Honestly, I pity Bimbo Adekanmbi. In fact, I don’t envy him. He is a man who must carry a burden which he knew nothing about.
Unlike Christ who promises a lighter yoke, the burden and the yoke of Governor Seyi Makinde on Bimbo Adekanmbi are extremely heavy. Governor Makinde entertained us to series of amusements in the past couple of days.
After listening to some of his submissions, I concluded that the Governor of Oyo state would compete with the best of the best stand up comedian if he chooses to be one. No wonder he sold away the Trans- Amusements Park. With a character like him, who needs an Amusement Park?
I saw his remarks about those who he accused of abusing him and I asked myself, if we don’t abuse you, who should we abuse? Are you not our Governor? You, who is privileged to have been collecting billions upon billions of Naira on our behalf for almost seven and a half years now, is it my late father, Baba Eleran Igbe, we should be abusing if we don’t abuse you?
I am surprised that Governor Makinde equates criticism to an abuse. I am also surprised that he felt we shouldn’t involve him in the discussions around who should be Governor of Oyo state in 2027.
For the avoidance of doubts, we will continue to include Governor Seyi Makinde and his activities as Governor of Oyo state in the past seven years every time we are discussing the 2027 general election in Oyo state.
I am sure that Governor Makinde knows that there can never be a tomorrow without a yesterday.
Calling him to accounts about his activities as Governor is a normal process and he has to live with it.
After listening to him, I was curious about whether he has forgotten that it was he, who introduced Bimbo Adekanmbi as an offshoot and a continuation of his Omi Tuntun agenda.
Did he not say that Bimbo Adekanmbi is Omi Tuntun 3.0? Why Omi Tuntun? I thought they used to call Bimbo Adekanmbi BIMADEK? Why not BIMADEK 1.0?
I am much more amused to see that Governor Makinde has forgotten how rabid he was as an opposition figure.
At least, I remember that he once said that the only good thing he saw in the eight years tenure of the late Ajimobi were the late Governor’s Agbada, the nice shoes and caps.
Was that a compliment?
Governor Makinde also believed that since he is no longer contesting as Governor, then, opposition political parties should leave him alone and concentrate on what they would do better than him in the areas where he fell short.
I thought the Governor of Oyo state is so perfect that he didn’t fall short anywhere as Governor, because, that is exactly the imagination of his lickspittles.
At any rate, Governor Seyi is not the one who would tell us that he is not going to be on the ballot as a Gubernatorial candidate in 2027.
We know this fact very well. We know that he is contesting to become the president of Nigeria.
We also know that as opposition political parties, it is our responsibility to tell the electorates what we will do better and in line with this principle, our Gubernatorial candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli has unfolded his programs and policies at the Press Center, Iyaganku, Ibadan, a couple of weeks ago.
Perhaps, the Governor was too stressed up to take notice of the event or, he pretended not to know. Whatever it is, I am telling him now that we know what is expected of us and we are not falling short in our responsibilities.
Perhaps, the Governor might also be interested to know, that, amongst other policies, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli did promise to return to the popular and generally acceptable policy of 30-Pupil per classroom when elected as Governor of Oyo state.
I saw the Governor promising to make corrections where he made mistakes of offending anyone who might have felt offended by his actions. The chicken is coming home to roost.
I expect more of this kind of sober reflections from the Governor in the coming days. Reality is gradually dawning on our Dear Governor. Nothing lasts forever.
However, the one that amused me most is the declaration by Governor Seyi Makinde that he is not going to be Bimbo Adekanmbi’s godfather if the latter is elected as Governor of Oyo state.
Who is Governor Makinde telling that? We are not fools. Already, both Governor Seyi Makinde and Seye Famojuro are Bimbo Adekanmbi’s godfathers.
That reputation is already earned by them.
How did Adekanmbi emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, APM?
Was it by open primary or what? Was his choice not imposed on the party by the duo of Governor Seyi Makinde and Seye Famojuro? At least, a prominent leader of their party, through a Facebook post, publicly declared that Bimbo Adekanmbi is actually the candidate favored by Seye Famojuro.
Why are members of the Governor’s Advisory Council resigning one after the other after Bimbo Adekanmbi was announced as the gubernatorial candidate of the APM? Is it not in protests to the imposition of Bimbo as the gubernatorial candidate?
Who is even talking about godfatherism here? We are talking about something worse. We are talking about dictatorship.
We are talking about how Governor Makinde tampered with the Traditional Institutions, to the extent that he now wields too much power over the Traditional Institutions.
We are talking about his self admitted stubbornness that knows no bounds.
We are talking about him disrespecting and disregarding the judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on many occasions.
We are talking about him, getting so power drunk to the extent that he ensured that some hapless citizens spent December in detention, just because they “abused” him and Seye Famojuro.
That is Dictatorship. That is what Oyo state would reject in 2027.
I am not worried about whether anyone would be Bimbo Adekanmbi’s godfathers in 2027 because Omi Tuntun 3.0 will not see the light of the day. It is time we took a break away from a polluted and diabolic rain water.
I am so surprised that Governor Makinde didn’t talk about the Broadcasting Corporations of Oyo State, BCOS, which has become a horse de combat under his Administration.
He didn’t talk about the fire of crisis he his stoking at Saki West, over the alleged sales of the Veterinary Land.
I read it the News that he has taken his crusade of the selling of Government Land to Ogbomoso.
Why won’t we talk about all these just because Seyi Makinde would not be contesting the Governorship in 2027?
I think I noticed a subtle threat in the statement by the Governor when he was talking about those who he said are abusing him.
I hope I’m wrong about that because, for people like us, it won’t work. When see something, we will say something and if anyone has a problem with that, they could embrace the nearest transformer.
I wish Bimbo Adekanmbi well on this journey to nowhere. The yoke is just too heavy for him.
I saw the statement released by his Media team regarding the meeting he had with some residents of the Ibadan Circular Road.
The fellow is cowed. He couldn’t say anything meaningful.
For example, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli was emphatic about the fact that he would set up a Committee to look at the crisis created by Governor Makinde at the Ibadan Circular Road within 48 hours of his assumption of office as the Governor of Oyo state, with the mandate to suggest acceptable solutions.
Adekanmbi would dare not be bold enough to make such declaration. Will he ever dare to say that Governor Makinde didn’t do well by insisting on taking a 500m left and right for corridor?
I am waiting for the day he would be put on the spot regarding his views about the existence of the Local Governments within our Federation.
On such a day, we will know, if truly, he wouldn’t have a godfather.
Sola Abegunde.
