In this piece, AGBOOLA BAYO x- rays major figures in the 2015 governorship race in Oyo state, their chances and levels of influence
With few months to the 2015 general elections, political activities are now at their peak in Oyo state with aspirants, particularly those eyeing the governorship seat flooding the nooks and crannies of major parts of the state with series of posters as well as engaging stakeholders on the need to give them the much-needed support towards realizing their ambitions.
Till date, no fewer than 20 governorship aspirants are gunning for the Agodi Government House race with the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] topping the list with 14 aspirants, followed by the All Progressives Congress [APC] with four governorship aspirants – including the incumbent – Senator Abiola Ajimobi, while the Accord party is having a former governor of the state, Senator Rasidi Ladoja as its sole candidate for now.
In the present political setting in Oyo state, four of the registered political parties in the country, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Accord Party and the Labour Party are the major contenders. Political parties in the race for the governorship election within Ibadan alone are now 15.
The PDP, which has the highest number of aspirants, is for now having the former Senate leader, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin, Engineer Oluseyi Makinde, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, Dr Gbola Adetunji;Dr Abdulazeez Adeduntan, Elder Wole Oyelese, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi; Professor Soji Adejumo, Professor Taoheed Adedoja; Ambassador Taofik Arapaja [all from Ibadan]. Others are former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Ayo Adeseun [both from Ogbomoso] and Engineer Femi Babalola from Fiditi.
APC is having the sitting governor, Senator Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi, son of a former governor in the state, Late Alhaji Lam Adesina and other candidates like Dr Wasiu Ayobami Adesina, Honourable Soji Akanbi [all from Ibadan] and Barrister Adebayo Shittu from Saki town as the guber aspirants. The Accord Party is having a former governor of the state, Senator Rasidi Ladoja [an Ibadan High Chief] as its sole aspirant.
The Labour Party, on its part, is for now having Comrade Olu Abiala and Barrister Sarafa Abiodun Ali [both from Ibadan] as its governorship aspirants.
Presently, political observers in the state are focusing on what becomes of the opposition parties in the state, especially the PDP in settling down for a credible and acceptable candidate for the governorship race – to slug it out with the incumbent Senator Ajimobi – who is now fully out for his second term in office struggle. Although the ruling APC is yet to conduct its primaries, there is no doubt about the fact that Senator Ajimobi is contesting the 2015 governorship poll under the APC platform. Prominent politicians in the opposition parties in the state expected to prove their political worth in slugging it out with Governor Ajimobi for the 2015 race are highly influential.
Senator Teslim Folarin
A cousin of Governor Ajimobi, he was a two-term Senator (representing Oyo Central Senatorial District between 2003 and 2011 under the PDP) and an immediate past Senate Leader. He is presently moving all out towards emerging as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2015 polls. Senator Folarin is believed to be enjoying the presidency’s support for his ambition and said to be in total control of the sitting PDP executive members in the state. He has in the last few months engaged in series of consultations with prominent traditional rulers, stakeholders, interest groups and others across the state towards realizing his ambition.
Engineer Seyi Makinde
He is someone who, political observers in the state believe, to be the most neutral and considerably acceptable aspirant in the PDP governorship line-up. For now, he could best be described as the choice of the youths across the state, going by the trend of his popularity among the stakeholders – particularly the youths in Ibadan. This is possibly because of his youthful age or for his philanthropic roles in the areas of scholarships and empowerment programmes for indigent students, widows and the aged over the years.
Makinde, an oil magnate, is expected to give Senator Ajimobi a good fight in the race if he emerged as PDP’s candidate. He has been an active player in Oyo state politics since 2007, when he contested for the Oyo South Senatorial District seat as a candidate under the defunct ANPP but lost to the son of the late generalismo of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu – Senator Kamarudeen Adedibu
Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala
This is the immediate past governor of the state and a man to beat and needs not be overrated in the 2015 governorship race. The Ogbomoso-born former police boss, ex-local government Chairman and a former deputy governor in the state is purely a grassroots politician whose influence and popularity cut across the 33 local government areas of the state. Some political analysts in the state are of the view that the fear of Otunba Akala is the beginning of political wisdom in Oyo politics but what seems to be against him might be his not being an Ibadan man.
Prof. Taoheed Adedoja
He has being in the race since the days of Late General Sani Abacha and he is still much relevant and may likely be the favoured PDP candidate for the 2015 elections, should all the party’s aspirants fail to settle their prolonged differences on time. This former Provost of Federal College of Education (Special) in Oyo, was the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC) in 2007. He also served as the SUBEB Chairman and Commissioner for Education in the administration of Otunba Akala before his appointment as the Minister for Special Duties and later Minister for Sports.
Senator Hamzat Ayoade Adeseun
An Ogbomoso man like Otunba, he is presently representing Oyo Central Senatorial district at the Upper chamber. He was a two-term member of the house of Representatives on the platform of Alliance for Democracy and Peoples Democratic Party respectively, before moving to the defunct ACN in 2011 to contest the Senatorial election. He recently decamped to the PDP. The former chairman of Surulere Local government area of the state is also a grassroots politician. The Senator, according to findings has never lost in any election that he has ever contested since he started his political career.
Ambassabor Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja
He represented Ibadan North East / Ibadan South East Federal constituency at the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, before he was picked up as the deputy governor to Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala between 2007 and 2011. He is presently the Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan.
Professor Soji Adejumo
Is from Ibadan North-West Local government and was the immediate past Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB). He is regarded too as a quiet grassroots politician and loved by nearly all the relevant political bigwigs in and across Oyo state.
Alhaji Isiaka Kehinde Olaosebikan
He is a journalist of no mean repute and has for years been in the forefront of Oyo state politics. Alhaji Olaosebikan was the Chief Press Secretary to the late former governor, Lam Adesina between 1999 and 2003 and also served as the immediate past Chairman of Oluyole Local Government area of the state. Alhaji Olaosebikan is believed to be a very calculative and a goal-getter politician who should not be underrated.
Senator Rasidi Ladoja
This former governor of the state still stands as a powerful force to reckon with, as far as politics is concerned in modern day Oyo state. The Accord party National Leader, who never hid his intention to run in the 2015 governorship election, is also a grassroots politician and well-loved by the civil servants, especially the teachers. His Accord party, till date, is considered to be the most popular party in Ibadan, the state capital where it won four federal constituencies and eight seats in the state House of Assembly within the three months of its formation in 2011.
Senator Ladoja as at present is, on weekly basis, winning many prominent members of the APC including Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, and PDP in the state into his Accord party. Ladoja may likely turn the table again in the guber poll, provided the forces that worked for his impeachment in 2005 and his loss in 2011 are still intact to counter him in 2015.
Barrister Adebayo Shittu no doubt stands as the most experienced among the governorship aspirants in Oyo state presently. He was the governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in 2011 in Oyo state.
Barrister Shittu
Started his political career in 1979 shortly after his degree in Law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) when he was elected as a member of the old Oyo State House of Assembly. This Saki-born politician and a former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in the administration of Senator Ladoja is a force to be reckoned with, as far as the APC is concerned in Oyo state .
Barrister Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli
He is the first elected Chairman of Ibadan North Local government, a former Secretary to the State Government [SSG] and later Chief of Staff during the Senator Ladoja administration. He was also the immediate past chairman of Oodua Investment Company Limited and he is undoubtedly another respected grassroots and wise politician in the state, especially when it came to permutations in the Oyo state politics, he moved from the PDP to ACN in 2011.
Considering the present political situation in Oyo state, it is glaring that history may likely repeat itself in the state, with the possible teaming-up of most of aspirants – especially those from Ibadan – who are the majority to decide who becomes the next governor of the state; as witnessed during the 2011 general election which produced Senator Ajimobi as the preferred candidate for Ibadan then.
A critical look at the Oyo 2015 guber race would, no doubt, reveal that the contest is most likely to end up as a fight between Ibadan and other axis of the state – considering the fact that of all the known 20 aspirants for now, 15 of them hailed from Ibadan, the state capital.
Already, some of the governorship aspirants who are Ibadan indigenes are making frantic efforts towards settling down for a joint candidate to tackle and dislodge their kinsmen,[ Senator Ajimobi] from office in the 2015 election.
