In Oyo State, just like in every other clime, some politicians have lost elections, while others have won but not many of them have had the opportunity of losing and coming back to prominence. OYOINSIGHT.COM’s Sikiru Akinola writes about 10 of them who hold the record.
1. Abiola Ajimobi is the immediate past governor of Oyo State. He was governor between 2011 and 2015. In fact, he holds the record of being the only Oyo governor to have governed the state on two consecutive occasions.
But before Ajimobi, who is now the All Progressives Congress, APC, deputy national chairman (south) defeated incumbent Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the tension-soaked 2011 governorship polls, he had lost his bid to govern the state in 2007; he was runner up to the same Alao-Akala. Ajimobi, who contested the election under the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Congress, ANPP, had represented Oyo South senatorial district between 2003 and 2007 under the platform of the defunct Alliance for Democracy, AD.
2. AbdulFatai Buhari is a politician of note. Between 2003 and 2007, he represented Ogbomoso North/Ogbomoso South/ Oriire federal constituency on the platform of the PDP. In 2007, his bid to represent Oyo North senatorial district on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, didn’t materialize. In 2011, he lost his bid to go back to the House of Representatives under the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
From being a special adviser and later commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters between 2011 and 2015, the APC chieftain defeated incumbent Hosea Ayoola Agboola to become a senator. His mandate was renewed in the 2019 election, making him the first person to represent the district twice.
3. Popularly called Dapolam, Adedapo, son of late former governor Lamidi Adesina, represented Ibadan North East / Ibadan South East federal constituency between 2015 and 2019 on the platform of APC. But before then, the University of Ibadan alumnus had initially lost the same election in 2011 to Olubukola Ajaja of Accord. Between 2011 and 2015, he was commissioner for youth and sports, and later commissioner for industry, science and technology.
4. Olasupo Abiodun represented Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola federal constituency between 2015 and 2019 under the platform of the APC. The Iseyin-born politician had lost his bid to represent the people in the 2011 election under the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change, CPC.
5. Bosun Oladele, lawyer and former youth leader of the defunct AD, lost his bid to represent Irepo/Olorunsogo state constituency to Ojemuyiwa Ojekunle of the PDP (now commissioner for agriculture and natural resources).
In the 2015 election, the APC chieftain and former information commissioner, was elected to represent Oorelope/Irepo/Olorunsogo federal constituency.
6. Before he became governor in 2019, Seyi Makinde had contested every election since 2007. As a senatorial candidate of the defunct ANPP in 2007, he lost to PDP’s Kamarudeen Adedibu. In 2011, he lost the PDP senatorial ticket to Adedibu again. In 2015, he was the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, where he came a distant 5th position. When many had written him off, he defeated Adebayo Adelabu of the then ruling APC.
7. Akin Alabi, founder of Nigeria’s first online betting site, NairaBet, represents Egbeda/Ona-Ara federal constituency. Before winning the seat in the 2019 national assembly, he had lost the same bid in the 2015 election under the platform of the PDP.
8. At 40 in 2003, Teslim Folarin became Oyo Central senator on the platform of the PDP. He was there till 2011. He was unable to seek re-election as he had a running battle with them governor Alao-Akala. Many had thought he would contest governorship poll. Alao-Akala wanted to go for another term and would not even allow Folarin go for a third term; he was said to have preferred then minister of state for Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide who would later lose the general election to APC’s Ayo Adeseun.
In 2015, Folarin, having successfully taken over the control of the PDP machinery in the state, contested the governorship election but came 4th. He would later joined his cousin, Ajimobi, in the then ruling APC circa 2018. He was the candidate of the party in the 2019 senatorial election and he defeated incumbent Monsurat Sunmonu and Makinde’s chief of staff, Bisi Ilaka, to break a record; the first three-term senator from the state. He had, in 2011, previously set a record of being the first person to represent a senatorial district twice in the history of Oyo State.
9. Initially, Yemi Taiwo had represented Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency between 2007 and 2011 on the platform of the PDP. His bid to return in 2011 didn’t materialize as he lost to Sunday Adepoju. It was not until 2019 that he defeated Adepoju who wanted to go for third term.
10. Saubana, as Muraina Ajibola is popularly called, staged a comeback in the 2019 election. Before then, he had represented Ibarapa North/Central federal constituency between 2003 and 2011. The PDP chieftain had had his bid to initially go for a third term truncated in 2011 when he lost to little known Olugbenga Ojoawo of the APC.
