As the saying goes, power is not served a la carte, what we had in our great party was just a congress, not even a primary election, the smartest person wins this kind of game and reconcile other tendencies.
During the build up of United States election in 2020, there was no Congress in more than 6 states, Joe biden and his cohort dusted the other camps (what is liken to JAGBA tactics here) to having their ways. Quickly, they reconcile within and won the election.
Back home in 2019, Sen. Adeseun would have been the flag bearer of PDP, but, Seyi Makinde and his cohort held a parallel congress, got national recognition and heart of the party. He staged reconciliation and won the heart of many and later won Governorship race. Later, Sen. Adeseun left PDP and joined APC.
Same things happened in APC in 2019, before the eve of the primary, the preferred choice of entire APC Oyo state was Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, in a Mafia manner, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi and other stakeholders changed the choice and pushed Chief Adabayo Adelabu for party gubernatorial candidate. Yet, Mogaji Tegbe was sportsman for allowing genuine reconciliation to have its way to enable party stronger. Engr Tegbe let go off the rein and never worked against the party, in fact he spent more on the candidacy of Chief Bayo Adelabu. He displayed the real spirit of progressive man.
As regards the October 30th, 2021 Congress in Oyo State, the deed has been done, what matters to us is not a media tantrum but a genuine reconciliation and agreement ahead of primary election. If primary election should meet us this way, certainly the two sides will suffer it in future election.
Let us reconcile and move on as a party. We are better together. We shouldn’t forget in hurry how some people worked against the interest of the party in 2019 which paved way for emergence of Engr Seyi Makinde as Governor. 2023 elections is a better chance for APC to reclaim the mandate it lost narrowly.
We should note calling some people an alien is never a good tune we should be singing, because so many had gone south in the past. Just take a reminder, is Sen. Adeseun that joined APC in 2019 a landlord, despite his working to see APC failed in 2019?
Is Baba Kunle Sanda, Baba Abu Gbadamosi, who led team of APC office holder out of the party to ADC but came back empty handed be claiming or demanding for the Lordship of the party? Same people that asked Baba Akin Oke led Exco to be disbanded, as their only reason to come back to APC?
On Senator Olufemi Lanleyin and co who worked in support of Seyi Makinde suddenly turned around to claim automatic Jersey?
As it stands today, APC is a conglomerate of different party men? Only people from AD are real Progressives if we have to go by the trend.
Ultimately, We have a common enemy, the current occupier of the state, let’s channel our energy to unseat him, every other interest should be secondary to us.
Adedoyin Kafayat
University of Ibadan
