Osogbo, Osun state capital is a symbolic, historic, and significant city in the anal of Yoruba history. In 1840, that restful town turned battlefield between the rampaging Fulani marauders who had ransacked Old Oyo Empire and made Ilorin their territory in 1835, and the Ibadan warriors who came to deliver Osogbo from their vicious thrall. That war, which lasted for days recorded casualties from both sides, but the Invaders, that is the Fulani, kept gaining more ground despite stiff resistance from the Yoruba. That battle, it appears, was tilting in their favor except something urgent and drastic is done. In what is termed a sheer combination of military prowess and native intelligence, the Yoruba, led by Balogun Oderinlo alongside Osogbo contingents finally, strategically, and tactically bombarded, conquered and flushed the invaders out of Yorubaland.
That internecine war would later proved decisive to what’s to be the relationship between the Ibadan warriors and the people of Osogbo — in particular — and the Yoruba in general. At a time of urgent, crucial and existential need, the Ibadan with their generalissimo, showed up, stood strongly behind their kinsmen and — came to the rescue not just of the people of Osogbo but of the entire Yoruba race from the clutches of descendants of Usman Dan Fodio. More essentially because Ibadan had become the bastion of Yoruba defense capital and primarily because of the power shift between the collapsed Old Oyo empire and the new Military capital, Ibadan: land of warriors and warlords.
On the 30th of November, 2020, Oyo state Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde paid his first official visit to Osogbo to express gratitude to Governor Gboyega Oyetola over the seamless and amicable resolution over the lingering LAUTECH crisis. Accompanied by members of the state Executive council, the Governor quietly entered into the state of virtue to pay homage to his peer whose gentle demeanor had helped resolved the year long ownership tussle between the two states. That visit, coupled with the success of that sole ownership was a sharp departure from the garrulous tongues that have held the two states by jugular in the past. The triumphant entry of the Governor paved the way for more conquest at the heart of Osogbo.
Again, on the 13th of April, 2021, Governor Seyi Makinde stormed WOCDIF, Osogbo, the venue of South West PDP zonal congress to engage in political mortal Kombat against his fiercest arch rival former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti. That intra party leadership tussles in the build up to that congress had created discord within party’s ranks and files in the region but the emergence of Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, the candidate of the Governor, as the regional chairman of the People’s Democratic party laid to rest the crisis rocking the party.
Of course, this is not 1840 when the battle for the control of Yoruba land was between the invaders and the aboriginals. Though, happenings around the region, with deadly clashes between farmers and herders are pointing to clandestine plan to hijack the control of the region by either crook or hook. Yet, Nigeria constitution still guarantee freedom of all Nigerians with respect to the right of all and sundry. In essence, the battle for the soul of PDP in South West especially between Governor Seyi Makinde and Mr. Ayodele Fayose in South West is akin to the event of 1840 in Osogbo.
For one, the control of PDP South West expectedly should be thrust with the only PDP Governor in the region. Because precedent favors this arrangement, it should simply be the proper and the right thing to do. While in office, Governor Fayose even enjoyed this reservation.
And as analysts contented, handling the structure of the struggling PDP to Fayose would both be disastrous, counterintuitive and counterproductive. And that will ultimately nail the coffin of the party in the region and eventually placed APC at the vantage position of coasting home victory without strong opposition to put it in check. Unfortunately, the gentle demeanor of Governor Makinde among his Political foes is always thought to be a weakness that can be exploited.
In an interview after the defeat of his candidate, Eddy Olafeso, Mr. Fayose described Governor Makinde as a quiet but dangerous politician. Perhaps, this quiet, reserved, and reclusive personality must have informed the likes of Fayose to want to wrestle the party’s structure from him. After all, a quiet person is unlikely to violently react even when cheated.
“There is zero correlation between being the best talker” Susan Cain observed in her book, Quiet “and having the best ideas”. In other words, where ideas matter, gregariousness and assertiveness typical of Mr. Fayose’s showmanship in Osogbo may have to take back seat paving the way for the best to coast home victory.
OYO101, Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion on issues affecting Oyo State, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850.
