The 2015 Oronna Ilaro Day has come and gone
with its usual razzmatazz and colour. But one
aspect of the Federal Government-endorsed
tourism festival that will linger for a long while is
the demand by the people of Ogun West during
the event for a shift of political power to their
section of the state in 2019.
This demand will definitely remain the recurrent
motif that will resonate in the discourse in
political circles across the state in the run-up to
the 2019 polls. They claim to be the most
marginalized of the four sections in the political
arrangement and calculations, because nearly 40
years after the creation of the state, the district
comprising the Yewa/Awori people remains the
only section that has yet to produce the governor.
Their counterparts–the Ijebu, the Egba and the
Remo have within this period had their fair share.
The Ijebu and Egba have had their turn in the late
Chief Bisi Onabanjo in the Second Republic and
Chief Olusegun Osoba, who at two different
periods, during the regime of military president,
General Ibrahim Babangida and between 1999
and 2003, occupied the office.
The Remo had their turn with the eight-year two-
term tenure of the immediate past governor
Gbenga Daniel. The Egba are currently having
another turn with the re-election of Governor
Ibikunle Amosun.
The closest the Yewa/Awori has ever got was
Alhaja Salimot Badru as deputy governor in the
administration of Daniel. Since then, all attempts
by Ogun West to have one of its own as the
governor have so far resulted in political
miscalculations and loss occasioned by intrigues
and betrayal by certain elements from the area.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in the last governorship election, Prince
Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, has become a veteran of
the struggle by the Yewa people. Isiaka, fondly
called GNI was the standard bearer of the
Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in the 2011
governorship poll. He, however, lost the contest to
Amosun. General Adetunji Olurin of the PDP, and
a fellow Yewa from Ilaro, also contested the
election. His second was more than a fitful
breeze. Isiaka who was this time the
governorship candidate of the PDP once again
narrowly lost to Amosun.
Political watchers are, however, of the opinion
that the people of the area have always been
their own political albatross, given their usual but
unwholesome attitude of producing and
presenting two different candidates from two
different political parties to run for the
governorship in the same election.
In 2011, following the crisis that erupted within
the then ruling PDP between Daniel and former
president Olusegun Obasanjo, which resulted in
the formation of the rival PPN, two governorship
candidates emerged from Ogun West. While the
PPN backed by Daniel presented GNI, the PDP
supported by Obasanjo produced Olurin.
The then Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), which
presented Amosun seized the opportunity of this
division to win the election. An addition of the
votes scored by the candidates of both the PPN
and the PDP would have given Ogun West the
most sought after governorship of the state.
Similar situation repeated itself in the 2015 with
the PDP presenting GNI and the Social
Democratic Party (SDP), producing Senator Akin
Odunsi.
The people of Ogun West are believed to have
actually been at the receiving end of the political
disagreement between Amosun and his estranged
godfather and former governor Osoba who
attempted to use the SDP to get his own pound
of flesh from the incumbent. At the end of the
day, both the PDP and the SDP candidates who
hail from Ogun West lost the election to Amosun,
leaving their people to merely lick their wounds.
To check this trend and break the age-long jinx,
the people of Ogun West may have decided to set
forth early on the campaign for the governorship
in 2019 with this year’s Oronna Day celebrations
providing them the veritable platform. Taking the
lead is the Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of
Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle.
Political heavyweights from the area and their
supporters had turned out in large numbers for
the festival which became the rallying point for
all Yewa sons and daughters. They included
Senators Solomon Adeola and Gbolahan Dada,
representing Lagos West and Ogun West,
respectively. Others were the member
representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal
Constituency in the House of Representatives,
Hon. Adekunle Akinlade and the Speaker of the
state Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi.
Isiaka, state chairman of the SDP, Chief Olu
Agemo; Ajiroba of Imasai, Chief Dapo Oke; Biyi
Otegbeye who was the chairman of the occasion;
Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kola Lawal
Mobolorunduro and his counterpart in the Ministry
of Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye also graced the
occasion. Also present were members of the
Yewa Traditional Council and traditional rulers
from Oyo and Osun states.
Oba Olugbenle had stirred the hornet’s nest by
challenging the powers-that-be to give his people
a sense of belonging in the scheme of things in
the state. He specifically appealed to Amosun and
National Leader of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to allow
Ogun West produce the next governor.
The monarch reminded other sections of the state
about the disadvantaged political situation and
position to which they have pushed his people,
stressing that power must shift in 2019 to his
area. Adeola and Dada are said to be favoured by
the powers that be in the ruling party. Sources
said while Tinubu prefers Adeola who is currently
representing Lagos West in the Senate, Amosun is
believed to be backing Dada, Senator representing
Ogun West.
Whoever the lot eventually falls on, what matters
most to the paramount ruler who apparently was
speaking the minds of his people is the
emergence of no other person than one of their
sons in Ogun West as the next governor.
Apparently sending a strong signal to Amosun
through the Secretary to the State Government,
Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa who represented him, Oba
Olugbenle did not mince words. He appealed for
the support of the governor.
Oba Olugbenle even also apologised to the
governor on behalf of his people for not giving
him the required two thirds votes in the 2015
governorship election. According to him, the
people of Ogun West have had enough playing the
second fiddle for almost 40 years.
Speaking in the same vein, Adeola noted: “I won’t
want to say much about that. Ogun State was
created in 1976 and from then to date, for once
Yewa has not had the opportunity of serving at
that level and for our people to be clamouring for
that, I think it’s a right step in the right direction.”
Dada said power shift to Ogun West had become
imperative: “We must have one front and that
common front is imperative. We should have one
objective and one programme to ensure power
shifts to our area.” Akinlade, assured the people
that Amosun would make good his promises to
hand over to an Ogun West person come 2019.
Adekunbi urged the people to continue to support
Amosun: “I believe that Yewa has not been
unreasonable in their demand and I want to
believe that by the grace of God, we are getting
there. I first just want to enjoin the people of
Yewaland to continue to show their support for
the present administration, because when you are
talking about Yewa becoming the governor, we
cannot do it alone. But I want to believe that first
of all we should support the current
administration and that will be the starting point.
And I believe once that is done, what is due to us
will be given to us.”
Responding on behalf of Amosun, the SSG said
the paramount ruler had no reason to apologize
to the governor over the attitude of his people
during the last elections: “All your children have
put politics aside and sat together as one here
today. We congratulate all Yewa sons and
daughters. I want to say nobody has offended
anybody.
“It’s God who returned the governor for a second
term. There is nothing to apologize for. In Ogun
we are all one. After politicking, we should resolve
all issues. The whole of the state belongs to the
governor. By 2019, it would be better, nobody has
offended anybody. We are back in government
through your support.”
However, the festival was not all about politics. It
featured the normal cultural displays and
exhibitions by various groups and persons. The
Egungun, Igunnuko and other masquerades had a
field day entertaining guests. Another highlight
was the display by a group of Taekwando
fighters.
Credit: DAILY SUN
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