mr Abraham by Chief Ayegbusi. Even Dr Tunji Abayomi, whose Akoko North had been favoured by the Chief Ayegbusi’s kangaroo endorsement, kicked and rejected the arrangement by describing it as “embarrassingly self-serving and divisive”. Abayomi also said any endorsement without the consent of the Aspirants is useless while declaring that no group of leaders can impose a Candidate on any Aspirant.
In a similar manner, another aspirant, Hon. Victor Olabimtan described the arrangement as dead even before arrival because of lack of confidence in the leaders that are supposed to drive the process. The action of the Ayegbusi group is everything short of modest, honest and transparent. The bone of contention is whether imposition is allowed under a consensus arrangement.
Due to facts that the Chief Ayegbusi’s self-serving endorsement of Mr Abraham and the report of Alhaji Ali Olanusi-led committee, which recommended Prof. Boroffice for adoption as a preferred governorship aspirant, had been rejected by the aspirants, the aspirants have been admonished to go and discuss among themselves and present a single aspirant who will contest the primary election of the APC. Though, the aspirants said they are not opposed to consensus arrangement provided the process is thorough, all inclusive and the terms are acceptable to all aspirants, the possibility of presenting a single aspirant is almost foreclosed given the ugly turn of political events in recent times.
In clear terms, the disunity and dearth of cohesion in the club of governorship aspirants in the APC doe not speak well for the collective aspiration of the people of Akoko land to produce the next governor of Ondo State. If Akoko Land fails to produce the next governor of Ondo State, the Chief Felix Ayegbusi-led group should be chiefly blamed for pursuing personal interests at a critical time it was expected to offer acceptable leadership.
Sikiru Olusola writes from Ikare-Akoko
Ondo State.
