2023: Why Ibadans Should Allow Power Shift To Other Zones !! By Abdul Waheed O Lawal

“APPEAL TO IBADANS TO LET POWER SHIFT TO OTHER AREAS OF OYO STATE IN 2023.

Bar. Abdul Waheed O Lawal,
Lawyer/Political Activist

To Matured and Enlightened Minds not for those below 18 years old please .

Stand up! Stand Up for Justice, Equity and Fairness!
This is a Clarion call to all lovers of justice, equity and fairness! I advocate dialogue and negotiation not violence.

I do not want to fan embers of hatred and disaffection. I’m preaching love, understanding and cooperation.

Although I’m from Okeogun area of Oyo State but I have lived, worked and established a family in Ibadan.

I love my country, I love my state, I love Okeogun and I love my town Saki more.

I can’t pretend. I’m passionate about the growth, progress and development of Okeogun. I won’t lie to you, I pray Okeogun gets her own state.

I will also tell you in all honesty that I love Ibadan and Ibadans. I have so many brothers and friends in Ibadan that I will wish our brotherhood, companionship and friendship extends beyond this ephemeral world.

Having said this, may I appeal to you in the name of God, Almighty Allah and beg you in the name of your town and ancestors to lend me your eyes, hears and hearts.

I’m a shy person. I am not good at expressing myself in English language neither do I know how to persuade my readers. I try to put this little piece down and to pass the message to you in this raw, unprocessed form with the hope that you will decode the message, understand me better than I tried to pass my message. Thanks for overlooking my faults, may God overlook yours too.

Distinguished good elders, leaders and critical stakeholders of Ibadan. May God preserve your lives and let you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

You are front-runners, Pathfinders, movers and shakers of the world and of civilization. May your starts never dim.

Please and please, allow power to shift to other areas of Oyo state in 2023. I know I’m too young to be the one to tell you this. I know you are expecting the leaders, elders, men of timber and caliber from areas outside Ibadan to reach out to you for dialogue and negotiation. You are right sirs/mas.

While I’m not holding brief for them, I wish to beg you to please listen to the voice of the greater majority of youths and people within my age brackets (55-60) that I represent.

I crave your indulgence to mark my words, I am appealing and begging not coercing , blackmailing or threatening you because I’m too politically inconsequential to dialogue with you and I am too feeble and economically weak to organise any form of violence even if I wanted to.

The Yoruba people say playing together is not possible when one ate to his fill and the other is hungry. (Ajoje ko dun ti enikan ko ba ni). Just place yourselves in our shoes. That we all own the state together and are bonafide members of this state and it’s only one town producing the governors all the time. Please have a rethink and let power rotate to other areas.

Can you see that the North is more liberal and tolerant than you?

Can you see that the Hausa / Fulani are demonstrating better understanding of democracy than Yorubas?

In 1976, they had the power not to let Obasanjo, a Yoruba man be the head of state. They thought to themselves, ‘let us allow him’ persuading and they did.

Again, in 1993, in the spirit of one Nigeria, they gave MKO Abiola more votes than their son, Bashir Tofa. Although the election was annulled, they compensated us again in 1999 when all political parties voluntarily picked Olu Falae and Chief Obasanjo and other Southerners as their flag bearers.

After spending 4 years, some northerners contested with Obasanjo, the north maintained their stand and supported Obasanjo.

After the 8 years of Obasanjo, power returned to the north and Yar-Adua became the President’. When Yar adua died, Goodluck Jonathan took over and completed Yar Adua tenure.

In 2011, some northerners wanted a northern candidate to complete the slot of the North but the elders and leaders of South South moved, persuaded and convinced the North to allow South South to take the shot. As long as democracy remains a game of number, Otuoke, Bayelsa and nay the entire South South can never produce a president in Nigeria. It’s unfortunate we don’t have a body in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and Okeogun doing this. What am I saying? The South south elders were smart enough to move round the geopolitical zones , cajoling, begging, appealing to and negotiating with others to support their son, Goodluck Jonathan for President even if it was for one term and the north conceeded.

The north voted massively for Jonathan and he was the President. Has that not entered the Guinness book of record that Bayelsa that is not as big as Okeogun produced a President’ of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

My dear fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and my friends from Ibadan, won’t you allow power to shift to other town in Oyo State in 2023? You might be thinking of what to do with the incumbent. I have an answer. There is nothing spectacular about the incumbent. Heavens will not fall if you allow other towns to produce the governor in 2023. Akande and Oyinlola in Osun state spent one term each. Fayose and Fayemi of Ekiti spent one term each before they were later reconsidered for second term each except Adebayo that had no such opportunity. In Ogun State, Osoba spent one full term. Second term is no sancrosanct. In Lagos Ambode spent just one term. Nothing removes him from being called a former governor and there is no law that prohibiting him from recontesting in the nearest future.

Let us come to Oyo State. Chief Bola Ige, Chief Kolapo Ishola, Alh Lam Adesina, Chief Ladoja and Otunba Akala spent one term each. So, there is nothing wrong if you asked Makinde to step down or vote against him in 2023 in the interest of peace, love, brotherhood and unity of the state. The interest of the people of Ibarapa, Oyo, Okeogun and Ogbomoso superceed the interest of Gov Makinde who desires second term.

It’s workable. It’s doable. We can negotiate it. In fact, it will assuage the feelings and appease the sentiments of other non Ibadans and give them sense of belonging. The notion or idea that Ibadans are monopolising power and do not want other communities outside Ibadan to produce Governor’ of the state will evaporate. Let me tell you, there is a growing resentments all over other towns. People are already bottling their anger. I’m afraid if this sit tight and monopoly of Governorship persists, the bottle of anger could explode. The situation is like a keg of gun powder waiting for time to explode. Dear leaders, elders and stakeholders of Ibadan, please try and do something.

Remember, the late Gov Alao-Akala died with that feeling of marginalisation of other towns by Ibadan. In his book Amazing Grace, he devoted a chapter to address this under Ibadan and the Rest of Us. Akala was not happy about heavy fisted domination of the state by the Ibadans. I make bold to say, he would have loved to see a non Ibadan sworn in as Governor in 2023. He said this in his book.

Please, Ibadans do something. I beg.

TO NON IBADANS
I mean those of us who are not sons and daughters of Ibadan. Let us demonstrate that seriousness, tenacity of purpose and strong determination to govern Oyo State. You might say I’m appealing and begging. Yes, we have to appeal and beg. Once your step mother is older than your mother, you just have to address her as your mother.

Although, it’s atime debatable. However, I don’t think debating is necessary. Ibadan population is more than the rest of us. Forget the fact that Ibadan has 11 local government areas and she is followed by Okeogun with 10 local government. We are talking of voters strength. Please, we just have to appeal to the almighty Ibadan.

Now to ourselves. Let us tell ourselves some gospel truth. We have not demonstrated enough seriousness. We are not organised. We are disunited. I have come to realise that Okeogun alone cannot do it. Some people hate this naked truth. I owe nobody an apology.

I repeat, the votes of Okeogun alone cannot make Okeogun indigine the governor of Oyo state. Let us change the slogan. Let us embrace and carry along Oyo, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, and even Ibadan.
Let us sit down and discuss.

I have always asked these questions and I will continue to ask until I get satisfactory answers and appropriate reactions.

I know anytime I asked these questions, I get abrasive, acerbic comments and vitriolic attacks from the quarters I least expected, that is from my contemporaries, particularly those who are junior to me. However, I remain resolute and determined to push harder until the right thing is done. We can’t all sleep facing one direction.

I repeat the following:
Who are the elders of Okeogun?
Where are they?
What are they doing?

I remember the role Edwin Clark played and is still playing in the South South. He played a critical role in the installation and Government of Goodluck Jonathan and even up till date. I know that he stood behind Jonathan to the extent that our own Chief Obasanjo was eventually sidelined. In our own case Okeogun, we hardly stand behind any of our son in government except trying to pull them down.

I want to know an elder or a group of elders speaking on behalf of Okeogun. I’m sorry, I don’t know who to contact if I have beneficial information or my own little advice on how to make things work.

I’m aware of a group of elders from Oyo, Okeogun, Ibarapa and Ogbomoso who stood behind Akala and supported him to win 2007 election. I will publish their names later. Some of them have died, some are too old and no longer active in politics. During that time, they used to meet and issue press statements. The meetings used to be facilitated by Gov Akala or those working with him. Today, I’m not aware of any facilitator.

Brethren! See the statements coming out of the vocal cavity of Elder statesman Alh Tanko Yakassai. Who is our own Tanko Yakassai?
Where are our own elder statesmen? Where are our own former deputy governors, former ministers, ambassadors, retired permanent secretaries, former Chieftains of political parties, former state chairmen of political parties, former Commissioners and other matured influential and consequential indigines of Okeogun who have genuine love , Interest and passion for progress and development of Okeogun?

Read 👇
dailypost.ng. 2022/01/24
2023: North has no justification to remain in power – Tanko Yakasai

Read👇
www.naijanews.com › 2023-…
2023: Power Should Shift To South – Tanko-Yakasai Tackles NEF

Read👇
North’s agenda to rule Nigeria after President Buhari will be an injustice to the South. Tanko Yakasai

Tell me any elder statesman or high personality who is making these kinds of statements from Okeogun..

Conclusion and Recommendation.

If the Hausa/ Fulani North can conceed to power shift to the South, let Ibadans conceed to power shift to the towns outside Ibadan in 2023.

Let leaders, elders and critical stakeholders from Okeogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa go and learn from the leaders of the Niger Delta how they moved round the geopolitical zones in 2010,2011 to secure the mandate for Goodluck Jonathan.

Let our people come together and create one single Platform for power shift or rotation of Governorship that will embrace all Geopolitical or administrative zones of Oyo State and agree to back one Aspirant from any of the town outside Ibadan in 2023.

Note: When we are saying Ibadans are monopolising power and do not want the Governorship slot to go to other towns, we are not talking of ordinary good people of Ibadan who are liberal, very accommodating and loving. But we are talking of the cabal, the selfish political elites who are exploiting the numerical strength of Ibadan to realise and satisfy their personal political agenda without a good record of benefits to the ordinary people of Ibadan.
God will continue to bless Oyo State and Nigeria.