₦airaland Forum

Just like they did at Tejuosho market. Haba!!!

Fashola, Tinubu and Segun Oniru must pay for this one day! Evil people. Just because they want that land. Na wa for this Tinubu gang o! O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, please save us from these slavemasters. Give us our freedom from them O Lord, in the name of Jesus.

Thank God they denied him. Obanikoro ke? I'm so glad they've come out categorically on him. What about that other ACN agent, Ade Dosu-mumu? I hope they're not presenting us with that one, or else, we're better off with Accord Party.

Personally, I prefer PDP, because I know one or two decent candidates that can turn Lagos around among them, like Femi Pedro or Babatunde Gbadamosi. If they present any of those two, I'm voting PDP for Lagos Governor, definitely.

Eko Ile: You mean I need to go to akwa to see more than the images you people are switching over and reposting in this thread? i don't think so.

That man is fleecing that state astronomically it's unbelievable.

Let me teach you a little something about simple math in proportion to service deliver..


Lagos N497 billion/20 million with huge responsibilities and infrastructures to build and maintain.

Akwa Ibom N459 billion/3 million low responsibilities and infrastructures to build and maintain.

So do the math against what's in Akwa and the images in this thread.


smh...

I hope you shake that your empty head till it falls off. Enemy of progress. Of course you can now see that your beloved Fashola, whose ass you've been sucking for the last few years, is actually brain-dead.

If you compare the federal allocation, IGR nko? Lagos takes in more net revenue than Akwa Ibom. Way more. And yet all we get is tired propaganda from you and your houseboy governor. Sir Werey!!

alj harem: @ egbon gbawe and co.

Forget it, ACN is not winning Lagos state again. It is time we lagosians try another party. ACN ruling Lagos simply mean Tinubu is still ruling and to be frank with you my brothers we don't want Tinubu's hands in Lagos again for reasons you know of.

Just as funsho's death made way for fashola so would ACN make way for another Lagos state hero aka Ade dosumu.

Don't let fashola sentiment blind u all to the fact that another person out ACN can make Lagos state even greater.

You mean Dosu-mumu that couldn't marshall his own thoughts and mumbled his way through the debates? You people are so clueless. PDP cannot win with Dosu-mumu. Surely, there are better people in PDP than that dunce!

I've never seen him say A WORD in defence of PDP since the elections, but I see Taofik Gani, the PRO of PDP, who's wayyyy cleverer than Dosu-mumu the dummy, fighting their corner and exposing ACN's excesses. Then, there's that Gbadamosi guy! If PDP present that guy, ACN are finished in Lagos. That's easily the most cerebral PDP person I've ever seen, apart from Donald Duke. Talks sense, without blowing grammar, and you can see the passion and hear the conviction in his voice. I've watched him a few times on various channels, and I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
I hope PDP can give us someone like that. I'm fed up to the teeth with these thieves and gangsters in the Asiwaju Criminal Network!

lateef4me: There is no doubt that lagosians especially the middle class and lower class are fed of Fashola and his anti -mass policies and programmes which has rendered many people penniless to the delight of his godfather ,Bola Tinubu .

From aggrieved medical doctors,to many displaced traders and okada riders to LASU students who could no longer afford to pay their school fees,the list is endless of aggrieved lagosians who will not want to see another Fashola returns to Alausa come 2015 .

Now,to be sincere with ourselves,ACN cannot be compared to PDP when it comes to performances especially in southwest . Most of the governors PDP has given us has performed so woefully and this has given ACN some confidence that they now has SW in their pockets .

These are what I think PDP can do to win Lagos come 2015 :

1. Present Jimi Agbaje as their candidate.

2.Mobilize support for him with likes of Obanikuro,Femi Pedro,Mamora and also woo some aggrieved ACN candidates to their side .

3. Make consultations with okada riders associations,medical unions and other trade unions who has felt negative impacts of ACN led administration.

4. Draw up a blueprint for higher institutions in Lagos and make promise towards reducing LASU school fee.

5.Reduce to bearest minimium the influence of like of Bode George and his old brigade .

These are more or less a fairy tale especially in Naija politics . It is something like asking Buhari and Tinubu to forget their presidential ambitions to more acceptable,younger guys like Fashola,Oshiomole,SLS ,El Rufai etc when they finally conclude their merger talks .

Forget that Jimi Agbaje thing. He's a Tinubu stooge, just like Obanikoro. They're doing pharmaceutical business together along with Tunji Olowolafe at all the general hospitals in Lagos. In fact, it was Jimi Agbaje that Bola Tinubu used to scatter Afenifere by forming the dummy "Afenifere Renewal Group".

GenBuhari: Abacha was one of the best visonary leaders we have ever had and contrary to Obj malicious propaganda about him, Abacha never looted.

You're a malnourished pig. Senseless mo ron.

Chima_Adeoye: So funny Obasanjo likes to criticize someone else.Yet , OBJ could not stand even constructive criticism in his time. Bola Ige, Pa Rewane are all in the grave today because OBJ couldn't stand being told the truth.

You and the six dimwits who clicked "like" on this stupid comment should be committed to a hospital for the demented. Pa Rewane? You're so eager to just malign Obasanjo, you're crediting a killing done by Abacha through James Ibori, your jailbird brother, to the greatest President Nigeria has had till date?

When are you going to learn that your stupid Pressident needs to get off his ass, stop drinking quite so much and face the business of running Nigeria, which includes stopping his henchmen and henchwomen from looting the treasury dry, as there doing so frenetically now

Tell Retardeen to buckle up, or it's not just Obasanjo he'll be dealing with. And in case you don't know, Obasanjo is actually his friend. His real enemies are the greedy buffoons he's surrounded himself with - Orubebe, Onomelem, Oghiadome, Anenih, Alison-Madueke, Aganga and the verbose Mr. Lamido Sanusi Lamido.

tpia1: you may be right, but in her interview she said she's from the Olowu family of Ikorodu.

are they the same as the Ogbaras.

Nigerian journalists are monumentally stupid. I know this woman, and the entire Ogbara family quite well. Her father was a legendary Scrooge-like character, never eager to part with money. However, where it concerned his children, he spared no expense on their training, sending most of them abroad for the best available education, including Folorunsho. Her father was also legendary in his ways with women. I think he ended up with 68 children or so!

Lasinoh: You seem to know more than I do.
Please, what is her background?
How did she do it?
All we know is that she was born into 'money' and at 61, we are just knowing this?
Only Jonathan can 'catapault' women to such celestial heights!

How come 'Stella' is not a billionaire?
Is this oil 'mogulship' conferred in the bedrooms or on top of RIVER CONGOS?

Me sef wanno be a 'mongol' o! How do I qualify?

She was born into old, quiet, but overwhelming money. She is a daughter of the late Alhaji Lamidi Ogbara, a multi-billionaire from Ikorodu. Ibukun Awosika is one of her sisters. The family is quite wealthy, with property interests once rumoured to encompass more than half of Lagos Island!! Her father was also an avid player in the stock market and was a substantial shareholder in quite a large number of companies, including the former Eko International Bank. She'd already had a stellar career herself as a fashion designer with her Supreme Stitches label, before persuading IBB through the late Maryam Babangida to award her company an oil block.

That her siblings like Ibukun Awosika and people like Razak and Hakeem Ogbara were already billionaires in their own right before their father's demise a few years ago is testament to the work ethic and business acumen of the entire Ogbara family.

Don't hate, guys. Emulate. Work hard! Work smart.

1wolex85: First of all, don't eva compare lagos tolls to what fg is planning. A private company expanded the road and ALTERNATIVE route was provided (tho I dnt think dat one alternate route is sufficient). They are abt to start collecting toll on anoda part of the same expressway,do u know y dey are just startin? They were puttin anoda alternative route in place. Take lagos-ib expressway for instance, d govt just wnts to introduce tolls witout 1st fixing the road thru a private firm (gej always puts d cart b4 d horse).
Secondly,stop lying to prove ur point, wen did lastma start beating pple? D most dey can do is to impound ur car and extort money from u unjustly. I'll come to the subsidy issue when I av time

May God Almighty punish you, Fashola, Tinubu, Ashafa, Mrs. Awofisayo, Muri-Okunola, Olowolafe, Oforiokuma and EVERYONE involved in that giant scam called Lekki-Epe Toll Road. May every suffering endured by the poor tax-paying residents of Lekki be multiplied a thousand fold on your heads and those of your descendants for generations to come. For every child you have denied an education, may your children be mis-educated and turned into vagabonds.

For every land any of you have stolen through fraudulent "government acquisitions", or allocations, thereby robbing the people of Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu, Epe, Badagry and every other place these acts of fraud have been perpetrated, may your wealth be plundered by thieves, armed robbers and vagabonds.

For every kobo you collect at those toll gates, may poverty of the soul, the mind and lastly financial poverty be the portion of you and your generations to come.

As for Onomelem, May he and his generations born and unborn partake of all these prayers, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

Why do I pray these prayers? The citizens of Lekki have paid and continue to pay through their noses, taxes, levies, charges and fees levied by the Fashola administration. Yet, there are few, if any government schools, no government hospitals of note, no roads in the local areas, no drinking water, no government presence except where they've put up fraudulent signboards, and stolen the people's lands. Epe ma ja gbogbo yin titi ayeraye ni, lagbara Edumare.

An apple does not fall far from the tree. Onomelem was nominated by Tony Anenih, Mr. Fixit, himself once a Minister for Works - easily the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria, or even the world. He has joined forces in business with Fashola and Bola Tinubu, and is working as their proxy. The first time Fashola wanted LCC to start tolling the Lekki-Epe expressway, it was this same foolish Onomelem thief that announced that the FG was going to toll all federal roads, and not more than a week after, Fashola announced that the tolling of Lekki-Epe expressway would start soon, using Onomelem's statement as justification.

Jonathan needs to sack him and all the ministers that are soiling his government with all these stupid policies that are causing serious hardship to the people without bringing them ANY benefit whatsoever.

Gbawe: Djustice is the sort blinded by party/ethnic affiliation to the extent he can never admit the truth about certain folks. If Amosun even turned Ogun into Dubai in 6 months when it used to be worse than the most devastated war-torn Nation, Djustice and others like him would still say exactly what they say above.

I always say it here that we will all have our ethnic/political differences but it is sad to see some so unreasonably blinded by their hatred of others to the extent they are unable to call a spade a spade, give credit where due and move on. Those of us who still retain our humanity and refuse to degenrate into animals still remain happy to give credit where due in the interest of the development of all parts of Nigeria. What, for example, is to be gained going around trying to discredit Akpabio or Chime's achievements merely because they are PDP Governor?

No one is saying Ogun is now paradise or that everywhere has been affected spectacularly but the Governor is working and he enjoys a high approval rating from those who matter i.e those he serves. Some things make him stand out as very caring as well. During the elections, he promised 100 transformer to improve electrification across the State. He ended up delivering 500 brand new transformers after the elections i.e 400 more than promised. All children in the State have free educational materials and teachers are supported with car purchase schemes. These are a few of the many things the Governor has done. It is therefore perfectly acceptable for folks to be optimistic and supportive based on what Amosun has achieved in a year.

The 9th Epistle of Gbawe to the Galatians. I see you've got a new Akotileta Criminals of Nigeria laptop. All this grammar, just to lick SIA's ass? Ah, Gbawe, you sell yourself short. You could be more concise and more truthful, but, as always amongst the lowest common denominators in our great race, you're just an Alagbe afterall - a money blinded praise singer!

It's a tactic they've used successfully before. Specifically, they used it to plant Obanikoro in PDP, knowing they would kill Funso Williams, and then backed him with the kind of money (for the primaries) that Obanikoro could never have raised on his own to win the party ticket. They then staged all sorts of fake altercations to convince PDP bigwigs to shell out cash for the election, which Obanikoro just pocketed!

They used it again just before the 2011 general elections, to fool the public into elevating Fashola into some kind of hero fighting the Tinubu villain. It worked perfectly, combined with the planting of Demola Seriki and Ade Dosunmu, who used to be at LBIC before he was seconded to go into PDP for some kind of future role in 2006/2007.

Today, they have Dr. Ogundimu, Dr. Pearse and Obanikoro again. PDP is doomed unless.....

Pataki: aare.....ki la gbe, ki le ju?! Mr. eke is my profession.

Akuri oshi. Won ti teba were fun e oh! Akudaya eniyan jati-jati. Ki ni iyato iwo ati were to jo fuji ni oja omida?

Eni ba binu ori re Ogun State........ki igbale ACN ga won sonu! Awon olori buruku of a somebody!

Iwo ti ori e ti gbale t'eshi! Asiwere Eko ti so pa gbogbo yin, opolo yin wa yi s'odi, ee mo nkan ti ee nse mo. Ewo won bi won se nsa kaa kiri bi aja ti ko gbo fere ode mo. Ete lo ma gbehin gbogbo yin, kii se epe. E beere lowo awon tinyin l'Eko. Ee ti da mo rara. Won yi ma fi oju ola gbogbo yin gbo'le, pelu igbale agbepo ti e ngbe kiri. Awon ode oshi.

Pataki: eshe eku oro enu! Ati ri yin......mr. amebo is my hobby.

ru
Epele, afoju onibara. Dadandindin, oponu buruku. Bi won se ma fi buredi koo yin l'omi obe je kakaa kiri gbogbo ile Yoruba niyen. Alai ni ironu, ero Galatia. Awon Eru Asiwere ilu eko, tin pe ara re ni Asiwaju.

Are Ogun State people this gullible?

3 bulldozers, a few dozen mini buses, some ten buses, a couple of kms of road construction, some hazardous meat transport tricycles (the meat will be full of contaminants by the time the consumer gets it in those heat boxes), some transformers, a whole town full of demolished structures, and a governor climbing in and out of a pit

That is all? This is what ACN calls work?? You people should be ashamed of yourselves. Visit Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and weep. Awon oniyeye!!

So that Tinubu will finally get his sleazy hands on the National Treasury? No fucking way!

Akpabio is the man for me. By the wwy, before some pinheads begin screaming tribalism here, I am Awori from Igqndo,

What is this smooth talking thief inspecting? Ao ko e je mo joor! Sir werey. Ole jatijati.

saxywale: why is this olowolafe's name everywhere, abeg ... who is this guy sef?

Olowolafe is apparently a pharmacist/pharmacologist friend/protege of Bola Tinubu, who is allegedly screwing his girlfriend, Nike Animashaun. His background in pharmacy is what led to Tinubu's setting up of private pharmacies with state funds in all the general hospitals in the state, including LASUTH. It's the same reason why he got the LASUTH contracts with his Deux Projects, which is actually just another Tinubu company. Deux has participated actively in Tinubu's biggest scams, including the contract for the road to the 1500 hectare tranche of land which Tinubu stole and gave to ARM, a major partner in LCC. ARM was to later use the same land as collateral for loans from UBA, ADB, Stanbic IBTC, Standard Bank of South Africa, and curiously, Lagos State government.

Dr. Tunji Olowolafe is also the Chairman of LCC and from Ekiti. He is reputed to be very close to Fashola.

seanet01: Gbadamosi ko Gbedemosi ni. Come 2015, we will clear Pdp comot Yoruba land patapata. You better go and sleep or join the winning team. Infact, i am coming home to launch massive campaign for SIA second term in Ogun. No room for poverty development party. Sixteen years, all motion no movement.

You think Lagosians are blind, and cannot see Tinubu's determination to own everything and everyone in Yorubaland? Your thick skull is not allowing you to absorb the message from last years LG elections, abi? Is this how you and your nazi Asiwaju Criminal Network plan to "win" elections in the south west again? Ever heard of wetie before? Ee mo b'osenlo! Idanwo lo bi iya okere! Ekiti and Oyo are definitely back to PDP, following the greedy and heartless displays of your Akotileta district officers, parading themselves as governors. Osun is gone, and with the investiture of that bug-eyed criminal as Aare Ago of Abeokuta, Ogun is gone too.

You will learn how to spell Gbadamosi right when he sweeps you lot out of Lagos with your igbale agbepo. Let PDP Lagos just give him the ticket.

PapaBrowne: If you speak to Taxi Drivers, Okada Riders, Danfo Drivers and Market women, you'll know that ACN is in trouble in Lagos come 2015.
Last week I was in Lagos and took it upon myself to speak to all the drivers in Taxis I entered about their current perception of Fashola and ACN. They are very angry and feel a sense of betrayal. They claim Fashola's Government is focused on developing the elite areas of Lagos. They are angry that Tinubu has colonised everything the state owns.
They all swore never to to vote ACN in 2015.

The interesting thing I realised in all my discussions with them is that their view of PDP is different from the view of PDP in other states. They are more positively disposed to PDP than people in Edo and Delta states and other SW states.
Then I realised something: Lagos has never tasted a PDP government, so they probably dont have a real picture of how a bad PDP government feels like unlike their counterparts in say EDO state that experienced Igbinedion for 8 years who didnt construct a single road then suddenly Oshiomole comes and is constructing hundreds of roads all over the place.

In a nutshell, Lagosiona are more likely to vote PDP than any states that has had a very bad PDPD experience for the simple fact that they haven''t ever tasted it before. Lets remember that Funsho Williams was a PDP member and if he wasnt killed would have had a resounding victory in Lagos.

Spot on. Jimi Agbaje is a known Tinubu stooge, with the former using him to scatter Afenifere, using his bogus Afenifere Renewal Group. Older Yorubas have not forgotten that, and Jimi Agbajr will never be forgiven for his inglorious role in the erosion of Afenifere's political strength in the South West. Gbadamosi, I insist, is a dark horse. Young, fearlesss (even criticises PDP policies sometimes), vocal, and very, very articulate. This guy will make Jimi Agbaje seem like an illiterate. I like his forthright approach to issues, and the way he just tells it like it is. If PDP uses this guy, with the grouses millions of Lagosians are nursing against the constant deception of Fashola/ACN, and the way Tinubu has pocketed Lagos, we will have a PDP governor in 2015. Mark my words.

I have friends in the PDP setup, and it doesn't seem like the mood in that party favours a Koro type candidate right now. They want a younger, smarter, more articulate and untainted candidate. One particular name keeps cropping up, and I've actually seen this guy on Face-Off, on Channels. He does appear much more intelligent and focused than the average Nigerian politician, and he is convincing. We could be seeing a PDP governor in Lagos State for the first time in 2015, if he gets their gubernatorial ticket. This guy makes Jimi Agbaje sound like an amala politician. Watch out for him, and remember I told you first. His name is Gbadamosi.

In 2010, the ACN Assemblyman representing Ikorodu Constituency II died, and a bye-election was conducted in which ACN fielded a strong candidate. PDP won, despite desperate attempts to rig by ACN. Tinubu went to the extent of attempting to bribe the PDP agent at the collation centre. Kaoli Olusanya, former commissioner for Agric in Lagos State can confirm this. He tried to pass his phone, which Tinubu, was on, to the PDP man, but the guy refused.

In 2011, PDP presented an abject olodo as gubernatorial candidate. Seems he was paid off by the Asiwaju Criminal Network (ACN), because not only did he not campaign properly, he almost looked like Fashola's running mate, and was sooo eager to concede victory, it was clear something was amiss.

Same 2011, PDP ignored their own party at the National Level, fielded solid candidates in the LG elections, and with dedicated campaigners and canvassers with NO MONEY, trounced ACN soundly at the elections. It took the intervention of a livid Tinubu, who ORDERED the shameless old man from Ikorodu, Justice Fatai Adeyinka, LASIEC Chairman, to simply pronounce ACN as winners everywhere, without announcing the voting figures, to maintain ACN's grip on their slaves - Lagosians.

Majority of Lagosians are fed up of ACN and want a PDP governor for a change. Whether PDP National support their own candidate or not, if PDP Lagos present the guy I suspect they will, ACN is toast in Lagos. Younger, brighter, focused, real, untainted, this guy is the real deal, and the most honest politician I've ever met. If PDP choose him as their candidate in 2015, ACN are finished. I won't name the guy now, in case Tinubu attempts to kill him. Everyone that has seen him on TV or heard him speak in person or on radio says the same thing about him. He would make a great governor in any party.

Now, on this Ibo governor thing. The Igbos are their own worst enemies. Why would you be nursing an inordinate ambition to rule over a people that welcomed you with open arms after every other Nigerian ethnic group rejected you for your arrogant and overbearing attitude? Hear this: Any party that fields a non-bonafide Lagosian as even a deputy governor or Assemblyman will lose the elections. So, you think because we indigenes of Lagos State are so accomodating, you are more than us in our own state? Let ALL the Ibos vote for an Ibo candidate and see whether that candidate will get up to one tenth of the vote. Shebi Kris Okotie tried it. Where did it get him and his Rotten Party? GET THIS INTO YOUR AKPU ADDLED SKULLS, YOU MORONS: AN IBO MAN OR WOMAN CAN NEVER RULE LAGOS! At this rate now, councillor sef, you will not get, since you've shown us where you are going. Your businesses at Alaba and ASPAMDA are already dying due to certain measures you were warned about on these pages by our members. If una like, start armed robbery business. We know you're well armed, but you have a shock coming. Your political adventures in Lagos State have now ended. Take it from me.

Nice choice, though I'm sorry for the poor residents. That estate belongs to the frog-eyed god of Bourdillon, Yekini Amoda Ogunlere, also known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The guy pretending to own it is one fat failure from London, one "Prince" Eludoyin. The robbers should go to Bourdillon and Royal Gardens, Ajah. Those are his too, stolen, as usual, from the state.

ACN at work again. Their intolerance for criticism is reaching dangerous levels. First, they detained and charged Lere Olayinka on false grounds, and now, this! God is watching them o.

take dat: I just hope your Honorarium is high for this dirty job you are doing?
I'll rather ignore your tantrums than having to throw swear words around over two useless political parties.

It is your likes that get paid to sing praises of politicians on the internet. I'm fighting for the future of my state, and my reward will come in 2015, with the final destruction of the party of termites and cankerworms. Association of Cankerworms of Nigeria - ACN!!!

take dat: This is ridiculous. Didn't know Olisa Metuh is now on Nairaland.

You are the ridiculous one. Liar Mohammed trying to form internet critic. Yeyenatu!!! WE THE PEOPLE OF LAGOS WILL USE YOUR AGBEPO BROOMS TO SWEEP YOU AND YOUR SHITTY IDEAS OUT OF LAGOS!! Awon ole akotileta omo!!! Jegudu-jera party.

seanet01: Liar! So fedefe won in 17 local government hmm? Na lie go kill you.

Yes, they did. Na lie go kill you, your family and your entire lineage. Shameless arse-licking poodle of Tinubu!

miqos02: November 1, 2012 by Bayo Olupohunda (bayoolupohunda@yahoo.com)

“An intelligent and conscientious opposition is part of loyalty to country.”

—Bainbridge Colby



Dear Jagaban, I hope this letter meets you well. Let me start by first acknowledging your pedigree as a national political figure. The depth of your political astuteness and the strength of character you have demonstrated since your foray into public life during the dark years of military dictatorship and now as a leader of the opposition is the stuff of legend. Your efforts since 2003 in providing a formidable opposition that has kept the ruling party on its toes has been recognised by those who value the importance of opposition as one of the central tenets of democracy. The question to be asked is what would have become of this democracy if you had not stood firmly against the rampaging armies of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, in the South-West which is now considered a model of opposition politics in the country? I am also aware of the raging debate surrounding your comparison to, and, as a successor of the Yoruba patriarch, Obafemi Awolowo.

While I am too much of a minnow to judge who fits into the larger-than-life image of the late sage, I believe you possess some of the traits to fit in his shoes- your perseverance in the face of persecution in staying to organise the opposition while men of little conviction abdicated to feed off crumbs from the ruling party is reminiscent of Awo’s exploits as leader of opposition in the First Republic. Anybody who questions your capacity to assume that role underestimates your contributions in the last 13 years. In 2003, you fought the most important political battle of your life for the soul of Lagos when you stood your ground and ensured the state was not “captured” by the then Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP which had hoodwinked the old guards in your political camp. That singular act of yours also started a political revolution that swept the thieving buccaneers out of this political zone in 2007. It provided the momentum for the progressives who had been bruised, battered and left in political wilderness to stage a comeback. It also ensured several electoral and legal victories for many of the governors and elected representatives whose mandates were stolen in brazen electoral fraud by the PDP.

Your endorsement of Babatunde Fashola, who has since proved himself also confirms your ability to spot talents. In you, Nigerians saw a man who can put the ruling party in check. The South-West victories also inspired other states to challenge the ruling party which had been thought invincible. I believe the history of our democracy will not be complete without documenting your role as a major protagonist. But the narrative has since changed. That is why I am at pain in using this medium to communicate to you this open letter. However, I am left with no other choice because of the urgency of the message that needs to be conveyed to prevent a looming political disaster that will spell the doom for a viable opposition politics.

The truth is that your party is becoming more of the same it helped to defeat in previous elections. The party is derailing from those ideals that attracted the entire South-West and Nigerians in 2003 and 2007. Now opposition politics faces an uncertain future. This is worrisome because this democracy needs an opposition that stands out. It needs an opposition that is distinguishable from the rot in the ruling party. Opposition parties are vital to the functioning of democracies as they provide a representative system of the electorate while keeping ruling parties accountable. But how can this happen when your party has failed to isolate itself from those undemocratic practices that are inimical to democracy, a recent example being the imposition of a governorship candidate in the Ondo election? Now there is also a worrisome perception of your continued role as a leader of opposition. Remember this is also not about you. It’s about building a strong and enduring opposition that will outlive the heroics of one man. These perceptions (either true or false) are gradually eating away at your party’s fortune. Can your party continue to be a credible opposition platform as it did in 2003 and 2007? Do you still consider yourself to be able to command the momentum that led to the success of the opposition in 2007? Can you still boast the people’s confidence to support your cause? What do you make of your party’s misadventure in the just-concluded Ondo election, for example? The results even showed that your party came a distant third behind the PDP. That is scary. Perhaps, that statistics could be a sign of what to expect in future elections.

Are you not worried that the division and negative portrayal of your person as an opposition leader will affect the fortunes of your party and ultimately opposition politics? These negative portrayals were not there at the beginning. So, it’s time to look inward. Now you are viewed in the public domain as high-handed and overbearing. The word out there is how you want to turn the entire South-West into your personal fiefdom. You have been portrayed as not giving elected leaders in your party the free hand to do their jobs. They say you breathe down the neck of elected governors and do not allow them to function. The most disturbing is the patronage system that is alleged to be rife in your party. During the Ondo election, you spoke of “capturing” the state. You should have known better that such statements put the electorate off. It reminds them of what Obasanjo wanted to do in your Lagos in 2003. It reminded them of what President Shehu Shagari attempted to do in 1983. Instead of the warlike campaign strategy on display, it would have served the party better to showcase its achievements. Now, I fear a bandwagon effect in other South-West states in future elections if you do not tone down your rhetoric and play the leadership role that endeared you to the people in the first place.

The questions being asked by the electorate are: if your party is now more of the same with the one that was replaced; if the public has a certain perception of your party, don’t you think it is capable of ruining your chances in future elections? As a matter of urgency, it is important that your party eschews some practices that will make it implode from within. The Ondo election could be a pointer to future calamities. The practice of imposition in picking candidates for future elections should be avoided. It causes disaffection- as it was in Ondo we will see in future elections. Party primaries should reflect the wishes of the people. Unfortunately, this is not the case today in your party. As a major opposition figure, you should constantly be above board and must be seen in positive and sharp contrast to the ruling party so that the electorate can have a clear choice. This is becoming increasingly important now that the votes count.

Remember this is not about you. It is about having an enduring and a vibrant opposition which is critical to the survival of democracy. For in the words of Barrack Obama, “Africa does not need strong men, it needs strong democratic institutions”.

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/open-letter-to-tinubu/

Who is this fool begging Tinubu? Don't beg him. Shebi we saw what happened to Gaddafi? His own turn is coming. Let him continue.