Ibadan, one of Africa’s largest cities
has consistently sought to dominate
its political landscape and tried to put
other geopolitical zones in Oyo State
such as Ogbomoso, Ibarapa, Oke- Ogun and Oyo to play second fiddle.

Of the seven men that governed Oyo
State in its former or present
configuration, only Chief Bola Ige
and Adebayo Alao-Akala came from
outside Ibadan. The rest Omololu
Olunloyo, Chief Kolapo Ishola, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, Senator Rashidi Ladoja
and the incumbent, Senator Abiola
Ajimobi hailed from Ibadan, a city that
has consistently sought to safe guard
political power for itself.

When in 1983 after governing the old
Oyo State, Ige sought a second term,
Ibadan political elites led by the
national chairman of the now defunct
National Party of Nigeria, NPN, Chief
Adisa Akinloye were able to rally round to install an Ibadan son in the
person of Dr. Omololu Olunoyo.
Before the electoral body announced
the results that shocked many,
Akinloye came on air to say “omo wa
ni e je ko se e”, meaning, the winner is our kinsman, allow him to govern us. That was when the slogan, “Ibadan
people don’t serve a governor twice,”
was first chorused.

It is telling that
since then no governor has had the
opportunity of serving two terms in
the state. It is thus not surprising that ahead of
the 2015 gubernatorial elections that
political heavyweights in the
opposition Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP are beginning to put the Ibadan
factor into consideration in the emergence of a candidate to confront
the candidate of the ruling All
Progressives Congress, APC. For
Governor Abiola Ajimobi, despite his
internal challenges is the presumed
nominee of the ruling party. Indeed, the reconciliatory efforts by
the national leadership of the party is
currently being threatened by the
alleged gang up of some Ibadan
aspirants against non-indigenes in the
race who are insistent that the PDP candidate must be an Ibadan man.
Some Ibadan-born aspirants
alongside political stakeholders
recently met to press their desire for
an Ibadan candidate. Their claim is that Ogbomoso, Oke-
Ogun, Ibarapa and Oyo put together
don’t have the numerical strength to
edge out Ibadan in any election. At the end of the meeting, they issued
a five-paragraph communiqué signed
by Elder (Dr) Wole Oyelese, former
Minister of Power and Steel, Alhaji
Hazeem Gbolarumi, former Deputy
Governor of the state, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, former Chairman,
State Universal Basic Education Board,
Professor Soji Adejumo, Senator Teslim
Folarin, former Senate Leader, Engr
Seyi Makinde and Dr. Azeez
Adeduntan.

Immediate past governor of the state,
Alao-Akala reacting to the resolution
said their agenda did not mean well
for the party.
“What they are saying is that they
(Ibadan indigenes) are the only ones in PDP. People like us who were not
invited to the meeting are not PDP
members. They are not serious. They
are myopic”. The State chairman of the party, Yinka
Taiwo also denied knowledge of the
meeting.
“They are all entitled to their opinion.
Other people from other zones can do
the same”.

The communiqué read, “that we
unanimously agreed to work together
as a team to ensure victory for our
party in 2015 elections and deliver
Oyo State for President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan’s re-election.
“That given the political reality on
ground, the PDP candidate who by the
grace of Almighty God will be the next
governor of Oyo State must come
from Ibadan land”.

“That the body takes cognizance of the importance and political interest of
other zones and resolved to work
assiduously with them to achieve
victory for our great party at all
levels.”
“That we appreciate the patience of
our teeming and loyal supporters and
indeed the good people of Oyo State
for enduring all the inhuman
treatments inflicted on them by the
current APC administration and we assure them of a responsible and
responsive government as from May
29 2015″.
“That we appeal to our teeming and
loyal supporters of the party to work
together and for those who have
defected from the party to return into
the fold for a collective victory”.

One of the major PDP aspirants, Alhaji
Kehinde Olaosebikan even though an
Ibadan indigene, was quick to
dissociate himself from the meeting
pledging that his aspiration would be
actualised without gang-up. Senator Lekan Balogun another
chieftain of the party who is also from
Ibadan also warned that the move
could be counter-productive.
“I don’t believe in gang ups. I want
the best aspirant to emerge. The
meeting in question was a private
initiative. I am not in any way
bothered about the meeting as they
only called those they felt they could control.
“I am more politically relevant and
productive than any of them. Check
out all the aspirants, none, including
the sponsor of the meeting delivered
his booth to PDP in the last elections;
while I did not just only deliver my booth but won my wards
(overwhelmingly) for the PDP in all
the elections.
“Politically, and talking grassroots, I
am not in the same class with any of
them. I understand and play decent
and people oriented politics more than
any of them. I am very close and
appreciated by the masses, the elites, the students, civil servants, teachers
and market women.”
“I have every confidence that I will
clinch the PDP ticket and eventually
win the gubernatorial election by the
grace of God. I am well positioned”, he
said.

Source: Vanguard News