For some days after the 2019 governorship election, wherever
people gathered in Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State, the topic of most of
their discussion was the election and what led to its outcome, especially with
regards to the two main contenders; Engineer Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde and Chief
Adebayo Adekola Adelabu.
Not many absolved the incumbent Governor, Senator Abiola
Ajimobi of the bulk of the blame for the loss of the All Progressive Congress
candidate. The people didn’t just want a change for the fun of wanting it; a
number of things propelled them. Despite working enormously hard to improve the
state, many believe that Ajimobi undid his party with his abrasive way of
speaking. From students to market men and women, civil servants, religious
leaders and even traditional rulers; they have all at one time or the other
been at the receiving end of the governor’s fulmination.
Some of the Governor’s policies were believed to have
rendered the party hopelessly vulnerable. Traders sang at campaign rallies “e gbagbe ibo ni, nigba t’e nwo ‘le wa te nwo
‘so wa” (you have forgotten that elections would come, when you were
demolishing our houses and stalls). They saw a vote for Adelabu as a vote for
Ajimobi. Pensioners were another set of aggrieved people who voted against
Adelabu in the guise of voting against Ajimobi. Not even the issuing of cheques
for their arrears three days to the election could pacify them. As it turned
out, the result of the Oyo South Senatorial election was only a salutary
warning against what was to come.
Pensioners had a meeting where it was decided that they
should vote against the party in power. To ensure that majority of them voted,
it was agreed that those who could not walk long distances and those who lived
far from their polling units should locate relatives who live close to such
polling units and pass the night there so as to vote during the governorship
election.
The Makinde brand too went a long way in helping the winner.
Engr. Makinde did not allow losing the 2015 election to kill off his
enthusiasm. He pressed on with the ‘Omi Tuntun’ brand he had built over the years.
His name had been synonymous with philanthropy. Days after his defeat at the
2015 polls, Seyi Makinde was seen giving out vehicles to commercial drivers.
He went the extra mile to show people he cared about their
plight. Gradually, he wormed himself into the hearts of the populace. When
LAUTECH alumni tried raising funds for their alma mater, Seyi Makinde was the
highest single donor. Few hours after Yinka Ayefele’s Music House was
‘partially demolished’, Makinde was there to commiserate with him, pledge
support and appeal to people for calm. Many of those who believed he contested
on a weak platform in 2015 were quick to agree that with the ticket of the PDP
in his hands, 2019 would be Makinde’s year.
The buffeting of the Ibadan obaship system by the Ajimobi
administration is one factor that cannot be wished away when matters pertaining
to the election are being discussed. Interestingly, Seyi Makinde is a man the
Ibadan establishment sees as a terrific asset. He has contributed in no small
measure to the Ibadan cause.
The Penkelemeesi brand, as good as it seemed, came with some
imperfections. First was the use of ‘First Class Honours’ as a selling point in
a political contest. The electorates who have had enough of a Governor who
talks down at almost everyone in sight, saw the carrier of the brand as a new
man throwing his ego around. Secondly, Chief Adelabu hadn’t taken his time to
get known around the state for something. Other than being Penkelemeesi’s
grandson, his Bayse One business name and his status as a former Deputy
Governor of the Central Bank, most people in Ibadan his hometown knew nothing
more about him before the election. Fine, he interacted well with the elite;
the hoi polloi who make up the bulk of voters don’t have much to say about him.
Being endorsed by a Governor that was gradually falling into
disfavor was also an enormous gamble. To worsen the situation, he did not
handle much of his own campaign. His campaign structure was largely fused into
that of Senator Ajimobi. By the time the party woke up, it was rather late.
The Asiwaju of Lagos, Senator Bola Tinubu trying to take
charge was another no, no. The average Oyo State indigene would smell a motive
in the brokering of a deal between the Presidency and Otunba Alao-Akala at
Asiwaju Tinubu’s instance. It was like something other than the love of the
state was at stake. Oyo would rather have a governor who would not take
directives from anyone outside the state. The incumbent Governor had no
godfather, yet he stepped on many toes.
Tinubu’s intervention also proved infinitely precious for
the PDP. Reason being that all the while that the LAUTECH crisis lasted, Tinubu
was the institution’s Chancellor and he never said a word about the plight of
the university or the students. At election time however, he brokered a deal
with Alao-Akala, Ogbomoso’s most popular export to the political world. It
showed more of desperation than political dexterity.
The pettiness that crept into the campaign further changed
the tempo of the game. First came the insinuation that Makinde would abolish
the use of Hijab in schools. That was however met with response that even
Adelabu was not more Muslim than Makinde. They were quick to remind him that
his middle name “Abdulwaheed” was newly adopted shortly before the election. It
reached a crescendo with the allegation that Seyi Makinde hailed from Erinmo
Ijesa. At that point, Ibadan people knew the election was as good as having
been conducted.
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