Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ogun 2019: Amosun battles Osoba, Tinubu over Yayi

The political intrigues, machinations and horse trading that usually herald the contest for the governorship seat in states across the country have once again begun in earnest in Ogun State with the various players oiling and revving up their political machinery ahead of the 2019 elections in the state.

Specifically, strong indications have emerged that the incumbent Governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has commenced deft political moves aimed at producing his successor in 2019 against alleged plans by former governor Olusegun Osoba and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure the emergence of a serving National Assembly member, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the next governor of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the choice of a successor has already pitched Amosun against the two former governors of Ogun and Lagos States, who are strongly believed to be rooting for the candidacy of Adeola, who is from Yewa, a section of the state that has yet to produce governor for the state since its creation over 40 years ago.

How it all began

According to political analysts, the current political situation in the state is a fallout of the power struggle between Governor Amosun and former governor Osoba ahead of the 2019 polls.

In 2011, both Tinubu and Osoba had ensured the emergence and electoral victory of Amosun on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria. But Amosun later fell out with the two key political figures, especially in the run-up to the 2015 elections.

During the intense battle to retain his seat in 2015, Tinubu and Osoba were believed to have worked against Amosun. But the incumbent Ogun governor managed to weather the storm, forcing Osoba and his supporters to defect to the relatively unknown Social Democratic Party, on whose platform they contested and lost the elections, while he also defeated the opposition People’s Democratic Party candidate, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, to eventually secure a second term in office.

Also, in 2015, Adeola had attempted to contest the ticket to represent Ogun West in the Senate, but he was said to have been forced to beat a retreat, following Governor Amosun’s alleged vehement and hostile opposition to his bid. He, however, eventually realised his senatorial ambition on the platform of the APC in Lagos State, which offered him its ticket for Lagos West, the largest senatorial district in the state.

Since then both Adeola and Governor Amosun as well as their respective supporters, have been pitched against each other in the battle for the number one political office in Ogun.

Amosun’s stance on choice of successor Currently, Yayi is said to have been ‘depopulating’ Governor Amosun’s camp as the race for the 2019 governorship election in the state begins in earnest. Amosun’s supporters are said to be leaving his camp in droves for that of the Lagos senator in preparation for the impending battle for the governorship of the state.

Having served his constitutional two terms of eight years, it is clear that Governor Amosun is no longer eligible to contest the seat again, but he’s no doubt interested in who his successor should be and that is why he’s said to be making strenuous efforts to determine the next occupier of the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office.

Therefore, he’s not leaving anything to chances in picking his successor in office.

Recently, Amosun made it clear at a public function that he knew those who would not succeed him as governor. He also declared the seven aspirants, who had already indicated interest in succeeding him, as unqualified, saying that he would make public the identity of his successor, who would be acceptable to the people of the state, at the appropriate time.

“For us in Ogun State, I cannot tell you quickly this is who our governor will be, but we know those that will not be governor. I had all my education here and I know, with all our elders, even those that are apolitical, I know those that will not be governor and I know that at the appropriate time, we will get our people together and present our sons and daughters; we will pick and whoever we pick, will be governor,” he had said.

Watchers of political events in the state are, however, of the opinion that Sen. Adeola is one of the aspirants Governor Amosun has identified as “unfit” to take over the reins of governance in Ogun from him.

The candidacy of Senator Adeola, which is said to have received the blessings of Osoba and Tinubu as well as other key political leaders in the South-West, is, however, said to be behind the current heat on the political terrain in the state.

APC LG chairmen in the firing line Already, the issue has led to the suspension of some local government area party officials for petitioning the National Working Committee of the ruling APC last April on their “ordeal at the hands of Governor Amosun” over the matter.

Seven APC council chairmen in the state signed the petition against the governor’s handling of party affairs in the state.

The petitioners protested against alleged unlawful suspension, illegal removal, intimidation and harassment of the party chairmen in the local government areas in the state.

The APC LG bosses, including Ladi Lekuti (Ijebu Ode), Idowu Adetunji, (Yewa South), Onaolapo Olawale (Odeda), Muhammed Azeez (Ado Odo-Otta), Sunday Akinyemi (Yewa North) Emmanuel Oguntade (Ipokia) and Ayo Banjo, (Odogbolu) claimed that they wrote the petition on behalf of all the party chairmen in the 20 local council areas in the state.

The petitioners, who complained that the party’s statutory meetings had been stopped and replaced with briefings from Governor Amosun, appealed to the Chief Odigie-Oyegunled APC NWC to put an end to the “ignoble and illegal activities” of the governor.

According to the petition, “Since the 2015 general elections, the party has not been holding meetings at all levels in the state viz state, senatorial, local government and at the ward levels. All party meetings have been replaced by briefings only from the governor – Sen. Amosun.

“The state executive organ was and still is hardly financed by the APC-led administration of Gov. Amosun even with countless pleas from elders of the party. “The state exco organ of the party in the state has become an appendage of the governor and this has divided and paralysed party structure at all levels in the state.”

Consequently, three of the party chairmen in the local government areas, who submitted the petition to Odigie-Oyegun in Abuja, were suspended.

Also, it was learnt that the party buses had been withdrawn from them, while some of them have continued to face harassments and even molested at APC gatherings by alleged supporters of the governor.

This development, our correspondent further learnt, has made those from other parties planning to defect to the ruling APC in the state to have a rethink about taking such an action now.

There are, therefore, fears among APC members in the state that the current development may affect the electoral fortunes of the ruling party during the 2019 elections, if urgent steps are not taken to arrest the current trend in the state.

While receiving the petition, Odigie-Oyegun reportedly assured the LG party chairmen that the appropriate steps would be taken to resolve the matter. But the last has yet to be heard about the matter.

The Line up for Oke Mosan

Sen Solomon Adeola (Yayi) Although Adeola is a high ranking member of the National Assembly representing Lagos West Senatorial District, where he has made his mark, he hails from the Yewa section of Ogun State.

But since he set his eyes on the governorship seat in his home state, Yayi has been making waves across Ogun and even the various political parties. He is said to have the backing of Osoba and Tinubu in his current efforts to seize the control of the APC machinery in the state from Governor Amosun, who is said to be bent on producing his own successor in office. Adeola, it was learnt, has intensified his efforts to win over to his camp some of Governor Amosun’s loyalists, especially amongst his Yewa-Awori kinsmen.

One of such figures is a former commissioner for community development and cooperatives during Amosun’s first term, Chief Samuel Aiyedogbon.

In December last year, Adeola was said to have assured Aiyedogbon, who is believed to have been aggrieved for allegedly being used and dumped by Amosun, of a better deal under his governorship.

“I have been contesting for about 20 years and I have been winning. If I have not been doing good things, it wouldn’t have been possible. I am, therefore, assuring you t h a t I will continue to do the good works for which I am renowned.

“All that you have lost will be restored. When you go to the local governments (in the state), there is nothing there again. All your losses will be restored when I emerge as the governor.

“Some people said certain seven people have come out and approached them, that they don’t have leadership qualities.

“I have the belief that it is only God as well as the entire people of Ogun State that have the right to determine who is fit to become next governor,”

Adeola reportedly said during his visit to the former commissioner’s residence. Also, it was learnt that Amosun’s loyalists in Ogun East, who are similarly aggrieved for allegedly being sidelined by the incumbent, have already concluded plans to move over to Yayi’s camp ahead of the 2019 polls in the state.

Senator Adeola is, however, said not to be putting all his eggs in one basket as he has begun to spread his tentacles beyond the ruling APC by reaching out to his supporters in the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party in his bid to take a shot at the governorship of the state in 2019.

It was gathered that a group within the PDP in Ogun said to be made up of some loyalists of former governor Gbenga Daniel, including three of his former commissioners, Samson Olopade, Dr. Isiaq Salako and Tunji Akinosi, has forged an alignment with another political group known as De Democrat to ensure the realization of Yayi’s governorship ambition in the state in 2019.

Similarly towards this end, a member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, recently led another group of PDP chieftains in the state to a meeting with some youths across the various parties in the state at the Abeokuta residence of Chief Osoba.

Adebutu said that only a grand coalition of elements across the ruling APC, the main opposition PDP and other political parties could save the state and achieve its genuine revival.

The lawmaker, who represents Remo North in the House of Representatives, stated that it had, therefore, become imperative for people of like minds in the state across party divides to build such an all-embracing coalition. He, however, cleared the air that the current moves by him and others to save Ogun from the grips of “misgovernance” should not be misconstrued as a plan to defect to the ruling APC in the state.

Adebutu reiterated his desire to be in the forefront of a united rainbow coalition for project “Ogun Revival,” a movement for the return of good governance to the state. “To genuinely achieve a revival of Ogun State, the mission requires a grand coalition of elements from PDP, APC and other parties. Therefore, it is imperative to build this coalition by embracing all people of like minds,” hesaid.

Senator Gbolahan Dada

Another member of the National Assembly, Senator Gbolahan Dada, who also like his colleague, Adeola, hails from Ogun West Senatorial District, which he currently represents at the Senate, is also said to have his eyes on the governorship seat in 2019. Infact, at a point, Dada was said to have been endorsed by Governor Amosun as his successor. There are, however, speculations that the Ogun West senator may no longer be interested in the plum job.

Prince Suraj Adekunbi

Adekunbi is the incumbent speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly. He is from Ayetoro, the headquarters of Yewa North Local Government Area. The candidacy of the speaker, who has been in charge of affairs at the state legislature since 2011 like the governor, is said to be favoured by Amosun. He is said to have begun the moves to succeed Governor Amosun in the past five years.

Recently, his colleagues in the state House of Assembly endorsed his bid to succeed Governor Amosun in 2019, saying that his performance in handling affairs in the state legislature was enough to earn him the coveted position.

Chief Tolu Odebiyi

Relatively unknown Odebiyi is a son of the renowned second republic senator, late Chief Jonathan Odebiyi. He’s said to be more of an industrialist than a politician. Analysts say his ambition may not go beyond the level of his current aspiration for the office of the governor of the state.

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