Politics
Osun goes to PDP’s Adeleke | By Muideen Alatede
With the margin of victory, the incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola would probably still have lost if he had reconciled with former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Adeleke’s strategy of engagement was better than the last election and he was clearly one step ahead of the game.
Aregbesola would feel he has exacted revenge. He is entitled to that feeling given the way anything or anybody attached to his name was treated by Oyetola. It’s a bitter-sweet outcome for the Osun Progressives (TOP) group. They are out of the game completely for now but they can hang on to the satisfaction that Oyetola will no longer spit in their faces.
Could Bola Tinubu have done a lot better to mend fences? Oh yes but he fell short. While the defeat is bad and dangerous to his ambition to be president, he has 7 months to right many wrongs in the party structure of his party in his ancestral state. There is a lesson in humility and give-and-take. In politics, with a view to winning elections, winners in a party should not take all. The disgruntled are always out to sting.
For the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it’s a sort of impetus and feel-good factor after the scalding defeat in Ekiti State where they also suffered from a disunited house. The battle for the South-west is on. It is be foolhardy to wave away the threats the party and Atiku may pose. It’s 4-2 now. The old Oyo State is cast in the hand of the PDP.
To start dissecting what went wrong in a comprehensive way will be left to more inclined political analysts but I have to say that the PORTABLE factor was in very bad taste. It certainly cost the All Progressives Congress (APC) votes of decent neutrals. Everything about engaging him to perform, apart from the crowd catching glimpses of him, was wrong. And him mounting the statute of Obafemi Awolowo with his trousers pull down is disgraceful. His viral video afterwards cursing and ranting did no good at all. Comparing his cameo with Davido’s dignified appearance on the other side is like comparing a prince to a tramp.
While the battle for the south-west is certainly on, will the result have a big impact on the presidential contest? It’s reasonable to think so even though Osun is just one of 37 territories the election will take place. If it is to be a straight battle between Tinubu and Atiku, I will be overly concerned. Peter Obi gaining momentum in Atiku’s traditional fortresses will take a huge hit. It will be interesting to see how events unfold in the next few months.
Oyo APC is as fragmented as the Osun APC. While it’s better that the most of the aggrieved have not stayed back in the party to cause sabotage, the chunks that have left are significant. 7 months is a long time in politics though.
I congratulate Governor-elect, Adeleke Nurudeen Jackson Ademola. He has done well to reinvent himself after a certificate scandal and his hard work has paid off. Dancing, when we leave out politics, is actually a trait of happiness. May the people of Osun find happiness in his administration.
To my PDP friends, enjoy the victory.
Muideen Alatede, a lawyer and politician writes from Ibadan, Oyo state
House of Representatives member and Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has fulfilled his pledge to support the welfare of the All Progressives Congress (APC) staff in Oyo State.
In a gesture highlighting his commitment, the lawmaker personally funded the salaries of staff at the APC’s Oke Ado Secretariat in Ibadan, reinforcing his dedication to the smooth operation of the party’s activities in the state.
Representing the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Oseni recently visited the secretariat, where he expressed gratitude to party leaders and members for their contributions.
As a further commitment to the smooth operation of the party’s activities, the lawmaker generously donated ten million naira (N10,000,000) as an allowance to enhance the secretariat’s functions.
In a statement released Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker extended appreciation to the secretariat staff, whom he described as the backbone of the party’s daily functions.
He lauded their dedication, noting their essential role in advancing the party’s goals.
“Leadership is about service, and service begins with supporting those who make the party function from within,” Oseni remarked.
“I am proud to honour this commitment to our staff, as they play a crucial role in making our political structures work effectively. This is my way of showing appreciation for their unwavering dedication”, he added.
Engr. Aderemi Oseni, representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, has paid tribute to former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, on his 61st birthday, celebrating his decades of dedicated service and contributions to Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, Oseni, who also serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), lauded Folarin’s unwavering commitment to leadership and the well-being of the people.
Highlighting the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial nominee in the 2023 elections for three terms in the Senate, the lawmaker noted that Folarin’s legacy of service continues to be a guiding light for emerging leaders and a source of inspiration for countless individuals across the state.
“Senator Folarin has built an admirable legacy through years of selfless public service, consistently advocating for progress and unity,” remarked Oseni.
Reflecting on Folarin’s role as the Ikolaba Olubadan of Ibadanland, the lawmaker commended his leadership approach, which has bridged divides, fostered coalitions, and promoted initiatives aimed at stabilising democracy.
“Senator Folarin’s career is an example of visionary leadership,” he added, “and his commitment to public service will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
As Senator Folarin marks this milestone, Oseni extended warm wishes for his continued health and success, expressing hope that his exemplary life of service will keep inspiring positive change across the nation.
In a historic ruling, a Ugandan court on Friday sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison.
This landmark decision, marking the first time a member of the notorious LRA has faced trial for war crimes in a Ugandan court, follows the group’s brutal two-decade insurgency against the Ugandan government.
Kwoyelo, who was convicted in August on 44 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, faced charges including murder, rape, torture, pillaging, abduction, and the destruction of settlements for internally displaced people.
(FILES) Thomas Kwoyelo a commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebellion blamed for brutal civilian murders during a 20-year war in the north of the country is brought into a courthouse in the northern Ugandan town of Gulu on July 25, 2011. – A Ugandan court on October 25, 2024 sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of terror. The sentence against Kwoyelo, who was convicted on 44 counts of crimes against humanity in August, was announced by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case at the court in the northern city of Gulu. (Photo by MICHELE SIBOLINI / AFP)
Michael Elubu, lead judge of the case at the International Crimes Division (ICD) of Uganda’s High Court, delivered the sentence in the northern city of Gulu, underscoring a rare moment of accountability in the decades-long history of the LRA’s violence.
Judge Elubu stated that Kwoyelo retains the right to appeal both his conviction and sentence within 14 days.
Kwoyelo, who was abducted by the LRA at the age of 12 and later rose to a low-level command position within the organization, denied all charges brought against him.
(FILES) Suspected LRA (Lords Resistance Army) member Thomas Kwoyelo is pictured during a pre-trial session at the High Court in Kampala on Februay 1, 2017. – A Ugandan court on October 25, 2024 sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of terror. The sentence against Kwoyelo, who was convicted on 44 counts of crimes against humanity in August, was announced by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case at the court in the northern city of Gulu. (Photo by GAEL GRILHOT / AFP)
The Lord’s Resistance Army, founded by Joseph Kony in the 1980s, sought to establish a regime based on the Ten Commandments. Under Kony’s leadership, the group unleashed widespread terror across Uganda and neighboring regions, resulting in over 100,000 deaths and the abduction of 60,000 children.
The violence eventually spread to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic.
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