OYO STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION: NEW LESSONS I LEARNT FROM PPA – WOLE ADEDOYIN

The yet to be concluded local government elections in Oyo state is one of the historical elections I will never forget. Despite my vast experience in politics and political activism, yet I learnt one or two new lessons. The performance of the People Democratic Party (PDP) did not impress me at all but the boldness, courage, doggedness, perseverance and insistence of one of the relisted political parties, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). Theirs is a story of hope, faith, commitment and endurance.
From the onset I followed the party. When my brother called me that there was need for him and his members (being the former Chairman of the defunct African Peoples Alliance Party in Oyo State and the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 governorship election in the state) to participate in the forthcoming Local Government elections in the state. I told him to give me two weeks to get him one of the registered political parties in the state but he quickly intervened that two weeks was much going through the timetable released by OYSIEC. He quickly interjected that I should get him one of the relisted political parties. His former party, African Peoples Alliance had fused into the All Progressive Congress same week the party was deregistered. They did not contest their illegal deregistration in the court of law.
He said he gave me a minimum of a day and maximum of two days to get him one of the relisted parties. Immediately I heard this, I took the judgment which ordered INEC to relist the concerned parties and glanced through the names of the relisted political parties. I said to myself that I virtually knew all the national Chairmen of the 22 parties but I am closer to some than others. Out of the 22 relisted political parties I chose High Chief Peter Ameh’s Political party, Progressive People Alliance (PPA). High Chief Peter Ameh is one of my political mentors, like I also have it in the persons of Deacon Samson Segun Olalere and Alhaji Yinka Olona. High Chief Peter Ameh is currently the national Chairman of the Progressive Peoples Alliance and the Secretary General of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). Also a former National Secretary and later President of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC).
Immediately, I contacted my brother that the Progressive People Alliance would be a better platform to use. As a former Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and the foundation Secretary of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC) in Oyo State I still know little about some parties in the state (though I am now politicizing in Osun State). After gotten some information I needed about the party in Oyo State, I went ahead to discuss the issue of PPA participating in the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State with the National Chairman of the party, High Chief Peter Ameh. Being a true democrat and lover of democracy himself, High Chief Peter Ameh gave my brother a go ahead but also showed his sadness about the sitting governors not being transparent about the conduct of the council elections in their respective states.
After we got his permission, I communicated the development to my brother who was happy and showed a sign of gratefulness to High Chief Peter Ameh. In a jiffy, my brother took into action, converted APA political structure into PPA political structure, called his members and had two intensive meetings. At the end they found their ways to the office of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC). During PPA meeting with the Chairman of OYSIEC, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN insisted that PPA was not among the registered political parties submitted to them by INEC. He stood his ground that PPA would not participate in the Council election. My brother also stood his ground that his party is a registered political party and would participate in the forthcoming council election in the state. My brother went away that day and went back to consult and rework.
The result of his consultation led to the press release accusing OYSIEC Chairman, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN of disenfranchising his registered political party from participating and voting in the forthcoming local government election despite furnishing the Commission the court judgment relisting his party as a registered political party. The release went viral, got the attention of Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN and invited the executives of PPA to an emergency meeting. This is the beginning of the story of how PPA got her name and logo printed in the yet to be concluded council election in the state.
While this was going on, High Chief Peter Ameh wrote a very brilliant short piece about his lack of interest in the council elections being conducted by the sitting governors of different states in Nigeria. In the piece he described their actions as undemocratic, unconstitutional and fruitless efforts aimed at depriving the masses their democratic rights.
To me it seems High Chief Peter Ameh has spoken his mind and logically would not like his party to venture into such election. I forwarded to my brother the brilliant piece; he read it and was like Wole maybe I should hold a little. My brother was on this compulsory political leave when OYSIEC Chairman; Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju SAN gave him a call to see him in his office. Left to the OYSIEC Chairman, he does not want any qualified political party to be disenfranchised from participating in the Council Poll.
Immediately, my brother also passed a call to some of his members and to me, he asked us if he should go and meet OYSIEC Chairman. We told him to go which he did. When he got to the OYSIEC office, he met headfuls of IPAC members discussing about his party and his party chance of participating in the forthcoming council poll. Those Oyo IPAC members did not know he is the current Chairman of PPA in Oyo State. They thought he represented other political party. They started poisoning the mind of the electoral commissioner, saying bad things about the PPA former Chairman and the inability of the former chairman to field a single candidate for elective positions between 2015 and 2019 general elections. They described the former Chairman as “Onijekuje” and “Ole”. The body language of those party chairmen showed that PPA shouldn’t be included in the forthcoming election because they’ve been deregistered.
This development aroused the curiosity of my brother and he vowed to utilize his wherewithal for PPA to participate in the council election. To my brother PPA is a progressive party with good and masses oriented Manifesto. The uncultured behavior of the past chairman shouldn’t be used to judge the party. PPA has the most democratic manifesto out of the political parties that we have in Nigeria today. The party in 2003 and 2007 won gubernatorial elections in Abia State. It also won the 2007 governorship election in Imo State. In the 2007 Nigerian National Assembly election, the party won three of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and one of the 109 seats in the Senate. Same scenario happens with the constitution of Nigeria. It’s not that the Nigeria constitution is bad. It is in fact one of the best constitutions in the world but those implementing and executing them are not using it the right way. Nigeria as a country is good but her problem is bad leaders.
In a bid to disgrace those spelling PPA backward, my brother made some research about the party and started spreading her gospel of good governance. Under the inspection of OYSIEC, the party conducted her party primary in one of the secondary schools around Mokola in Ibadan. He went ahead to submit the party’s candidate list and the rest became history.
PPA and my brother really made history in Oyo state being the only relisted party that participated in Oyo council poll few months after Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensem and four others delivered judgment in favour of the 22 deregistered party.
I was in Osun State when I was told that the name and Logo of PPA engrossed the face of Oyo Council election ballot papers. And I was also happy when I heard the returning officers announcing the name and scores gotten by PPA after the conduct of the council election.
To my brother, it’s not about winning the election that matters but about shaming those who are spreading false and fake news about PPA. About shaming INEC who failed to heed the order of Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensem and four others. This single action of my brother has inspired other Chairmen in Southwest whom Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensem and four others ordered that their political parties should be relisted by INEC.
Once again congratulations to my brother, Pastor Tolulope Adedoyin, current Chairman of PPA in Oyo State and to his Secretary, Mr. Kolade Stephen. You all did a good job.

Wole Adedoyin is the Chairman of the Association of Progressive Political Parties in Osun State and the 2018 Governorship Candidate of Hope Democratic Party (HDP).