Remembering the Ajiboye Omodewu | Hon Bimbo Kolade
It was a mixture of disbelief and shock that pervaded the political atmosphere of the entire landscape of Oyo State, nay, Nigeria, when about this time last year, 18 August, 2024 precisely, news filtered in from the faraway United States of America that my friend, brother and colleague, Barr. Isaac Ajiboye Omodewu, had transited into eternity and had joined the heavenly chorus.
‘How could this be?’ was the question on everybody’s lips. How could a man so vibrant, so committed and so serviceable just without notice bow down and out so suddenly and so prematurely?
How could the man who has taken on the mission of reuniting our great party, APC, and is doing a great job of it so suddenly exit?! How? The posers were endless. Alas, death, the grim reaper, had done its worst.
Omodewu, the great tactician, administrator, and humanist, had gone the way of the ancestors.
For us, who belong to the same political family with him, it was a loss only measurable by the vacuum it created. We lost a colleague who became our leader, leading our great party. We lost the focal point, the rallying force! We lost the anchor and the rudder! Iku pa Abiri, Abiri ku!
Personally, I lost a trusted ally, a co-collaborator and a brother. I bear witness that since our path crossed in 2007, in the service of our dear Oyo State under the leadership of the late sage, statesman and icon, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, I have never had a moment to question his competence, character and loyalty.
If you needed to hear the bitter truth on a matter, Omodewu was your plug. If you needed an uncommon insight into a political or developmental matter, Omodewu was who you needed to see. A man of wisdom, intellect, charisma and, above all, humility.
No man is irreplaceable, but it has been difficult to replace Omodewu.
His types are not mass-produced.
As we remember his time and service, let us highlight his passion for our party, the APC, and his passion for the development of Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.
Let us immortalise his noble name by doubling up on our collective efforts in repositioning our party as the vehicle for the greater development of both our state and country.
Let us commit to ensuring that his labour does not go to waste as we build a more formidable party, united and indivisible. Let us commit to uphold his legacy of service and commitment.
May the good Lord continue to uphold his family and home.
Adieu, Ajiboye Omodewu.
Od’arin’ako. Od’oju ala!
Hon. Bimbo Kolade
