The umbrella body of Oke Ogun indigenes both home and abroad, Oke Ogun Parapo has reacted to a statement credited to Oyo APC gubernatorial aspirant, Senator Teslim Folarin where he publicly declared that Senator Fatai Buhari should be given a third term ticket in Oyo North senatorial District as a compensation for supporting his Governorship ambition.
They described Senator Folarin’s position as very unfortunate and highly insulting to the sensibility of all sons and daughters of Okeogun political region of Oyo State. According to the group “Oke Ogun constitutes almost one third of the State, about 25 percent of the voting population and has been clamouring to produce the Governor of Oyo State since the return of democracy in 1999 with no success.” To their dismay, their aspiration for political equity has been worsened by the emerging dominance of the Oyo North Senatorial zone by the Ogbomosho axis.
In a communique, issued after their meeting at the early hours of Friday 13th May 2022, Okeogun Parapo described as faceless, a group named Okeogun Progressive Frontliners canvassing for the return of Senator Buhari to the senate. “It is sheer ignorance and politically clueless for any group in Okeogun to support the third term ambition of senator Buhari.”
Okeogun Parapo justified their position by clarifying that “Ten (10) of the thirteen (13) Local Government areas in Oyo North are in Okeogun with about 75 percent of the voting population.” For the records, in 2015
Total votes for the APC in Oyo North was 104,056, Ogbomoso zone with 3 LGs had 17,141 Okeogun zone with 10 LGs had 86,915
In 2019, Total Votes for the APC in Oyo North was 107,344 Ogbomoso zone with 3 LGs had 18,434 while Okeogun zone with 10 LGs had 88,910.
Now, further statistics of the election results indicate that Senator Fatai Buhari is a political burden to us in Oyo North Senatorial District and the time is now for us all to call his bluff. Buhari is from Ogbomoso South Local Government of Oyo State and he has never won any election in his Local Government.
For the avoidance of doubt, below is the results of the Senatorial Election in Ogbomoso South in 2015 and 2019
In 2015
LP scored 13,084 votes
PDP scored 4202 votes
APC scored. 4042 votes
In 2019
ADP scored 9691 votes
PDP scored 7532 votes
APC scored 3364 votes
This means Senator Buhari came the distant third in both elections and has been returned twice by the chunk of votes from the Okeogun region.
This buttresses the fact that, in their magnanimity, the Okeogun people in the APC has given their full support for the Ogbomosho axis to produce the Senator in the last eight years despite the obvious lopsidedness in the scheme of things by the outgoing Senator Fatai Buhari. It is therefore appalling that despite this obvious assymetrism, Senator Teslim Folarin is fanning the ember of disunity and tension by supporting the aspiration of Senator Buhari for a third successive term to bring his dominance of the zone to 12 years. “To this, we say NO.”
“It is disheartening that Folarin, for his selfish reasons will support such iniquity of domination with his reckless statement. Invariably, Senator Teslim has subtly declared war on Oke Ogun region.” The group submitted that if Senator Folarin does not recant his unfortunate statement, it can be inferred that he does not need their votes to become the next Oyo State governor. They, therefore, call on the people of Oke Ogun to rise up to the challenge by stating that “If the APC stalwarts in Oyo State relegate us to this dismal level of relevance, it behooves on all indigenes of Okeogun to say NO to this denigrating insult on our common sense.” abi bawo?
