‘Gallant Murphy’: A Victim of Internal Wrangling Turned Symbol of Unity | By Afeez Bello ‘Mabinuori’

It is no more news that some members of the Oyo State House of Assembly approved a loan of 300 billion naira based on the request of the executive arm of government, which has sparked uproar across the state due to the strong protest of one of the members of the House of Assembly, Hon. Ibraheem Shittu, that made the state government lose control of its administration as a result of various negative reactions from economic and political analysts on one hand and the people of the state on the other hand, reacting to the debt profile of the state and weak plans of servicing the loans, premised on obscure programmes by the ineffective government in the Pace Setter state.

As political and economic analysts across the state were calling for the protection of the lives and properties of the whistleblower lawmaker, Shittu, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), swung into action by staging a protest against the ‘economicide loan’ on one hand and showing solidarity with Shittu on the other.

Despite short notice from the State Executive Committee of Shittu’s party, members of the party across the state (predominantly Ibadan) trooped out en masse to join the protest that lasted for hours in Ibadan.

One of the unexpected revelations of the Protest and Solidarity Walk was the showing up of the candidate of the party in the Ibadan North bye-election, Hon. Wale Olatunji Murphy, in the protest ground, which put some party members in a surprised mood.

I am not sure whether Murphy had a relationship with Shittu, but as a patriotic party man, he didn’t think about how the action and inaction of some party members led to the defeat of progressive folds in the Ibadan North Federal Constituency, which a layman on the street can tag as internal wrangling that has been in existence in the party since 2018 and started evolving to the point of escalation.

In spite of this, Hon. Murphy came out with the spirit of ‘one for all – all for one’. Murphy was seen chanting a solidarity song for Shittu, dancing like someone whose wife gave birth to quadruplets. This intensifies the morale of the protesters, and the city of Ibadan feels the protest and solidarity walk that hit the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) like an atomic bomb.

Some politicians would lose primary elections, and they would attach emotion to their politics, hurling insults at party leaders and members whom they thought worked against them; they would subsequently work against their party candidate at the poll, due to the fact that they did not emerge as the flagbearer, and they would turn the game to “if not me, it should never be our party candidate” and they would collaborate with the opposition party against their own party, forgetting that they would also use the same platform they destroyed to contest in the near future.

So many party candidates have lost the main election. They would see the outcome as a will of God, correcting their mistakes, and they would not consider those whom they thought that worked against them within the party as their enemies. One of them is that has added his name to History Book is Hon. Adewale Olatunji Murphy, a gallant personality who was not depressed by the outcome of the bye-election.

Ooh! I love Murphy’s gallantry. Despite the internal wrangling within the party that inhibits his success in the bye-election. Murphy boldly issued an appreciation message to his party members, supporters, and constituents. He didn’t put blame on anybody; he saw it as a collective loss. He went on attending events around the city of Ibadan, even though no-one could see the traces of election defeat in his face.

In the first ever local government meeting of the Ibadan North All Progressives Congress (APC) after the bye-election election, gallantly, Murphy moved into the meeting to the surprise of many party members in attendance.

In his address, Murphy appreciated the leadership and members of the party. He highlighted the scenario prior to and after the selection that led to his emergence. He described the defeat of the party as a collective loss. He appealed to party members that were protesting at the venue of the meeting in Oke-Apon over the shenanigans that occurred on the election day. He urged the party faithful not to be annoyed, and he passed a message of calmness to them.

This harmony message from Murphy spread across all wards in the constituency, and all the ward meetings that were held after the local government meeting went peacefully.

Murphy’s call reignites unity among party leaders and members, and he volunteered himself to be one of the party stakeholders that will champion the unity which will bring back the party to the victory path come 2027.

God bless Murphy!
God bless Ibadan North APC!!
God bless Oyo APC!!!
God bless Ibadan North Federal Constituency!!!!
God bless Oyo State!!!!!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!!!

By Afeez Bello.