In the last two months, there have been too many fallacies and halftruths regarding how Oyo State APC aspirants emerged as candidates during the various primaries. Although most of the individuals commenting on the candidates know the facts, they have manipulated them to incite disdain and hatred toward High Chief (Senator) Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli, the Oyo State APC Governorship candidate
and Dr Zaccheous Adelabu Adedeji, Chairman Nigeria Revenue Service.
Their primary motive is simply to give a dog a bad name in order to
hang it. Now that the coast is clear following the party’s submission of successful candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it is time to release the facts and put the liars to
shame. As the common proverb says, “If a lie travels for twenty years, the truth will surely catch up to it in one day.”
Debunking the “Winner-Takes-All” rumour being peddled that the list of successful candidates from the consensus primaries was compiled 100% by Senator Alli in a winner-takes-all manner, it is time to tell the world the truth: Senator Alli does not have a single personal nominee among the
candidates.
The list of successful candidates cuts across the five principal
tendencies within the party and even extends beyond them. As far as
Dr. Sarafa Alli is concerned, every aspirant was his own, and he was
fully prepared to work with any successful candidate.
The Five Pillars of the Oyo State APC
To understand the inclusive nature of the candidate list, one must first
recognise the five main tendencies—or pillars—of the Oyo State APC:
The LAMIST Group: Comprising supporters of former Governor
Lam Adesina.
The AJIMOBI/ SENACO Group: Under the leadership of
Ambassador (Mrs.) Florence Ajimobi.
The ACCORD Party Returnees: The loyalists of Chief Adebayo
Adelabu.
The TKF Group: Led by Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
The AKALA Political Dynasty.
Although some politicians may have crossed between two or more of
these tendencies during their political sojourn in the state, these five
remain the foundational pillars. While Senator Sarafadeen Alli may not
be affiliated to any of the five groups above, Dr Adedeji is a strong
member of Ajimobi/ SENACO group.
A Breakdown of Candidate Allocations
A closer examination of the successful candidates across all positions in
Oyo State proves that all these tendencies—along with some developing factions—were well accommodated. It was not a one-sided
victory, as detractors insinuate. Here is how the factions are represented among key candidates:
Senator Yunus Akintunde (Oyo Central): Returning to the Senate for a second term, he identifies heavily with the Ajimobi/SENACO group, having served as a commissioner and Executive Assistant
under Governor Ajimobi.
Until February of this year, when he received instructions from the presidency to back out of Oloye Adelabu’s governorship bid, he was a leader in Adelabu’s team. This clearly indicates that this group was accommodated.
Mrs. Hanna Ogunesan (Oyo North): Flying the APC senatorial flag for the Oyo North Senatorial District, she hails from the
Ajimobi/SENACO political family, further proving the inclusion of this tendency.
Hon. Aderemi Oseni (Oyo South): Moving up from the House of Representatives (Ido/Ibarapa) to the Oyo South Senatorial seat, he associates closely with the Ajimobi political household, despite
occasionally identifying with his own ROCOF group.
House of Representatives (Automatic Tickets):
Out of the fourteen (14) House of Representatives seats in Oyo State, nine (9) were issued automatic return tickets by the national body.
Since all party nominations were issued by the Senator Teslim Folarin faction four years ago, it is safe to say a majority of these belong to the TKF political household.
House of Representatives (Remaining Five Seats): Even among
the remaining five seats, Senator Alli claimed none:
Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa: Hon. Saheed Adejare Yusuff, a LAMIST who served as a local government chairman under Ajimobi and an associate of Oloye Bayo Adelabu.
Ibarapa Central/North: Hon. Sarafa Olaoniye’s nomination
was facilitated by LAMIST Group leader, Ibikunle.
Ido/Ibarapa: The nomination was facilitated by Hon. Remi
Oseni.
Ibadan North: Farouk Alao’s nomination came through the
TKF political tendency.
Ibadan North East/North West: Secured for Ibrahim Iyiola through the group of Oloye Bayo Adelabu.
Addressing Protesting Aspirants
While it is true that some gubernatorial aspirants are protesting and
claiming to have independent structures outside these five pillars, their
assertions are simply untrue.
For instance, aspirants like Barrister Akeem Agbaje and Dr. Ayo Lam-Adesina have all their supporters housed within the LAMIST group—a group that has benefited
immensely from the number of candidates fielded. The same logic applies to the others.
Conclusion
Just as Senator Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli did not field a single personal candidate for any of the federal legislative seats, he also kept out of the nomination process for the State House of Assembly. Instead, he ensured that the selected candidates accurately reflected the five pillars of the party and beyond.
In light of the foregoing evidence, what justification remains for the rumors of a “winner-takes-all” scenario or the domination of one faction over the others? The facts speak for themselves.
Chief Akinyemi Akinlabi
Yemak01@aol.com
Igbo-Ora, Oyo State
