2023: Oyo State Guber Polls, Why We Failed? | By Adekunle Oduola
OYO STATE GUBERNATORIAL 2023
WHY WE FAILED !
THE GENESIS
The disintegration of APC Party faithfuls and loyalists started with the re-election of Late Sen. Abiola Ajimobi in 2015.
The fragmented PDP then presented :
- Sen. Rasidi Ladoja in Accord Party
- Chief Bayo Alao-Akala in LP
- Sen.Teslim K.Folarin in PDP
Sen Abiola Ajimobi won with just 34% of the total votes while the fragmented PDP polled 56%.
2019 further disintegration of APC with Oyo South Senatorial tussle between Sen. Abiola Ajimobi and Sen Soji Akanbi. Both men contested under two different parties APC and ADC respectively. PDP eventually got the better of them.
LEADERSHIP IN APC
The sudden death of Sen Abiola Ajimobi during the Covid-19 was a massive blow to the APC as she became rudderless. A leadership vacuum was created.
2022 APC CONGRESS
The death of Gov. C. A. Alao-Akala can be classified as “The Final Straw” on APC leadership in Oyo State.
Splinter groups thus surfaced within the party and were all struggling for the control of the party machinery.
Senator T.K Folarin eventually got the structure.
EFFICACY
The emergence of Sen TKF as leader/Guber aspirant led to the exit of Chief Niyi Akintola SAN , Dr Adeduntan and their followers. A public declaration on National TV labelled as “Jagba” rant was credited to Chief Niyi Akintola.
The eventual emergence of Sen TKF as the Gubernatorial candidate and de facto leader further led to the exit of Chief Bayo Adelabu, Sen Ayo Adeseun , and about a third of APC card carrying members into Accord Party.
The Core Progressive and their followers stayed on with uncertainty of their followership interest in the mainstream APC.
CANDIDATURES
Sen TKF unilaterally engineered , conducted a kangaroo and mock party primaries to the greatest surprise of the Core Progressives, over 50% of tickets were given to the former PDP mates of Sen TKF. It is rumoured that the tickets were sold. It is pertinent to mentioned that to every seat, about six(6) people showed interest and paid a huge sum as demanded by the party. APC in Oyo state generated about #2b in form sales.
It is also good for the records that APC Presidential candidate then in person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Oyo State and prophetically addressed Sen TKF to re-visit the Party primaries in order to make an amend in the “Gomina Jije ki se ponmo”/”Folarin ma be-be” jive. Sen TKF saw it all as a game of which he thinks he is the master.
A lesson to be forever remembered was to be taught to Sen TKF by the Core Progressives. A “sit-don look” approach was adopted. This resulted in the woeful outing in the March 18th , 2023 Gubernatorial Election where APC lost all the 127 electoral wards in eleven(11) local government that made up Ibadanland.
ELECTORATES
PDP antecedent of Sen TKF dented his image with majority of Oyo State sophisticated voters. His lacklustre performance as a 3 term Senator was equally a minus.
The following embittered and ostracized PDP members :
1.Sen. Rasidi Ladoja
2 .Alh. Azeem Gbolarunmi
- Hon Mulikat Adeola
4.Engr Femi Babalola - Alh. Bisi Olopoeniyan
And many more formed an alignment and endorsed Sen TKF, however the electorates were not moved thus GSM was re-elected. Chief Bayo Adelabu of Accord Party did not form any alliance as he used to believe that he had over 350,000 voters in 2019. He was beaten blue-black polling just 38,000 votes in 2023.
CONCLUSION
The informed electorates are of estimated ratio of 75 : 25 in number than the card carrying party members in all the Political parties. Thus , they are the determinants of the 2023 Guber Election which Sen TKF lost woefully. Let us remember that the same electorates voted en-mass and delivered Oyo State to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 18th, 2023.
The emergence of President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a great relief and joy to Oyo State APC members.
Adekunle Oduola
APC Member
Ibadan SW LGA
