Ibadan Northeast Local Government Election: A Battle Between Alonge and OYSIEC | By Triple Tee

Ibadan Northeast Local Government Election – A battle between Alonge and OYSIEC | By Triple Tee.

Local Governments election will take center stage in Oyo state in a few days from now. The state electoral body, OYSIEC, has flaunted a garment of neutrality. It has taken every opportunity available to it to assure all participating Political parties of a fair contest, quashing all grounds for doubts. By this, the commission has successfully rallied all Political parties to get involved and do their all to win. Previous experience has shown that declarations of neutrality by state electoral bodies are usually a decoy to buy legitimacy for an election process with a history of compromise and unfairness.

But nothing is static in life and until a compromise is seen and proven, we must give it the benefit of doubt. For one thing, the only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance. This is exactly what all parties have done. The ball is now back to OYSIEC court. They will bear the burden of proof and test the correctness of the SANship of their learned head.

Admittedly, the battle will begin from Ibadan, Ibadan City in particular. This is because Ibadan is central to Oyo state politics. Beyond the geographic and demographic advantage of the city, campaigns across the city have been very intense and electrifying. In Ibadan NorthEast where I have the benefits of direct observation for instance, the APC candidate, Babatunde Alonge has completely alienated the incumbent and PDP candidate, Ibrahim Akintayo. Akintayo’s biggest opponents are his party men who scored him poorly in human relationship, governance intervention and policy growth. He was alleged to have been imposed against the party wishes and democratic nuances. But beyond this. Akintayo has wasted a whopping three years in the life of the council area by his tactless leadership and clear abhorrence for innovation and blossoming ideas that could improve the mass of the people he governs. He loved the local government money but hated prosperity for her people and growth for her communities. Beyond the Local government headquarter and Akintayo’s Aboriginal home in Akeke, Bashorun area, Akintayo can hardly speak to the different wards and zones in the council area. He simply did not know and will not bother. He was handed the seat on a platter having just recently returned from asylum in the faraway midland.

Alonge on the hand is a community dweller. He has a friend in every household. He understands that to attract healthy development, trust is key. He shares a feeling with the people and watches their reaction; He knows where the shoe pinches and knows unhesitatingly that the first step of trust is to keep the people safe, protect their welfare and tend to their needs. He understands that for trust to grow, this positive response must become part of a relatively reliable pattern in the day to day business of governance. As a former council secretary himself, Alonge is not strange to local government businesses. He has developed trust with consistent grassroots engagements over time and holds the people leviathan. He will return governance back to the people. Unfortunately, for Akintayo and the PDP, whether they stem from business or personal situations, our relationships are what support us, connect us, and allow us to progress in all aspects of our lives. Akintayo cannot reap where he did not plant.

Alonge most certainly will be contesting against OYSIEC. If he wins the jury’s battle, the war will be over in no time. OYSIEC does not need to be good, they only need to be fair. They must discountenance their already prepared script and allow the people to write their own. If this happens, it is game over for Akintayo and the PDP and congratulations to Alonge.

But will OYSIEC allow it?

Triple Tee writes from Ibadan Northeast LG.