Gov Makinde and the burden of coalition: How far can it go?

It took a coalition between the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) and other political parties to oust the former administration from office based on agreement, but days after assuming office, it’s not clear if Seyi Makinde will keep to the pact. AGBOOLA BAYO reports.

There is no doubt the present administration of Engr Seyi Makinde of Oyo state is a product of the March, 2019 coalition of opposition political parties in the state. The coalition was officially pronounced on March 5 by the former governor of the state, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, at a joint press conference held at the NUJ Press Centre, Ibadan.

Reliable political sources in the state said before the coalition agreement was finally sealed, stakeholders allegedly resolved a sharing formula among ADC, ZLP and SDP should Engineer Seyi Makinde finally wins the March 9 governorship election.

At the joint press conference, the governorship candidates of ADC, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, ZLP Barrister Sarafadeen Alli and SDP, Chief Bola Ayorinde (SAN) therefore surrendered their mandates for the governorship to Engineer Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Match 9, governorship election.

 High Chief Ladoja together with other prominent leaders of the parties in the coalition including, Chief Bayo Lawal, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Dr Nureni Adeniran, Engineer Femi Babalola, among others, publicly raised the hands of Engineer Makinde as the sole candidate of the coalition.

“It is my pleasure to present to you the agreed candidate for the election coming up on Saturday March 9 and who will become governor-elect on that day and will be subsequently sworn in on May 29 as governor of Oyo state. He is my son. I present him to you,” he said.

Reading the address on behalf of the five other candidates. Senator Lanlehin said they decided to take the hard decision in their determination to midwife an inclusive government of unity that will develop the state across political affiliations.

“It is no longer news that a good number of parties in Oyo state have deliberated intensely over the last few weeks and have come
to the resolution that there is an urgent need to free our dear state from the shackles of oppression and domination. We have, therefore, decided that in order to present an effective and workable solution to the unpalatable situation where Oyo state has been remotely controlled for the past eight years by outside forces and all manner of constituted authority, there is the need to form this alliance of political parties in the state. We have firmly resolved to present one candidate in the person of Engineer Oluseyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the office of governor at the elections holding on March 9, 2019. He shall be heading by the special grace of God and the power of the people of Oyo state, a government of unity which will cater for the interest of all our people irrespective of political association,” he said.

Senator Lanlehin further added, “In the interest of our thriving democracy, we have also resolved that the House of Assembly elections will be contested on party basis and all candidates in all the parties are encouraged to go to the polls and contest for the seats available in the state assembly as scheduled. We make a clarion call on the good people of Oyo state to vote enmasse for the alliance candidate so as to midwife an all-inclusive government of unity that belongs to the people of Oyo state. We urge and encourage our people to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates at the election and vote for our freedom and emancipation. The government of unity will be one that will meet all the aspirations of our people by fully applying all the resources of the state for the development of Oyo. We must reverse the present trend where all our resources are filtered away to external forces.”

Engineer Makinde while showing appreciation to Chief Ladoja and other key stakeholders in the coalition promised to uphold all that was agreed upon by all the stakeholders, saying, “History is actually being made here today. This is the political capital of Nigeria, not only of the South west. When we got wild west, we pulled down the entire country. So, this is actually the political capital of Nigeria.

“We have all gathered here to rescue our people with a common purpose.
It has been a very hard period for us to negotiate this arrangement. I stand before you all to promise that the spirit and the intent of our coming together, by God’s grace, will be fully implemented when we get to government. I am humbled because most of these gentlemen that have stepped down for me are even far more qualified for this position. I feel humbled and I pray that we will not disappoint each other and the people of Oyo state.”

Sign of breach

With less than 30 days of his administration, there seems to be a major hitch to the working arrangements of the coalition concerning power sharing. For instance, tongues are already wagging on the delay in appointing a secretary to the state government (SSG) days after Chief Bisi Ilaka was named as the chief of staff.  Although the governor has only made few appointments, yet to some people, the delay in naming a new SSG for the state might not be unconnected with the alleged move by the Makinde-led administration to deviate from the purported gentleman agreement reached by the coalition.

Concerns are also raised by some of the politicians about the fear of the governor bringing into the state non-politicians from outside the state at the detriment of local politicians as witnessed in the last administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

Some stakeholders allay fears

Sensing the fears of the likelihood of breaching the agreement that purportedly gave birth to the coalition, the state chairman of PDP, Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha, assured that Governor  Makinde would honour the pre-election arrangement he had with the other parties in the state.

According to him, all stakeholders in the agreement are meeting regularly on how best to handle the matter, saying, there is no cause for alarm as the party would keep to its promise.

Also speaking on the fears about the said agreement, a chieftain of ADC, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, said there was an agreement to a certain level between the political parties involved in the March 5 coalition to oust the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in the state.

Dr Olatubosun who appeared on a radio programme in the state on ‘South West Political Circuit’ quickly added that, “All is well on the alliance between the coalition of opposition political parties. I can see high level of sincerity on the part of Engineer Seyi Makinde,” he noted.

The party chieftain, however, advised Gov Makinde on the need to ensure that his administration takes good care of those that satisfy their aspirations for him during the coalition and the March 9 governorship election by ensuring that he assembles the best brains within the coalition in the state rather than looking for such outside.

For now, it would be difficult or, to say the least, attempting to jump the gun by coming to conclusions on what could become of the coalition, but the fact remains that events in the coming days will surely unfold whether the coalition will be fruitful to the political parties involved or only Governor Makinde and the ruling PDP.

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