Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
In Oyo State, electorate across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state are eagerly waiting for Saturday, March 2, 2019, to elect a new governor for the pace setter state. But before next month’s governorship contest, the electorate will have to decide this Saturday, whether they want the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominance of the politics of the state to continue or not.
Although the incumbent governor, Abiola Ajimobi will be completing his second term this year, he is also running for the Senate.
The party is desirous of retaining the state and it appears not to be leaving anything to chance.
The desire to retain the state appears to be located in the context of continuity of the same party that has been in power in Lagos State for close to 20 years, a development that many commentators say have aided the growth and development of Lagos State. A former governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the current National Leader of APC, was said to have developed a blueprint for the growth and development of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
The Lagos blueprint was implemented by Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN) as governor from 2007 to 2015. The same blueprint was followed by the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, from 2015 till date, and it will be followed till May 29, 2019.
In Oyo State, Ajimobi’s administration, which came in board in 2011, is said to be one that has developed a blueprint for the development of the state, which is expected to culminate into prosperity of the state if implemented by successive administrations after him, though with minor adjustments, it was further gathered.
Prior to the coming of Ajimobi in 2011, the state was said to be in a hotbed of violence, brigandage and thuggery to the extent that a former president referred to the state as a “garrison.” It was also said to be one of the dirtiest states in Nigeria.
But the administration developed a blueprint for a total transformation of the state, which cuts across all sectors of the economy, that included peace and security that led to the establishment of Oyo State Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF), and infrastructure development that led to construction of many dualised roads in Ibadan, as well as first dualised roads in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Iseyin and Saki by the administration.
Also, the state is currently being referred to as one of the safest and cleanest in Nigeria today. The investment of the administration in education and health have also yielded positive results, such as Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) and best results in Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) in 18 years. Ajimobi is said to have raised the bar of governance in the state which, pundits say, must be built on to ensure a steady progress.
Speaking on the need for continuity, Ajimobi stated: “Look at the candidates around, especially the governorship candidates. Of all the candidates around, just look at what people use to access potential performer. They call them the KYI (Key Performance Indicators). We are saying of all the people around, Bayo Adelebu is the most qualified to occupy that position of the next governor of Oyo State, whether it is educational background, professional antecedents, decency, integrity, whether it is all rounded indicators that people use. “I have been a manager of men in well-established multinational company, not ‘Ewero Enterprises’ and not one man business. I have worked with Shell Petroleum and I got to the top at the National Oil, which was referred to as Shell Marketing. Outside Nigeria, I was chief executive, covering West Coast Francophone.
“Adelabu worked in the financial industry, banking, consultancy, and he got to the top. He has track record. You must look at track record of people. Some people will say they can carry elephants. Go and check, have they carried cat before, or have they carried rat? So, when people come and say they will do this and that, ask them what have you done before?
“I am saying of all of the candidates, the records are there, go and check, where have they worked? Where they worked, where did they get to? The business they are doing that they are claiming they are big men, what business are they doing? Is it just one big contract from somebody and you say because of that you are a big man, you are experienced. Is it people that are saying they are lawyers that have never been to court? And those that have been to court, have they ever won a case?
“So, look at the background of all these people running around. Some are pure politicians, who don’t know anything. Some will say they are doctors, and cannot speak one correct sentence in English. They will say they have PhD, PhD from where? They don’t even know the third person singular. They don’t know grammar. What we are saying is that in Oyo State, we need quality people. It is the only way things can improve.”
Investigation also revealed that many people in the state are not very clear about the competence of Adelabu to step into the shoes of Ajimobi, saying he has not been talking meaningfully during electioneering. According to the critics, the things he has been saying at rallies are slangs such as ‘Gbe body email’, ‘Aja Two, Aja Four Gbera’, ‘Ji Masun,’ and that he would say he would build on the achievements of Ajimobi when he becomes governor.
Adelabu, in his response, said: “I am just happy that I am contesting on the platform of APC. So, we are not starting from the scratch. We have leverage. We have a platform. We have a blueprint. We have a plan that will see to the utmost development of Oyo State.
“I will not start from the scratch because there has been a lot of background or foundation works carried out or done by the incumbent governor, who is our party leader, at the state level.
“It is on this foundation that I am going to leverage on. It cuts across all the critical sectors in our economy; from security to mechanised agriculture, to housing, to education, to health, to environment, to transportation and transport management system, even up to job creation, to Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) at the state level.”
“There is an agreed blueprint that we are working with, in our party. The example is not farfetched. We have seen it working out in Lagos State, which is continuity till the 20th year of progressive rule in Lagos State. This is why Lagos is a success story. So, it is not a bad idea for us to replicate that in Oyo State. “Though, we did not start until 2011 when the incumbent governor came in, it is better late than never. We have started now and we will not stop.”
Speaking on the choice of candidates for the 2019 election, Ajimobi said “our party had painstakingly chosen the best candidates; the bright, the efficient and the effective for the governorship, senatorial, House of Reps and State Assembly positions. They will do the state proud if elected into offices.”