Rauf Aregbesola
The recent installation of Kayode Fayemi and Rauf Aregbesola as governors in Ekiti and Osun states respectively, hints at a new dawn for South-West politics in Nigeria, writes SUNDAY ABORISADE. Without any doubt, it is clear that the progressives are breaking barriers and the stereotypes that had characterised the politics of the South-West zone of the country since 2003 with the latest developments in Ekiti and Osun states.
The progressives in the South-West swung into action in 1999 following the dawn of a new democratic dispensation. This is after a prolonged military rule that had made nonsense of the nation’s projections because successive military leaders had left the country worse than what the colonial masters left behind in 1960.
Social infrastructure were in a great state of disrepair, corruption was the order of the day and most Nigerians were impoverished and disillusioned by the wicked leaders, whose sole interest in government was to loot the national resources with the active connivance of their cronies.
Although the nation had an opportunity of redressing the military misrule in 1979, the involvement of some greedy politicians at the national level forced the military boys, who were not really interested in handing over power in the first instance, to stage another coup in December 1983. They held on to that power until 1999.
However, in 1999, the leaders and people of the South-West were desperately determined to make the best use of the opportunity at their disposal, hence they formed a formidable progressive bloc fashioned after the politics and philosophy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whose vision, steadfastness and commitment to good leadership transformed the region during the First Republic (1960 to 1966).
Awolowo’s radical transformation of the social and economic indices of the South-West was further demonstrated between 1979 and 1983, when the party he led – the Unity Party of Nigeria – was firmly in control of the South-West. There were remarkable improvements in public infrastructure during this era as his lieutenants in charge of the states within the region performed remarkably well through the prudent utilisation of the resources that accrued to them.
The 1999 elections, therefore, presented another opportunity for the people of the South-West to have a taste of purposeful leadership as the progressives re-grouped and supported the former lieutenants of the late Awolowo to install the governors of the six states in the region using the platform of the Alliance for Democracy.
But the arrangement suffered a setback in 2003 in all the states in the geo-political zone except Lagos, where the people actually witnessed what some political observers have called a commendable demonstration of good governance by the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite the various challenges it encountered.
An alleged unholy alliance with former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party by the then AD governors – apart from Tinubu – was the final straw as the results of the elections led to the untimely fall of progressive rule in the South-West.
As a result, the PDP took over in Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states, much to the chagrin of the progressives.
The PDP governments in the South-West between 2003 and 2007 were perceived by observers to be the worst thing that could happen to the zone, as the foundation for good governance was demolished in states like Osun, Ogun and Ondo.
The administration of Senator Rashidi Ladoja was making an impact in Oyo State until the PDP used the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Lamidi Adedibu, to stop him and install the flamboyant Adebayo Alao-Akala as governor through very crude, wicked and controversial circumstances that rubbished the efforts of Ladoja and former Governor Lam Adeshina at restoring the people’s hope in good governance.
Attempts by the progressives to reclaim the soul of the South-West in 2007 appeared to be too late as the PDP had advanced in its technical rigging machinery by involving the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigeria Police Force to legitimise the activities of its ubiquitous army of thugs, who caused violence, snatched ballot boxes and engaged in massive thumb-printing of ballot papers.
As was in the case after the 2003 elections, only Lagos survived the desperate resolve of the conservatives in the PDP to sustain and further entrench their fraudulent victory in the zone in the 2007 elections.
The governorship candidates of the Action Congress, the All Nigeria Peoples Party and the Labour Party in the South-West, who were openly robbed of their mandates, decided to seek redress at the various Election Petition Tribunals set up to adjudicate on matters arising from the elections.
The judiciary was really on trial after the 2007 elections as many of the gentlemen of the Bench, who handled the cases at the tribunals and the appellate courts, had their names, integrity and reputation soiled based on the quality of verdicts they delivered.
Some of the tribunal members, however, had their names written in gold by refusing to be part of the fraudulent lead judgements and delivered their own dissenting judgements. Some judges at the appellate courts stood tall by throwing into the dustbin the warped verdicts of the tribunals.
Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, benefitted from the judgements of the unbiased and incorruptible justices at the appellate courts.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Senator Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, who contested under the umbrella of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, are currently licking their wounds because of the fraudulent manipulation of their cases at the tribunals and at the appellate court.
Mimiko gave an insight into how the progressives lost out in the South-West during the 2003 elections in a statement on Sunday when he alleged that the AD lost out because of the momentary loss of concentration of its leadership and the deceit of Obasanjo, who, according to him, “is an expert in subterfuge that lured the governors into an alliance that turned out to be a deceit.”
The governor, however, said that the inauguration of Aregbesola as the governor of Osun State was a clear indication that the PDP was no longer relevant in the scheme of things in the South-West.
He expressed joy that “the hope of the people stolen via rigging and manipulation under (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo has been restored through democracy.”
Mimiko said that the South-West region was back to where it truly belonged – the camp of the progressives – who are committed to the development of public infrastructure and upliftment of the down trodden masses.
He said, “The politics of the Yoruba in general has mostly been progressive from the 19th to the 21st century. The Yoruba are known to always be in the vanguard of progressive policies, ideas and programmes in Nigeria.
“By 2007, our people had been wiser and through their votes, began to chase out the PDP charlatans they have come to see as not having their interest at heart. From Ondo, Edo, Ekiti to Osun, one by one, our people voted out these pretenders.
“We are now mostly bordered by progressive governments and governors in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Edo states geographically. When you have other progressive governors around you, it energises you to borrow ideas from them.
“That is the reality of things, that is why, when the news of Aregbesola’s victory was announced on Friday, people came out to celebrate on the streets of the major towns in the state.”
The retired Bishop of Akure Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, said just as it happened in Ekiti, Ondo and Edo, God, the creator of the whole world, had again proved that he was a God of justice.
He said, “God has many attributes; He is a God of justice. He has shown one of his attributes just as he did in Ondo, Ekiti and Edo states, where he proved to Nigerians that justice can never be distorted.
“The elections of 2007 were fraught with lots of manipulations and the judges, through their judgements, have allowed the truth to overcome falsehood.”
Observers believe that the landmark judgements, which restored the mandates of Aregbesola and Fayemi, had raised the hope of many voters in the South-West that their votes would count in the 2011 elections, hence their preparedness to vote for the progressives, who they believe, would execute projects and formulate policies that would have a direct impact in the lives of the masses.
Mimiko lent credence to this postulation when he said that the Labour Party government in Ondo State had found a good company in other South-West states, which are now being administered by equally progressive and legitimately elected governors.
He said his government had proven to the people of the Sunshine State in less than two years that it was possible to reverse the ugly trend of massive looting of the people’s resources, which the PDP represented before in the state.
Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, said the conservative politicians had not really performed to the expectation of the people since they hijacked the soul of the South-West in 2003.
He, however, said the people of the region had known better and were determined to use their votes to bring to power the leaders that would use their progressive ideas, like the late Awolowo, to usher in massive human and infrastructural development to the region with a view to restoring its glory.
He said, “The voters would be encouraged to make up their minds to participate in the general elections because of the two landmark judgements in Ekiti and Osun states. They would have been disillusioned and demonstrated apathy towards the election next year if the judgements had not restored their confidence in the electoral system.
“Now, the people no longer exercise fears that their votes might not count. They know that their choice will be installed no matter how long because of their renewed hope in the judiciary. They also know that Prof. Attahiru Jega, being a man of integrity, will not condone rigging.”
Fasoranti, however, challenged the new governors to perform to the expectation of the people in order to justify the confidence reposed in them by the electorate, who voted for them and remained by them even after their mandates had been stolen.
The Afenifere leader said it was obvious that justice was not seen to have been done in the case of Ogun and Oyo states and that the development would increase the determination of the people to seek redress through balloting next year.
He said, “The conservatives had not really justified their almost eight-year rule in the South-West and the people know it. Now is the time to chase them out and allow the progressives to take over again. It is hoped that there would be no rigging and the votes of the people would count. Our people are prepared to exercise their franchise once again.”
Source:punchng.com
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