Politics
Ajimobi @ 68: The Making of A godfather in Oyo State politics
TODAY, Saturday, December 16, 2017 is a watershed in Oyo state’s political history as the die hard political juggernauts of the conservative party are being formally welcomed into the progressive fold. One man, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, the executive governor of Oyo State, is the focal point of this rare marriage and incidentally he is celebrating his birthday today.
HAZEEZ AYANSOLA examines the man who is fast becoming a deciding factor in Oyo state’s politics in this piece titled: AJIMOBI @ 68: THE MAKING OF A GOD-FATHER.
Loathe him or like him, one thing that you cannot take away from the present governor of Oyo state, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, is his ability to fashion out successes from what his contemporary see as unachievable tasks. Sen. Abiola Ajimobi in his characteristic manner has been creating paths where his peers see dead end. Yes, some might argue that his achievements so far have coloration of luck but to say these achievements are totally luck-dependent is to say a farmer does not need to produce any sweat on his farmland before he could have bountiful harvest since he has got fertile land and viable seedlings.
No it doesn’t work that way, God in His infinite mercy has given each individual the intellectual capacity to bend his immediate environment to his caprice but in His bizarre wisdom He has also made each individual a stumbling block to his own achievement. What I am saying is not a scientific jargon nor is it a philosophical expression, it is what the nature has woven arround the success’ secret; to lay hands on the success, one must first of all conquer himself before he can think of conquering others, the vital ingredient that any serious achiever needs to be on top of his game- success creation-.
The ability to discover self, understand the nature of oneself and then playing to the strengths and weaknesses of that self is what Abiola Ajimobi has consistently done, thus, making consistent nonsense of his political opponents in Oyo State each time there is need for political contest. Their failure to neutralise his moves before its inevitable result unfolds in their very eyes is a testament of his superior smartness over all of them put together.
In his room of wisdom, he has mastered keenly the tricks and flicks of these gladiators during contests such that he has always been several steps ahead of them anytime there is need for them to square up with him inside a political ring. It is not as if his opponent enter the ring unprepared, they do not, but what they fail to do each time when they are face to face with him in a ring is to adapt themselves to his technical jabbings, the very tools he uses to wear them out before he descends on them his sucker punches which ultimately send them to their canvass.
In the run-off to 2011 gubernatorial election in Oyo State, he recognized that there were three individuals who held the ace to his becoming the number one citizen in Oyo state, he ensured that he did not mend fences with them, he also railroaded himself into their good books thus earning their endorsement at the expense of the Ankara crusader. While the two of them are now late, Aare Musulumi, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola and former governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lam Adesina, the remaining person, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi is still being managed up till today. While he was plotting his victory even before they go to electoral field, his opponents felt their raw power was enough to make them emerge the winner in the royal rumble of Oyo State politics.
As 2015 gubernatorial election was approaching, he knew he needed more than the magic hand of the last-man standing Alaafin of Oyo, instead, he rather campaigned as if his life depended on it. Being a man that covets ‘the first’, Abiola Ajimobi went back to his political magic mirror once more and with it, he was able to discover that his victory key was hidden in Oke-Ogun part of Oyo State. For days he combed the entire senatorial district while his opponents, once again, was battling with supremacy battle in the highly damaged and ruptured Peoples Democratic Party, PDP then at the same time he was liaising with power brokers in that part of the town.
At the end, he ensured that he did not leave the zone without the electoral key in his pocket, he left Ogbomoso zone (his weak area) for Akala, but instead concentrating vigorously on his strong and highly populated areas of Ibadan land. Although the fight was intense as his opponents gave him a good fight but when they all got to the doorstep of power chamber; all he needed to do was to reach out to the key inside his pocket which ensured his passage into the highly coveted seat at Agodi governor’s lodge, he was there seated when the Accord Party but who is not in accord with his words were fighting a lost cause in the court of law. To him, it was a political abracadabra, which left him marveled. Having crossed the path his predecessors failed to do, this time, he has resulted to the victorial tactic (electoral alliance) that was right there infront of his opponents during the run off to his second term election but which pride prevented from making use of.
With the formal defection of the hitherto power blocks (Akala, Teslim Folarin, Arapaja) of the PDP today into All Progressives Congress (APC), the 2019 electoral contest in Oyo state can be regarded as a game-over for PDP remnants as far as common sense is concerned. With this bizarre marriage with his erstwhile political foes, Abiola Ajimobi must have peeped into the playbook of his political mentor, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu which plotted the strategy that catapulted APC into Aso-rock’s throne.
They say Abiola Ajimobi is proud but yet he has never allowed his pride to get in the way of achieving result anytime the need arises. It is ironical to say that what Akanji is accused of (arrogance) is the very thing that has eluded them when these people need to breast the tape of electoral victory. They have failed to realise that pride to Ajimobi is a mere tool with which he uses to construe hate hole in their minds, thus, thinking in their wildest imagination that eventually he would be consumed with it. The present hate hole they have dug now is the Olubadan chieftaincy issue but Ajimobi being a smart person that he is will ensure that they are the ones that will be used to fill their self dug hole.
What surprises me is their difficulty to decode that they are all pawns in Ajimobi political chess game. Upon being voted into power in 2011 he found a perfect pawn in Ladoja’s Accord Party members in the Oyo State House of Assembly when he used them to the maximum to stabilise his government. It was Akala’s turn in 2015 as he used his boys to ensure that the leadership of the legislative remains firmly in his grip. He has now gone a step further in his quest to add another first to his plethora of several firsts- not only is he the first to become a senator before being elected as a governor, he is also the first to get elected twice by the ever critical Oyo State electorate as well as being the first to implement the dreaded and sacred Olubadan Chieftaincy Review.
As proud as Ajimobi appears to be, he always been found a perfect ally when the need arises for political alliances in Oyo state. His man management and the ability to hop into the same bed with those that can be regarded as strange bed fellows speaks volume of the emotional intelligence of ‘Mr. Dependable’.
He has taken his time to select his ‘wise men’ in different parts of the state whose views are sacred to him. Where his tentacles could not penetrate yet, he results to alliance using his suaveness to keep them under his wings. If his anointed candidate eventually becomes the number one citizen in Oyo State come May 29, 2019, another godfather can be said to have emerged in the murky and ever tidal of Oyo State political Island except that this one is devoid of political brigandage and crude tactical political warfare of the Late Ibadan strong politician, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, rather, is a suave, smart and socially intelligent political godfather.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the Governor of Ekiti State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, saying Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest rivals and secure a second term in office.
According to Oladiji, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oluwole Oluyede, garnered 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Dare Bejide, secured 12,872 votes.
She said 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. The electoral umpire also announced that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total number of votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration capped a governorship poll largely adjudged peaceful by observers and security agencies, despite complaints of malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, delayed commencement of voting in some polling units and allegations of voter intimidation by opposition parties.
INEC said voting was conducted in all the 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas, noting that 2,257 units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8.30 a.m., while 188 polling units commenced accreditation and voting before 10.30 a.m. after experiencing minor delays.
The commission also commenced uploading polling unit results to its Results Viewing Portal shortly after the completion of voting and counting in several centres.
The PDP candidate, Oluyede, had expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area, alleging that many prospective voters were disenfranchised due to BVAS-related challenges.
Speaking with journalists after voting at Polling Unit 006, he further alleged cases of harassment and intimidation of voters in the area.
Some elderly voters at the polling unit also lamented difficulties encountered during accreditation and urged INEC to urgently rectify the technical glitches.
The ADC candidate, Bejide, similarly alleged irregularities during the exercise.
However, Oyebanji dismissed the claims, insisting that those making allegations of electoral misconduct should provide credible evidence to support them.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the election as satisfactory and urged eligible voters yet to cast their ballots to do so peacefully.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Abayomi Shogunle, said no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies throughout the exercise.
Election observers commended the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the poll but raised concerns over procedural inconsistencies.
The First Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Sebastian Anyia, described the process as orderly and peaceful, saying voter turnout was encouraging.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, lauded the resilience of female voters, many of whom remained at polling units for several hours with their children to exercise their franchise.
Yiaga Africa, however, expressed concern over discrepancies involving ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates, warning that such inconsistencies could create challenges during collation and reconciliation of results.
The election observer group urged INEC to provide further clarification on the final list of participating parties and candidates and issue clear guidance to electoral officials handling result documentation.
Ahead of the poll, INEC and security agencies had repeatedly assured residents of their preparedness to deliver a peaceful, credible and transparent election, deploying personnel and restricting vehicular movement to forestall electoral violence and other offences.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has rejected plans by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to conduct another local government election on December 26, 2026, describing the proposed exercise as illegal, premature and a calculated move to retain political influence at the grassroots beyond the governor’s tenure.
The party declared that it would neither participate in the election nor remain silent over what it termed an attempt to squander public resources on a process allegedly designed to install loyalists in the 33 local government councils and 351 wards across the state.
The controversy followed the decision of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to shift the date earlier fixed for January 2027 to December 26, 2026, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The move has continued to generate debate among political observers, many of whom have questioned the urgency of conducting another council poll barely six months before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors elected in the 2024 local government elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said it would not stop at boycotting the election but would also collaborate with “patriots and rational minds” to resist what it called an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
The party accused Governor Makinde of lacking commitment to local government autonomy, alleging that the administration had exercised undue control over council resources for more than seven years.
“The whole world knows that Governor Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy and, when it comes to democracy at the grassroots, he cannot be trusted for anything,” the statement said.
The APC alleged that the proposed poll was aimed at positioning individuals loyal to the governor in local councils before his exit from office on May 29, 2027, arguing that such a move would enable him to sustain political influence after leaving the Agodi Government House.
According to the opposition party, expectations among many residents are centred on ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthen local government autonomy and ensure that councils enjoy direct access to their statutory allocations without interference from state governments.
The APC also linked what it described as poor development outcomes in some rural communities to the operation of the state-local government joint account system. It cited communities such as Ahoro Esiele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area, which have reportedly faced security challenges, as examples of areas where local government resources should have translated into visible improvements.
“It is sad that Governor Makinde appears determined to sustain a system that has left many rural communities vulnerable despite huge allocations accruing to local governments monthly,” the party said.
The opposition further dismissed the local government elections conducted in 2020 and 2024 as lacking credibility, alleging that winners emerged through predetermined outcomes rather than a transparent electoral process.
“The fraud called local government polls in 2020 and 2024 should be the last the people of Oyo State would witness. Governor Makinde and his supporters should bury any thought of staging another charade in which results are announced without genuine voting and public offices become tools for the diversion of public funds,” the statement added.
The APC consequently urged officials of OYSIEC to halt preparations for the proposed December election, warning against actions capable of undermining democratic values and public confidence in the electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Oyo State Government nor OYSIEC had issued an official response to the allegations raised by the opposition party.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Aderemi Oseni, on Saturday mobilised thousands of artisans and traders across Oyo State in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Oseni said the support base of the Remi Oseni Committee of Friends (ROCOF), in collaboration with other stakeholders, was intensifying efforts to deliver one million votes for the President in the state.
Oseni, Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said artisans and traders must see themselves as critical stakeholders in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the success of the administration depends largely on grassroots participation.
The federal lawmaker spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement with members of the ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations.
In a symbolic show of political readiness, scores of traders and artisans displayed their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), while Oseni urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to obtain their voter cards ahead of the next general election.
He cautioned against vote-buying and vote-selling, warning that such practices threaten the future of democracy and mortgage the destiny of younger generations.
The meeting, according to Oseni, was also convened to deepen economic support for members through empowerment programmes targeted at strengthening businesses and improving livelihoods.
He announced that requests for a N250 million interest-free loan scheme for artisans and traders, construction of an artisans’ village with stable electricity supply, and health insurance support had received approval.
According to him, the loan facility will be administered through a microfinance bank under the Remi Oseni Foundation to ensure transparency, accessibility and sustainability.
He added that road and infrastructure projects across communities would remain a major priority.
Oseni, who is seeking to represent Oyo South Senatorial District in the next election cycle, also used the meeting to explain his decision to pursue a Senate seat instead of his earlier governorship ambition.
He said the move followed consultations with party leaders and supporters.
According to him, supporters deserved clarity on the political direction of the movement.
He said: “We convened this stakeholders’ meeting to review our present position. Before now, our focus was on leading Oyo State through the governorship. That was our clear objective as a movement, but today, it has become evident that God is directing us towards the Senate.
“Our people needed to understand the reasons for this decision, the position of the party and what we have accepted in the overall interest of our political future. It is not enough for leaders to take decisions. We owe our supporters explanations and must carry them along.
“We have encouraged them to embrace this opportunity in good faith and believe that greater opportunities still lie ahead.
“Many of them felt our governorship ambition would have delivered greater benefits, but we have reassured them that the government remains supportive and the future is bright.
“We have equally assured the President that our decision to pursue the Oyo South Senate seat will not affect the one million votes earlier promised him, because ROCOF structures across the 33 local government areas are fully mobilised and committed to his re-election.”
On the crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oseni said efforts were ongoing to reconcile aggrieved members, expressing confidence that outstanding differences would soon be resolved.
He described competing interests within the party as a reflection of the APC’s growing strength and political attractiveness.
Earlier, the Oyo State Coordinator of ROCOF Progressive Workers and Traders’ Associations, Alhaji Munirudeen Adegoke, described Oseni’s empowerment drive as a strategic investment capable of reducing unemployment, youth restiveness and poverty.
Adegoke said meaningful empowerment for artisans and traders must go beyond temporary palliatives.
According to him, sustainable support requires deliberate policies that guarantee access to capital, improved infrastructure and social protection.
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