Makinde, Ibrahim Shittu And The Dilemma Of Identity Politics | Muftau Gbadegesin

Anytime Governor Seyi Makinde comes under public scrutiny over his choice of Bimbo Adekanmbi, the ex finance commissioner under late Abiola Ajimobi as the governorship flag-bearer of his party in the 2027 election; his most significant excuse has always been the way Muslims have consistently dominated the three senatorial seats in the state since 2015.

Governor Makinde has repeated that erroneous claim with little or no pushback from the public. For instance, in his remark to the intending Muslim pilgrims on April 29, 2026, Governor Makinde doubled down on his position, arguing that no one has ever raised an eyebrow because Muslims have dominated the three senatorial seats in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 elections. “For us in this (Oyo) state”, he noted in his address “religion is not an issue. We have all religions in our various families and we have always coexisted peacefully. So, I have told those talking about Muslim candidature that we should not be stampeded into taking decisions on the basis of religion, and I know they understand me”.

“Fatai Buhari has been in the senate, representing the people of Oyo north since 2015, he is a Muslim. Senator Monsurat Sunmonu once represented Oyo Central between 2015-2019, she is also a muslim. Likewise, Senator Rilwan Soji Akanbi of Oyo South in that same period”. He furthered that both Senator Teslim Folarin and Dr. Kola Balogun were replaced Sunmonu and Akanbi in 2019 while Senators Yunus Akintunde and Sarafadeen Alli took over from Folarin and Balogun respectively in the 2023 elections. Only Senator Fatai Buhari has reclaimed his mandate in those three consecutive elections, thus becoming the first in the history of Oyo State to win re-election to the senate in three successive times.

But a mere fact-check of the Governor’s contention turned out to expose numerous flaws in his argument. Take Oyo North senatorial district. In 1999, the district elected General Buraimoh Yusuf (rtd), a retired military brass as its senator. Yusuf, a Muslim, hailed from Ogbomoso town. By 2003, he was replaced with Robert Koleoso, a saki born politician who also doubled as the brother to late Chief Michael Koleoso, former Secretary to the State Government.

Koleoso was voted out of office in 2007 by Senator Andrew Gbenga Babalola, an Iseyin indigene whose time in office coincided with the political turmoil that rocked the state. By 2011, Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola had defeated other contestants to represent the district. Agboola’s period in the senate was particularly interesting because he was the only PDP Senator from the southwest. For that, he was made the deputy chief whip of the senate, despite being a first timer. Not surprisingly, Agboola was swept away by the Buhari’s tsunami in the 2015 general election, thus marking an era that has etched Senator Buhari’s undisputed representation in the country’s highest legislative chamber in history.

To take one more step further at the facts: consider the candidates of other main political parties against Senator Buhari. In his inaugural contest, Senator Buhari’s faced a seasoned politician who had served in governments across different capacities. Alleluya, as he is fondly called, was a grassroot politician of note. In fact, when Agboola stood for re-election in 2015, he was doing so from the position of enormous advantage: he was the sitting senator, who hailed from Igbojaye in Iwajowa local government area of Oke-ogun. On the other hand, Senator Buhari, then the commissioner for local government under Ajimobi, was throwing his hat in the ring after his 2007 electoral epiphany.

He was equally an ogbomoso man, the constituency with three out of thirteen local governments that made up the senatorial district. In 2019, Senator Buhari faced a fellow Muslim and another Ogbomoso woman, Hon. Mukaila Adeola-Akande, the former majority leader of the House of Representatives. By 2023, Solomon Akinwale, another Ogbomoso man was handed the flag of the PD for the district as well.

He, like others before him, was trounced by Senator Fatai Buhari of the APC. By estimate, Senator Buhari has contended against Christians twice in his bid for the senate race and came out on top. One more fact: between 2015 to 2023, all major parties zoned the Oyo North Senatorial district ticket to Ogbomoso, paving the way for Oke-ogun to produce the deputy governors in quick succession, first with Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo, then Engineer Remi Olaniyan and finally, Barrister Bayo Lawal. That arrangement has changed as the state enters a new dispensation in 2027.

To claim that Oyo North Senatorial district has been dominated by a muslim since 2015 is a betrayal of simple logic. Cherry picking without considering historical context is a defeat of common sense. The story is almost similar in other senatorial districts of the state.

The recent statement credited to Honorable Ibrahim Shittu, the lawmaker representing Saki West state constituency has once again thrown up conversation around identity politics and the religionization of electoral contests. The lawmaker spoke at a gathering of muslims in his hometown of saki. In his speech, Shittu appealed to Muslims to consider voting their fellow muslims as doing otherwise might cause more harm than good to them. “Let us endeavor to vote Muslims as Governor in the next election because the current state government hasn’t been fair to the muslims in the grand scheme of things”.

In an instant, the Shittu’s visceral appeal quickly sparked infernal conversation online. As expected, the remark swiftly morphed into a religious conflagration with critics stamping down the statement while supporters fought tooth and nail to stay above the waters. Efforts to contextualize the viral clip equally fell on deaf ears as emotion divided not only opinion but revealed the delicate nature of identity politics in a pluralistic society.

Of course, Governor Makinde knew Shittu’s open and direct slingshot was actually meant for him. More reason he offered his response without any delay. For context, Honorable Shittu and Governor Makinde are bitter political rivals. And they’ve never pretended to tear each other down whenever the opportunity comes. For instance, the election that produced Shittu as the state honorable was voided on account of infractions in just two polling units. To claim his mandate, Shittu had to endure grueling forces from the state government. For one thing, Makinde’s government mobilized the state apparatus to thwart his election. Consider Shittu’s main challenger: Julius Okedoyin. For Shittu and his supporters, that election was interpreted beyond the lens of partisan politics alone. They felt it was a religious combat disguised as an electoral contest. Add that to the way Governor Seyi Makinde also responded to the defeat of his candidate. In his remark at the burial of late Chief Michael Koleoso, Governor Makinde claimed that the people of Saki did not support his 2023 re-election bid due to religious differences. He also seized the opportunity to express his anger over the local preference for an opposition candidate (Ibrahim Shittu of the APC) during a Saki West constituency by-election.

The contention of this columnist is that identity politics has become an integral part of our electoral and political system. In fact, it is one of the ways we measure inclusion and equality. Any attempt to discard or dismiss it will always spark the same hot button conversation that ultimately shift attention away from the real issues of character, competence and capacity of aspiring public servants. When Governor Makinde made the call to handpick Bimbo Adekanmbi as his preferred candidate, he knew better than to be surprised at the criticism directed at him and his party. The events of the next few months toward the election will further expose the fault lines not only in our politics but in our polity as well.

PLAIN TALK is Muftau Gbadegesin’s commentary on contemporary socio-political Issues affecting Oyo State and beyond. He writes every Saturday and can be reached on X and muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com