By Ibrahim Sheriff
Judging by the various televised debates of the contenders for gubernatorial seat in the just concluded Osun state elections, it is safe to conclude that the most vocal (I won’t say the best, because being vocal may not necessarily be yardstick for performance) is former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf of Labour Party. His presentations at various debates were exceedingly fantastic.
While I would’ve wished, based on the depth on knowledge he demonstrated and his political track records, he is considered for the gubernatorial seat, it is unfortunate that voting decisions are guided by what I will call ‘extraneous’ considerations, which makes the election strictly two-horse race between the APC and PDP.
I adjudge the PDP candidate as a personality that is ‘not loaded’, judging by his various presentations at the debates and even interviews that I had watched him speak. I have no iota of believe in his personality and capability to deliver and I had discussed it among friends, who held contrary views that he might actually not be talker but may be a competent harvester and manager of people for delivery, a position that makes me give him a benefit of doubt that he might surprise everyone who sees him as a mere ‘dancer’ with performance. Sarcastically, if as fat as he is, he could carry his body effortlessly in his conscious dance step, he should expectedly be able to carry the huge burden of leadership in Osun with ease, too 😂.
However, majority of Adeleke’s traducers criticize him for his habitual public dances. Yes, it may align with the social standards of some people but it cannot be said to be antisocial, neither can it be termed immoral. His PDP people who supported him in 2018 still believes in him, renominated him and supported him to actually ‘dance’ to victory.
Now, to incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who served as Chief of Staff to former Governor and current Minister for interior, Rauf Aregbesola who later supported him to emerge Osun state Governor in a keenly contested election against same Adeleke. I personally consider him the architect of his own political misfortune, this time.
To my conviction, Gov. Oyetola’s defeat is not simply the choice of Osun people, but the consequence of a house divided against itself. While I am not so acquainted with the facts of the crisis that rocked Osun APC, I am aware that as a sitting Governor; a position the APC has equated its holders to demigods, H. E Oyetola had all it takes to arrest the fire that has now razed his own chances of re-election.
From barring a former Governor from holding a mere birthday party in the State capital, to barring him and his supporters from registering as Party members, to frustrating payments to contractors who worked for previous government of the State (not Aregbe personally), and other funny and petty aggressive tendencies, the Governor made some of us who are external observers (although with friends in Osun) see him as a mere sociopath betrayal. Perhaps, judging from our experience with a Governor we also toiled day and night to ensure his victory, but polarized his party and tore his people apart in a bid to assert dominance in a Machiavellian manner. How have the party structures Gov. Oyetola unilaterally installed saved him in the election?
While it is a truism that politics is about interest and these Governors have every right to protect theirs’ too, for the sake of morality, it should be done with all sense of purpose, collectiveness, empathy, and most importantly, conscientiousness. Anything contrary is betrayal, which in all its form is evil and evil is the darkness that is susceptible to the overtake of the light. Osun just demonstrated that!
Therefore, whichever way we chose to look at it, my moral compass convinced me that it is better to choose a ‘conscious dancer’ over ‘sociopathic betrayal’ because while dancing cannot be said to be antisocial or immoral, betrayal is worse than immorality! That must have guided the decision made by Osun today, which is a reference point for so many APC states, especially Kwara and I hope and pray the people of Osun gets the best out of the choice they have made and the lessons they’ve taught us.
I write from Oke Andi, Ilorin, Kwara state.
