Former Governor of old Oyo state, Chief Ajibola Ige was reported to have cracked a wildly expensive joke about the Ibadan people. Consequently, what started as a mere and harmless banter would turn out to transform the mindset of the people forever. More than anything, the assumption that the people of Ibadan are only good at meat selling awakened the giant within the people to take up state politics and dominate it with a firm grip. By 1983 when Chief Ige was facing re-election, Ibadan had ganged up.
The poster boy for that mission was the brilliant Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo. Flying under the flag of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the party of another Ibadan political juggernaut, Chief Adisa Akinloye, Dr. Olunloyo, would trounce the incumbent governor, Chief Ige of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) thus re-establishing the political wizardry of the Ibadan people. Three months after, the military junta of Major General Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon would disrupt the democratic trajectory of the time.
From that reflective moment on, Ibadan has kept the governorship seat of the state close to its chest. In the short-lived 3rd Republic, for instance, Kolapo Ishola, another Ibadan man was elected governor of the state. And by 1999 when the country transitioned from military rule to another democratic dispensation, another Ibadan man, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina took over the mantle of the state leadership. Of the past 24 years of unbroken civil rule in Nigeria, politicians from Ibadan have ruled the state for complete 20 years. By 2027, when governor Seyi Makinde would have completed his second term in office, he would have become the second Ibadan man to rule for eight years, and the fourth to enjoy the perks and privileges of the office from city to the bewilderment of the rest of the state. Curiously, I think it is too simplistic to pin down the sudden political reawakening of the people of Ibadan to Chief Ige’s joke. Given that Ibadan has produced preeminent politicians in the first republic, think of the ebullient Adegoke Adelabu (Penkelemesi) and importantly during Nigeria’s struggle for independence; something more substantial must account for what inspired the people to show the stuff they are made off.
Perhaps, one can assume that Ibadan people waking up to harness and harvest their strengths and take over the state without batting an eye was a question of when and not how. People will wake up with unbridled passion when they know what they are capable of. But as they say, one thing leads to another.
Before delving into details of how the rest of the state can wrest power from Ibadan, I want to see where other states stand on this knotty issue of power rotation. For example, I want to argue that political domination is not entirely an Ibadan affair and that some states within the federation have turned the idea and notion of power rotation on its head. Take Benue state which was where I served the mandatory NYSC in 2020; only one out of the three major ethnic groups have consistently held the state’s number one position to the consternation of the rest. The Tiv to the chagrin of Idoma and Igede have ruled the state right from its inception in 1976 till date safe for military interregnum. Even the current Governor-elect, Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia (the second Rev. Father to win popular votes in the state) is a Tiv man while his deputy, Sam Ode an Idoma man was drafted into the race to assuage the feelings of the second largest ethnic group in the state.
Unsurprisingly, the incumbent governor Sam Ortom is a Tiv man, alongside his predecessors: Gabriel Suswan, George Akume, Moses Adasu, and Aper Aku among others. Interestingly, this kind of skewed and lopsided arrangement is also at play in Kwara where politicians from Ilorin, the state capital have ruled the state more than politicians from other zones since the dawn of the 4th republic. Muhammed Lawal, Bukola Saraki, and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq have ruled the state for complete 16 years. Only Abdulfatai Ahmed, a beneficiary of the Saraki political dynasty has ruled the state from outside Ilorin; he is from the tiny town of Shaare, Ifelodun local government. Of course, there are notable politicians from Kwara North who have also ruled the state but not in this 4th Republic. Adamu Atta was the first elected governor of the state under NPN while Sha’aba Lafiagi was elected governor of the state in the January 1992 election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party before the military incursion of General Sani Abacha truncated the 3rd Republic. In Ogun, the political arrangement has favored both Egba and Ijebu politicians to the exclusion of politicians from Yewa. In Kogi, the permutation has favored the Igala and Ebira to the detriment of the Okuns. Power rotation has become a significant political rallying point across the 36 states of the federation but records have shown most of the agitations have not transcended into real, meaningful and tangible results.
In Nigeria, the political arrangement is believed to favor the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba more than any other tribes. There is a reason Peter Obi’s ambition gained traction in the Southeastern part of the country more than anywhere else in the just concluded Presidential election. So, what is at play nationally has found its way into the subconsciousness of power brokers at the sub-nationally level. Going forward, the 2027 election would be a defining moment for power rotation in Oyo state. In part because agitation for such would have reached a fever pitch level. Comprising of 5 different zones: Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa, many outsides of Ibadan have watched as Ibadan lord itself over the rest of the state for years. But what many don’t know is that Ibadan does not just boast of numerical strength alone, it also has a solid political base that can only be envied. In addition to its staggering 11 local governments out of 33, Ibadan alone commanded 16 house of assembly seats, out of 32. Similarly, Ibadan North local government for instance has 512 polling units – more than about 10 local government units combined! What’s more than domination when you have the number under your belt?
To beat Ibadan at its game, politicians outside of the zone aspiring to govern the state must understand the imperative of bridge-building with power brokers. They must be able to wear the Ibadan identity without losing their primary identity. In addition to other factors that worked in his favor, the late Alao-Akala’s uncanny ability to play politics in the Ibadan way stood him out of the pack. Apart from his persuasive approach to issues, he was also able to enter into the heart of the city and beyond with his amala and gbegiri brand of politics – he benefitted from Ibadan politics but was defeated through the tricky Ibadan politics as well. Essentially, those who want to rule the state from outside Ibadan have a lot to learn from the late Alao-Akala. In a way, they must know that nobody serves power on a silver platter. The ability of politicians outside Ibadan to rally around other disadvantaged zones to their side will be a game changer but will not be enough to unseat the city.
Crucially, most are eager to see whether Governor Makinde would walk his talk on power rotation. Given that he supported the APC Presidential flagbearer based on power shift to the south, many are in suspense about whether he’s going to back a candidate for governorship outside Ibadan. In other words, beating Ibadan at its game is going to be hard but not impossible. In fact, it is going to be nearly impossible to defeat Ibadan politically without the support of Ibadan itself.
“Power” as one Fyodor Dostoevsky brilliantly submitted “is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. One thing matters, one thing; to be able to dare!”.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via @TheGMAKing on Twitter, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
