The first civilian governor in Osun state, Otunba Isiaka Adeleke and his party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, jarred into life the rather dull political ambience of the state, when the duo openly “clashed” over the 2018 governorship ambition of the politician fondly called “Serubawon” by his admirers.
“Serubawon” a Yoruba appellation is literally translated as “scared them”. To say this appellation was what Adeleke, who is presently serving in the upper legislative body of the country, representing Osun West Senatorial District, did to his party, is no doubt echoing the obvious.
Before the action of this Ede-born flamboyant politician and business man that set Osun political space on “fire”, insinuations have been flying around that Adeleke, a politician known with a trademark of cone-shaped cap, was not considering vying for the ultimate seat in Osun come 2018.
This, according to Adekele’s special adviser on media and public relations, Olumide Lawal, forced the clarification from his camp. The strong-worded statement signed by Lawal practically declared the readiness of “Serubawon” to once again take a shot at the oval office in Abere White House.
Lawal, in the said statement accused some unnamed people as brain behind an online publication where Adeleke was declared uninterested in the 2018 governorship race. Though he added that his principal in September last year dismissed harbouring gubernatorial ambition, but said circulating a release issued last year September as if it was a recent statement, smacked of mischief.
“Now, I should state emphatically and unequivocally state that Senator Isiaka Adeleke, is fully set to partake of the Osun 2018 governorship race and this is authoritative. And by God’s special grace and mercy, he will coast home to victory, as a trusted and tested hand in the political firmament of Nigeria.
“The Senator has been silently doing his homework and consulting widely to ensure that success comes his way effortlessly by the support of the vast electorate in Osun State, who are genuinely clamouring for him to come back and use the red biro to contribute further to the development of Osun State and complement the good works of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
“If therefore, there are some people expressing misgivings in some quarters by the September 15, 2015 publication under reference, they had better go back to the drawing board and tell the people, what they have to offer them. There is no stopping the coming out of Senator Isiaka Adeleke from exercising his constitutional right to seek for any elective office in the land, just as others are entitled to.
“The fact remains that Senator Isiaka Adeleke is tenacious and resilient in his bid to serve his people at the Bola Ige House, come 2018, without for now, losing his focus as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without let or hindrance.
“The man of the people is appealing to all would-be aspirants for the Osun
2018 governorship race to play the game according to the rule, without any bad blood, cheap blackmail and character assassination, which are unnecessary. For the umpteenth time, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, will soon hit the ground running with a big bang with his governorship ambition and there is no stopping an idea which time has come,” Lawal concluded.
Obviously, this open declaration coming about 24 months before the incumbent governor will end his term, did not go down well with the APC “leadership” in the state.
A stronger and caustic reaction dressed in the toga of general warning of the ruling party to those planning to succeed the incumbent governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, within its fold, which on second look, appeared a “missile” aimed at the camp of Ede-born Adeleke was released.
The APC in its statement instructed that any party chieftain intending to become governor of the state in the future should put that aspiration on hold, “because it is absolutely inappropriate at this juncture”.
The Osun State APC Chairman, Prince Adegboyega Famodun, in the statement said the party would not take kindly to any violation of the instruction, as according to him, there were more important things to do in service delivery to the people of the state adding that “what is most important for the party now is for everyone to join hands with the governor to solve problems confronting the state.”
The statement further reads: “the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is right in the middle of his second term, grappling with the difficulties of economic recession. This is not the proper time for any aspirant to divert attention from the serious business at hand.
“Everybody with governorship aspiration should put it on hold until such a time that the party will consider appropriate. Only then will it make political sense for anyone to come out and talk about governorship aspiration.”
Since the return of democracy, SenatorAdeleke has never hidden his interest to return to the seat of governor which he left in 1994 after 22 months in the saddle. In 1999 and 2003, Adeleke contested for governorship seat on the platform of All Peoples Party, APP.
It was really difficult for many Adeleke’s supporters to understand when a statement issued over a year ago suddenly “resurrected” and travelled with the velocity of a supersonic jet, telling everyone that he was not interested in succeeding Aregbesola as governor.
It would also be recalled that before dumping PDP, the party that gave him platform through which he got elected into the Red Chamber just two months before the testy August 8, 2014 governorship election, Otunba Adeleke, had a prolonged battle with the PDP standard bearer for the poll, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, owing to the fallout of the governorship primaries of the party.
Adeleke and many of his followers were of the opinion that the primary conducted by a panel led by former Kebbi state governor, Senator Adamu Alero, was heavily skewed to favour Omisore’s emergence.
The calculations then was that should Adeleke yank off PDP gubernatorial ticket, ex chairman of House of Representatives committee for Defence, Hon. Oluwole Oke, who hails from Osun East Senatorial District and was also contesting for the PDP’s ticket would peer Adeleke for the main election.
On the day the primary was held, Adeleke did not show up at the venue and for up to eight weeks after the event, he was shouting on top of his voice that the primary was not going to stand owing to obvious flaws in the delegates’ lists adopted for the exercise.
Because the matter was not addressed to his satisfaction, he dumped the party and joined efforts that returned Aregbesola for second term in office.
But with his declaration against the stand of his party, will Adeleke and APC relationship ever be the same again? Does APC position on the matter represent Governor Aregbesola’s view about how his successor should emerge? If yes, does that mean Aregbesola and Adeleke are no longer on same page?
Will the threat of sanction from APC stop Adeleke and others from going ahead to pursue their ambition? These and many more are some of the questions that events of the coming days will answer.
Despite the directive of party that whoever wants to succeed Aregbesola must keep such ambition in the cooler, many aspirants eyeing the APC ticket have continued mobilising support from major blocks within the party.
Specifically, many governorship aspirants from Osun West Senatorial District in the fold of the ruling party have been discreetly strategizing towards ensuring APC zone its ticket to the district to make sure one of them emerge the candidate of the party.
Some of those believed to be nursing governorship ambition from the West Senatorial District within APC are, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, the current speaker of Osun state House of Assembly, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, the member representing Ede/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency in House of Representatives, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, incumbent secretary to the state government and Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
It is not immediately clear if Dr. Peter Babalola,( Peter Power) who currently chairs the state’s Local Government Service Commission, will be interested in APC guber ticket, but going by feelers coming from some of his allies, the ex chief of staff to Osun state governor may also be considering joining the race.
Source: National Mirror
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