The 2019 governorship race in Oyo state is solely an open contest between two Ibadan indigenes: Engineer Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Adebayo Adelabu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Agboola Bayo writes.
February 23 as fore-taste
The race to Oyo governorship election became more interesting soon after the announcement of the results of the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, defeated President Muhammadu Buhari in the election. However, the ruling APC won two of the three senatorial seats in the state, while the sitting governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, lost to a PDP candidate in the Oyo South senatorial district.
Ajimobi’s defeat to Dr Kola Balogun, a former Commissioner in the state under Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, could best be described by political observers as the needed game-changer in the Oyo state politics as the loss to some extent portends danger to the camp of the APC governorship candidate who enjoys the full support and backing of the governor.
Consensus candidate
To the PDP, the defeat of Governor Ajimobi is a major boost for the party considering what political observers called the moral and emotional effects it may have on the governorship ambition of Ajimobi’s political son, Chief Adebayo Adelabu. The governor had for weeks led the APC campaign across the state only for him to lose in his own election.
Amidst this, major opposition political parties in the state at a parley conveyed by one of the governorship candidates- Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala- of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) met and resolved to after the Presidential/National Assembly jointly support any of the opposition political party with the highest number of elected candidates in the election.
Soon after the results were announced, the opposition political parties resumed the parley at a meeting held at the Bodija residence of High Chief Rashidi Ladoja on the way forward.
The ruling APC leaders, on sensing the dangers the defeat of Ajimobi could bring to bear on the governorship election, swung into action by holding a crucial meeting to strategise for the election and hopes for a repeat of the September 23 guber poll in Osun state.
The only way out for any political party desiring to win the March 9 governorship election is to push an Ibadan indigene to slug it out against the APC governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu who is also an Ibadan indigene. The resolve however dislodged Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala from the coalition’s possible choice because he is from Ogbomoso while his party only won a House of Representatives seat in Ogbomoso.
Others in the coalition, particularly the PDP governorship candidate, Engineer Seyi Makinde, an Ibadan son and whose party won four House of Representatives seats and one senatorial seat seems to have the edge.
Hours prior to the reconvened meeting of the coalition of political parties at High Chief Ladoja’s residence last weekend, news filtered across Ibadan that the ADP governorship candidate, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, was on his way to the Presidency in Abuja for a possible talk on his return to the APC to further strengthen the party ahead of the March 9, polls as “the defeat of Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the senatorial election” was a clear sign that all may not be for the APC in the governorship election
Otunba Alao-Akala after returning from Ibadan last Wednesday went back to Lagos on Thursday for another parley with the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the party to seal agreement on his return to the APC, which he angrily dumped few hours to the party’s governorship primary election that produced Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
Alao-Akala in a statement he issued last Friday stated thus, “Following the outcome of the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections, I, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala – the Oyo State 2019 Action Democratic Party (ADP), have decided to form an alliance with the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adebayo Adekola Adelabu ahead of the March 9th governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state. However, all the ADP candidates for the House of Assembly seats will go to the elections with my maximum supports.”
Adelabu enjoys Alao-Akala’s adoption
“It is widely known that I initiated alliance talks with the main opposition parties in Oyo state vis-a-vis my great party – the Action Democratic Party ((ADP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). My boss, the former governor of Oyo state and Osi Olubadan, Senator Rashid Adewolu Ladoja is a mediator.
“Meanwhile, during the alliance process, I received an emergency call from the Presidency. In the meeting with the Presidency, I was prevailed upon to work for the APC. My response was that I should be given 48 hours to consult with my people, the opposition parties’ alliance committee as well as the teeming members, the leaders and the stakeholders of my great party, ADP.
“On resumption to the alliance meeting, my boss (High Chief Rashid Adewolu Ladoja) told me point blank in the presence of other governorship candidates that I was not in consideration for governorship due to my place of birth – Ogbomoso”,saying, according to him, “we need an Ibadan man to slug it out with another Ibadan man, which is Bayo Adelabu”, he said.
Otunba Alao-Akala added, “with the statement, my geographical place of birth is the only crime I committed. Since I’ve been unfairly and technically booted out of the alliance talks, I consulted with my party stakeholders and supporters whose supports have brought me this far. Having realised that my 2019 governorship agenda cannot be realised in isolation based on the present situation, the only option remaining for me is to form an alliance with Mr Bayo Adelabu of APC.”
“I will work for the victory of Bayo Adelabu of the APC. Bayo Adelabu is ready to work with ADP to adopt and implement the core values of our party and my manifesto.
The Presidency approached me for an alliance based on our performance and grassroots network not only in Ogbomoso but also in Ibadan, Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Oyo. Our core values and philosophies as indicated in our ADP manifestos, ‘Rescue Mission Agenda, have been adopted by Bayo Adelabu with Presidency as witness.
“I have, therefore, as a candidate of ADP accepted to support Adelabu of the APC for victory and therefore form a coalition government. My solemn gratitude goes to our members, state and national leaders of ADP for the ample opportunity given to me to lead and fly the flag of the party. Though, my decision is a very tough one, it is for the progress of Oyo State.”
Coalition adopts Makinde
The coalition of political parties followed suit with the adoption of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Engineer Seyi Makinde, as their consensus governorship candidate for the March 9 governorship election, saying all the leading opposition parties in the state have resolved to endorsed Makinde following their meeting on how to rescue Oyo state and its people from the ruling APC.
“We are happy because we are working on how to form a coalition government in Oyo state. We have agreed to work together for a candidate. The interpretation of the smile we are wearing after our meeting is that the state is moving forward, we are very happy with the development.
“As you can see, Engr Seyi Makinde is here and smiling, I am here smiling and some of our other colleagues are possibly still with their other caucuses and I believe that they are also smiling.
“The outcome of the meeting is that we are moving forward. We, in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), have resolved to work with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state and we shall be supporting Engineer Seyi Makinde for governor,” he said
Chief Ayorinde said other opposition political parties in Oyo have agreed to collapse their structures and only work for the PDP governorship candidate.
“They remain the parties that they are, but for the governorship election on Saturday, March 9th, we have all resolved to work for the candidate of the PDP. There are so many parties in the state who are willing to join us.”
As at present, political observers in Oyo state are of the view that the ongoing political realignments may not bring joy both sides as the return of Otunba Alao-Akala to APC could be counterproductive for the ruling APC during the Saturday’s election.
While on the part of the opposition political parties, anything can still happen to the said endorsement of Engineer Seyi Makinde as the political warlords in and from outside the state are still scouting around and across the state. In politics, surprise can come even in the last minute of the election.
