A few known and unknown politicians seized the epochal moment of the new year to tell millions of Oyo electorates of their intents to run the 2027 governorship race. Typical of average Nigerian politicians: they all uttered the same worn-out desire and messianic bluster to rescue and liberate the state from the tight fist of the Seyi Makinde’s administration. One common feature that binds the aspirants together though, is their party: they all belong to the All-Progressives Congress and seem to believe, albeit erroneously, that the party will field them as its flag-bearer in the coming contest. It seems the PDP politicians are cooling their feet hoping the universe remembers them through the Governor.
To make himself look nice and the Governor bad, a former Communication Minister, Barrister Bayo Shittu even went as far as casting aspersion on the Governor, saying the Governor once ran away with one of his lofty ideas. That joke has since been buried in the quicksand of time never to sound funny again. In fact, that farce backfired in that the minister spoke as if he hailed from Abuja which already enjoyed the pecks of being Federal Capital Territory since 1992 and not from the infrastructure deprived zone in the state. Commentators from that zone took the former Ministers to the cleaners for having the audacity to say his proposed ICT University was to be sited in Abuja instead of the region that has suffered years of neglect and abandonment by the federal government. “Makinde told me not to establish an ICT University in Abuja”, the former Minister accused the Governor on a radio station, “He promised to give us land in Oyo State. As a result, I handed over the document from the university to him. Makinde used this document to get approval from his cabinet to establish the ICT Polytechnic in Ajia, his town in Ibadan”. Up till now, Barr. Shittu added, he has not given the land he promised. The Governor has kept mum since those damaging words were uttered leaving the former Minister to substantiate his claims.
The speculation in town is that most of the aspirants are not reading the mood in the room. They seem to be in a quick rush of declaring their intentions. While timing is everything in politics, the chuckles across the state is that no serious guber contenders would be in that haste and hurry to declare his intent when the business of governance was still on. The assertion went on to note that none of the aspirants has the wherewithal to keep their name in the mouths of the people for that long. As predicted, nearly all the said aspirants have withdrawn into their hollow shells, planning and plotting their next moves, all in solitude and in quietness. While politics is a game of serious contenders and serial pretenders, quite a lot of the electorates are beginning to see most of the pretenders for who they are. For instance, the serious contenders are still working behind the scene, learning the ropes while ticking various boxes. They will soon storm the stage with force and razzmatazz to the chagrin of the pretenders.
Take the current Federal Government as a test case. Quite a lot of bigwigs who worked tirelessly for the electoral success of President Bola Tinubu in the last election are still fighting tooth and nail for compensation and deserved recognition. Only a few have gained access to the seat of power; the vast majority silently wailing and sulking in bitterness. For one, that should tell you that the tricky idea of throwing the little hat into the ring of politics no longer works when the acclaimed big fishes are being swallowed by the bigger fishes in power. The truth is, another novel tactic must be invented to counter the ferocity of the big fishes in the big pond of politics. Take a look at most states of the federation and the number of gladiators waiting to devour the flesh of the government once the veil of political activities is lifted. Imagine serious contenders being sidelined in the scheme of things. How much more the pretenders?
In Oyo State for example, it is an open secret that Governor Makinde backed President Tinubu with his full chest in the 2023 poll. Tell me what has come out of that bromance other than helping each other win in the election. The case is similar when you compare the contributions of Oyo, Lagos and Ogun States to the President’s electoral victory. That Ogun and Lagos have a record number of Ministers while Oyo State only has one should tell you that sacrifice may not be enough to swing the pendulum of privileges into your side politically. The current political climate has shown that it is no longer profitable to be a pretender in the grand scheme of things. There are enough ground to report the spectacular decline of loyalty among partisan politicians.
Back to the pretenders. As of today, it is no longer news that power is ultimately for sale across party lines, leaving the highest bidders with the juicy. This uncomfortable truth is important to help prepare the minds of most pretenders in case of the predicted heartbreak that will trail party congresses. On his part, Governor Makinde has made it clear of his plan to pick his successor. He is only acting the script typical of any Nigerian politician. That gesture has put an end to conversation around circumstances that will produce the party’s candidate.
There’s a reason no single individual from the PDP has come out to tell the world of their intention to succeed Governor Makinde. At one point in time, many PDP politicians thought they had the nod of the Governor to aspire for his seat but with the current reality, they seem to have gotten the message that Makinde’s candidate may not come from the usual political circle. Cleverly, Governor Makinde has equally weaponized age to warn those above the fray to stay away from the party’s ticket. He has said it repeatedly that his choice will not be older than him when he comes into power in 2019. That riot act has forced many within the party to re-strategize and rethink their plans.
In an age of declining party loyalty, only one thing is sure to make a pretender switch to the higher league of contenders: a ridiculous financial heft. And that in itself is a defeat of the ideals of a fair and equitable system of governance.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
