By Sola Abegunde
There is a very short video that has been trending online for the past two days. In that video, Bimbo Adekanmbi, the gubernatorial candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, APM, could be seen adjusting his flowing Agbada gown with gusto, his left elbow spread so wide from his body.
Critically looking at the demeanor of Adekanmbi in that video, it is obvious he was on a mission, acting a script handed over to him by someone. The content and the settings itself are so dramatic, the purpose so clear to discerning minds.
A very short video that passed a series of messages and exposed series of shenanigans.
When I saw the video where Adekanmbi was announcing a donation of the sum of five hundred thousand Naira on behalf of Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, the first thing that came to my mind was the demeanor and carriage of the APM gubernatorial candidate.
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I told myself that the best way for Governor Seyi Makinde’s prayers to be answered is for Adekanmbi to lose the 2027 Governorship election. I could be wrong but the version of Adekanmbi that I saw in that video yesterday would be dangerous, even to the one who seek to install him as his successor.
I saw a man who saw power in money, a man who thought that money answereth all questions. I thought about doing something along the line of passing a warning to Governor Makinde to beware of the little dragon he is nurturing but through a discussion I had with a brother this morning, the shenanigans behind the video became clearer and so also were my thoughts.
The short video of two days ago and the drama that took place is not an isolated occurrence. It was a reaction to some events that had passed and I think our religious Leaders really need to be very careful and weary of politicians.
I have not watched the movie titled The Rubicon by my good brother and friend, Adebayo Faleke, but this morning I saw the opinion of someone who wrote a critique of the film and that afforded me an insight into what the film was all about.
Bayo Faleke scripted the film to expose the struggle by journalists to maintain a balance between their job ethics and the temptations to better their lots at the expense of professional ethics and public interests.
According to the critique that I read this morning, Faleke was of the opinion that once journalists began to bend to the wishes of journalists, neglecting objectivity and professional ethics, the society will suffer the negative consequences.
Bayo’s concerns have become manifest and I hope that our religious leaders would be very careful not to be the next prey of the politicians.
Like I said, the events recorded in that poorly scripted short video is not isolated. It is a reaction to a previous event.
On Saturday, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli was a guest at a Muslim program organized at the Ilaji Resort and hosted by the owner of the Resort. From the videos that circulated online, Alli, accompanied by Senator Yunus Akintunde received a rousing welcome at the program.
I can not really confirm this report but I was informed that the Oyo South Senator donated a sum of money in millions, someone said, 5 million Naira was donated by him.
Prior to that program at the Ilaji Resort or, perhaps, around the same period, I had seen a video of Bimbo Adekanmbi when he was at the University of Ibadan Central Mosque.
Adekambi was at the U. I Central Mosque to solicit for the support of the U. I Muslim Community. From the video I watched, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musbau Babatunde led Bimbo Adekanmbi to a failed mission, he was also accompanied by a Personal Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde, one Alhaji Akeem Azeez and another Muslim Cleric who is an appointee of Governor Seyi Makinde amongst others.
When I saw the video, I felt like, Bimbo Adekanmbi really needs it. Both himself and Governor Seyi Makinde needs a lot of explanations to offer to the Muslims in Oyo state. His desperation for power noticed, he had a meeting with academics at the Faculty of Arts conference room, he proceeded to Mellanby Hall, sadly, majority of the students are not on campus, they are on mid-semester break. That’s a punch to his guber ambition.
They need to explain the rationale behind his choice as Governor Seyi Makinde’s successor to Muslim Community and reason why Gov Makinde didn’t honour agreement he had with Muslim Community in the build up to 2023, he is stylishly telling them to wait for another 8 years.
They need to explain to them that in the whole of Oyo state, there is no single Muslim who is competent enough, like Adekanmbi, to take over from Governor Seyi Makinde who, as a Christian, has spent eight years in office.
So, I understood why he was on the road so early but I wondered if the Muslim Community in Oyo state would consider a butterfly to be the same as a bird.
So, back to the video of two days ago, I discovered that the program where Bimbo Adekanmbi was seen announcing the donation of five hundred thousand Naira on behalf of Senator Sharafadeen Alli actually took place somewhere within the Oyo state Secretariat.
I was informed that it was the Oyo state version of the Hijrah 1448AH program held at Ilaji Resort last Saturday to counter over 50,000 attendance the program recorded. Sadly, the hall they used in Secretariat cannot accommodate 1,500 people, shame!
The question is, what was the original purpose of the program? Was Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli personally present at the program because, from that video, he could not be sighted?
Why would Adekanmbi need to announce a donation on behalf of Alli? According to the narrative being pushed on social media by the supporters of Adekanmbi, Senator Sharafadeen Alli was alleged to have donated the sum of five hundred thousand Naira while Adekanmbi donated three million Naira and Adekambi thereafter donated another sum of five hundred thousand Naira on behalf of Alli whom he referred to as his Egbon.
I could see that immediately Adekanmbi announced the donation of the extra five hundred thousand Naira on behalf of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, an unseen announcer was heard announcing the total sum donated by Adekanmbi as if that was all that mattered and as if he wasn’t aware of whatever sum of money the APM candidate donated in the first place.
Like I said, that video was poorly scripted. Let us ask ourselves, what happened to the part where Alli was announcing his donation? Who are those present at the program and what is the program all about?
Did Chief Imam of Ibadan Land present at the program?
Did Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta present?
What’s the motive of the program, did they achieve it? No.
Political appointments could be very enticing and once you held them, it could always be very difficult to imagine yourself out of office.
The Muslim leaders who accepted political appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde are doing everything possible to retain their positions or perhaps get elevated through Bimbo Adekanmbi but I think they would have found their jobs easier if they had convinced Governor Seyi Makinde to nominate a Muslim as his successor.
Like I said earlier, I was informed that Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli donated generously on Saturday during the Muslim program at Ilaji and up till today, I have never come across a video celebrating his willful donation.
Is it that he wasn’t accompanied to the program by his Media Team?
Senator Sharafadeen Alli is a matured politician and by not making noise about a willful donation, he has demonstrated pure maturity and the respect for the dignity of the Muslim Body.
If those who deliberately organized that tragic comedy felt they wanted to denigrate Sarafa Alli and promote Bimbo Adekanmbi through that video, believe me, the plan just backfire.
As I said at the beginning, I think Governor Seyi Makinde should begin to watch the baby dragon he is nuturing.
The demeanor of the fellow that I saw in that video is enough warning for anyone, even Governor Seyi Makinde.
Sola Abegunde.
