These days, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state is unusually silent and humble.
No longer are we being entertained through irrational, provocative and reckless comments by the Governor.
Even, his immatured and aggressive Group spokesperson, Michael Ogunsina has found a scabbard to keep his caustic tongue.
When anxious journalists besieged Governor Makinde for a few comments about his meeting with a former Military president, Rtd. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Governor Makinde maintained sealed lips.
Very unlike him you would want to agree with me.
In recent past, such an avenue used to be fertile grounds for him to vent his anger and frustrations on president Tinubu.
So, what has changed?
I think I know exactly what is happening.
At this point, reality however is beginning to dawn on Governor Seyi Makinde.
No matter how violently he shakes the Table, Tinubu will not play the ball again.
He realized that indeed, with Tinubu, he has crossed the red line.
The other time that he met the president, he told us that it was at the prompting of the president.
I never believed him even though, his lickspittles tried to amplify such illogical perspective.
The APC will commence its Conventions to elect officers from the ward to the National level in a couple of days.
If you are a politician, you would know the importance of that exercise.
If the door was not opened for Makinde within the APC as at now, then, it’s goodbye to the APC and I must give credit to the president and party Leaders for trusting in the process and shutting out a man who at all times bears the tendencies of disunity and disorganization.
Now, to the meeting at Minna.
I have decided to stay and watch.
Most especially, when I saw that the former Vice president Atiku Abubakar had denied the allegations by Fayose.
I also noted that Governor Makinde, through a third party also stated that his meeting Atiku Abubakar at Minna was a coincidence.
What a symbolic coincidence!
I note that Fayose had issued another statement, asking Paul Ibe, Atiku’s spokesperson who denied former Governor Fayose’s account of the said meeting to withdraw his denials and failure to do so, would elicit further damaging expositions.
Believe me, interesting times are ahead.
Let me say this, I have perused the statement by Atiku’s spokesperson, Paul Ibe and Governor Makinde’s weak attempt at denying the accusations from Fayose.
I note that while Atiku, through his spokesperson, tried so hard to tell us what did not happen at Babangida’s house, there was no single line dedicated to telling us exactly what happened.
Paul Ibe is a fantastic communicator, no doubts about that.
I have never met him but there is no doubting his abilities.
Surprisingly, on this occasion, he omitted something fundamental in his defence of Atiku Abubakar.
Very unlike him.
If you say this and this didn’t happen, then what happened?
Governor Makinde’s reaction is far more worthless.
He said his meeting Atiku at Babangida’s house was coincidence.
No arguments but I have never heard of him visiting Babangida up until that day.
I am also not aware that Babangida was celebrating his birthday on that day to have warranted him to pay him a congratulatory visit.
Earlier on in the day in question, he and others were at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division for the hearing of their Appeals against the PDP.
It is a surprise that coincidence just carried him to Minna after the Court session, exactly same time Atiku Abubakar was visiting Babangida!
Let me even ask, are both of them ashamed of being seen together that they have been frantically trying to deny the fact that they held a meeting together at Babangida’s house?
I think I know why they have been so desperate to deny themselves in public.
The allegations that Governor Makinde gave commitments of providing funds in billions of Naira to the Atiku campaign should he be considered for the Vice presidential candidate slot is very grave.
I knew that both camps would never want such information to become public knowledge, assuming it was discussed.
Like I said, there are interesting times ahead of us and we haven’t heard the last about this matter.
I think Governor Makinde would be very careful to square up with Fayose this time around.
I expect him to have learned some hard lessons on the 30 billion Naira episode.
All the same, it will be interesting to see how the camps of Atiku and Makinde would react to Fayose’s fresh threats.
I began this write up by saying that reality is beginning to dawn on Governor Seyi Makinde.
He hasn’t seen nothing yet.
About a month ago, I told him that none of the options before him is palatable.
If truly he is trying to buy a Vice presidential ticket from Atiku Abubakar in the ADC, I am ashamed of him.
Such a desperate measure is tantamount to him going back to his vomit.
After all they have done to Atiku Abubakar in the name of G-5 in 2023, so, he could still go back to beg to be Atiku’s Vice presidential candidate?
I will wait patiently and see how events unfold for now.
So, what is now going to happen to all the billions of Naira wasted by Governor Makinde in his attempt to hijack the PDP?
I thought he said he is comfortable within the PDP and he and others would fight to stabilize the party after seizing it from those they referred to as vultures?
So, have the vultures taken over the PDP from the repairers?
Honestly, I don’t believe it. Governor Makinde is the messiah sent to deliver the PDP from Wike and others.
He will never jump ship and abandon the PDP.
I will be shocked if truly Governor Makinde is throwing in the towel on the PDP.
Unfortunately for Governor Makinde, I had predicted that he is bound to meet with this unfortunate reality if he kept fighting blindly as he has been doing.
I told him that he was fighting a battle he had no chance of winning.
I told him he was fighting against the masters of the game and he was bound to lose.
That must have hurt his ego badly.
Governor Makinde doesn’t want to be seen or perceived as someone who stoops before anyone.
That is why he kept saying, ” I have no godfather”. ” I have no godfather”.
I think now, he must have realized that you can not conquer if you are not prepared to stoop.
When a dog got its head smeared with feaces, it returns to his master’s home. ( Bi aja ba fi ori ko imi, yoo mo ona ile olowo e).
Now that Governor Makinde has realized that he is in troubled waters, which house will he run to since he said he has no master?
The absence of wise counsel is obvious in the way Governor Makinde has been choosing and fighting his battles.
Even when he was offered beautiful counsel that should have made him to avoid the pit he now found himself, he wasn’t humble enough to accept such wise counsel.
Even me, I would never go ahead with the jamboree called PDP National Convention at Ibadan in disobedience of the Judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court.
Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki offered Governor Makinde a beautiful way out but was he humble enough to accept the advice?
Rather, he chose to go ahead with the Convention as if his life depended on it and when he was asked to justify the decision to disobey the Judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court, he said oh, Oyo state High Court has ordered that we have to go ahead with the Convention.
When he took the decision to go ahead with that jamboree, relying on an interlocutory order of the Oyo state High Court, I warned him that he just entered into a trap.
Up till today, I am still wondering how Governor Makinde could be that desperate and petty.
Governor Makinde is a graduate, an Engineer for that matter.
Forget the ” electrician” stunt by H. E Dave Umahi, an Engineer is an Engineer.
Judgments and orders of Courts are written in the most plain and simple English as is possible.
Did Governor Makinde read the judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court against the order of the Oyo state High Court?
By his personality, it would be difficult for me to know if he sought for advice before concluding that the order of the Oyo state High Court superceded the Judgments of the Abuja Federal High Court.
Interestingly, the Chairman of the party who was purportedly elected from that jamboree is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
I have also wondered how a Senior Advocate of Nigeria would be part of such a charade.
I am aware that the matter is now before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division and I made my observations without prejudice to the Court of Appeal.
When I saw the story about Governor Makinde meeting with Atiku Abubakar in Minna, one of the thoughts that came to my mind is that Governor Makinde is beginning to accept reality that the PDP is a dead end for him and he really needs to find shelter elsewhere.
He must have realized that his self admitted stubbornness will no longer sustain him in this dogfight.
He must have convinced himself that he can not disobey the Courts and go scot-free this time around.
His fate within the PDP is now tied to the judicial process and unlike how he disobeyed the Courts and went away with it in the issues of the Eleruwa of Eruwa and the Local Government Chairmen elected under Ajimobi, he would not be in the position to disobey the Courts if loses out in the PDP conflicts.
This is REALITY 1.0.
I read a news yesterday that the Iresa-Adu Community in Surulere Local Government of Oyo state have decided to install a new traditional ruler in one of its key towns amidst growing frustrations over alleged delay by Governor Makinde to approve a King for Iresa-Adu.
This story is interesting and it is another signal to Governor Seyi Makinde.
According to the story, Governor Makinde has refused or neglected to approve a King for the stool of Iresa-Adu for years despite appeals from the Community and its Leaders.
The Community, on their own, obviously frustrated by the actions of the Governor, went ahead to install a traditional ruler in one of its key towns, citing security concerns.
This is part of the realities that Governor Makinde would continue to confront henceforth.
He is an outgoing Governor.
He is embattled on all fronts.
He is now vulnerable and he would continue to be.
That is a reality he must continue to embrace moving forward.
His power, relevance and authority will continue to wane on a daily basis and there is nothing he can do about it.
Just yesterday again, I read the news that his former Chief of staffs, Chief Bisi Ilaka has resigned from the PDP to join the ADC.
More resignations are on the way.
Former Deputy Governor, Hanzim Gbolarunmi is now the Leader of the PDP in Oyo state.
I refuse to call him ‘ factional Leader ‘ because he is not.
Presently, in the face of the Law, H. E, Hanzim Gbolarunmi is the Leader of the PDP in Oyo state being a former Deputy Governor and member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees, BOT.
The PDP has expelled Governor Makinde and others as we speak and until he is either recalled or gets the expulsion overturned in Court, he remains expelled.
Gbolarunmi has chatted a new course for himself, different from the path Makinde is walking.
He definitely will also carve out followers from the political structures of the Governor.
I note that Governor Makinde is no longer talking about his anointed candidate.
Can the hairs on the water yam survive the furnace of a fire? ( Oju ina ko ni ewura ti nhu irun).
If things had gone well with him, Governor Seyi Makinde would have been troubling us with his anointed candidate as we speak.
He would have been talking about ‘ Omi Tuntun’ 3.0 but alas!
The shepherd is struck. The flock is scattered in different directions.
For someone who said, with gusto, that the purveyor of his ‘ Omi Tuntun’ 3.0 shall be named by January of 2026, he has been forced to grapple and contend with REALITY 1.0.
Politics na your mate?
Sola Abegunde.
