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The rumour that our current senators from Ondo State voted against the decision of the ruling party is disturbing.
Their resolution to erroneously align themselves with Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State, does not reflect the views of the people they represent in the Red Chamber. I am not surprised by their misstep; it was expected of them, and indeed, they did not disappoint my negative expectations about their tenure that has just begun. Their actions against the party’s directive are enough to jeopardise the chances of many deserving Ondo State APC members in securing federal appointments, considering the efforts they tirelessly put into supporting Tinubu’s presidency. The people of the Sunshine State stand solidly behind Jagaban of Borgu, remaining loyal to him and ready to abide by his fatherly advice and instructions. Therefore, we disown the actions of Jimoh, Ipinsagba, and Adegbonmire, if they actually worked against Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the new Senate President.*
The 10th legislative assembly commenced after its inauguration yesterday. Many supporters of these fortunate individuals were taken to Abuja from Ondo State, for celebration and to witness the memorable day. The three senators from Ondo State are members of the APC, marking the second time that the progressive party would win all three seats. In 1999, the Southern, Central, and Northern Senatorial Districts produced Sen. Omololu Meroyi, Sen. Gbenga Ogunniya, and Sen. Lawrence Ayo, respectively, under the umbrella of the Alliance for Democracy. During the 2003 elections, when the PDP swept most of the elected offices in the Southwest, Sen. Gbenga Ogunniya, who defected to the PDP along with Sen. Hosea Eyinlawo from Ilaje Local Government in the Southern Senatorial District, defeated their opponents. Sen. Titus Olupitan managed to win in the Ondo Northern Senatorial District for Alliance for Democracy.
The political landscape changed in 2007 when Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the popular “Iroko Gbasibe’s” crooner in the Labour Party, shook the ruling PDP to its core. His newly formed political platform, only six month old at that time, gave the Dr Olusegun Agagu-led government several sleepless nights. However, Sen. Bode Olajumoke, Sen. Gbenga Ogunniya (as a third-term senator), and Sen. Hosea Eyinlawo of the PDP held the mantle for the three senatorial districts in the Red Chamber: North, Central, and South, respectively. The Appellate Court’s judgment eventually led to the Labour Party forming the government in 2009, changing the political structure. This medical doctor turned governor, born in Ondo Egi, used his political acumen to secure victories for his party’s candidates in most of the elected political offices of the Sunshine State in 2011. Sen. Ajayi Boroffice from Oka-Akoko in Ondo North, Sen. Ayo Akinyelure (Allover) from Idanre in Ondo Central, and Sen. Boluwaji Kunlere from Okitipupa Local Government in Ondo Southern Senatorial District served as our senators.
The political equation of 2015 was based on the “Sai Baba” phenomenon, which saw President Muhamadu Buhari of the newly created APC as the president. Sen. Tayo Alasoadura from Iju in Akure North Local Government of Ondo Central and Sen. Ajayi Boroffice won under the banner of the APC while Sen. Yele Omogunwa of the PDP won in the Ondo Southern Senatorial District. Following the fallout between the Aketi-led state government and Comrade Adam Oshiomole’s APC leadership, most of the ruling party’s candidates were politically shipwrecked in 2019. PDP’s Sen. Ayo Akinyelure and Sen. Nicholas Tofowomo of Ondo South, emerged victorious, while Sen. Ajayi Boroffice stood strong, successfully securing a third-term mandate to match Sen. Gbenga Ogunniya’s record as the longest serving senator from Sunshine state. The game of ballot boxes took another turn this time, as Aketi was able to field his preferred candidates in the last elections, giving rise to these present first-timers.
The current National Assembly members were inaugurated yesterday and simultaneously voted for their principals to lead both the Green and Red Chambers. No doubt, the new President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, showed a preference for the candidature of Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Hon. Tajudeen Abbass as the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. This opinion of their party’s highest hierarchy did not sit well with Sen. Abdulaziz Yari and Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, who refused to step down , indefference to the supremacy of the APC. In Ondo State, Governor Akeredolu Oluwarotimi SAN had earlier promised his support for the immediate former Deputy Speaker of the Green Chamber to succeed his boss, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. Although the nine representatives from Sunshine State were reported to have aligned with the party’s anointed candidate, nevertheless, our three senators were adamant, rumoured to have voted for Sen. Abdulaziz Yari.
Dr Jimoh Ibrahim, the business mogul-turned-senator representing the Southern Senatorial District, had a pompous tone during his interview with the popular Mr Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television on the widely viewed program “Politics Today.” The billionaire scholar, who has traversed almost all the political parties in Nigeria without success despite his acclaimed knowledge and smartness, recently achieved a breakthrough, thanks to the wave of Emilokan’s presidency in most Yoruba states that helped other APC candidates to win their elections. He promised to provide advice that would pay off all of Nigeria’s debts in 90 days, but he failed to apply the same theorem to offset his companies’ debts, which amount to over 60 billion nairas owed to AMCON. Furthermore, the proprietor of Fortune University in Igbotako promised to assist Nigeria with federal abandoned projects. It is worth noting that his companies, such as the National Mirror Newspaper and Energy Petroleum, a company with many filling stations, have been liquidated, leaving visible relics throughout major cities in Nigeria.
There is a popular proverb in the Hausa/Fulani community of Nigeria: if you prescribe medication to them for an ailment, these great people will ask if you have ever suffered from the same ailment and how the drug worked for you. This man, with several master’s degrees and PhDs from reputable universities around the world, should have tested his ideas to extricate himself from AMCON’s mess. Instead, he resorted to endless legal battles which have been fruitless and his efforts to revive the petroleum company will take many jobless youths out of the labour market. Obviously, the new senator was just boastful as usual to cajole the gullible. From the beginning, I knew that these individuals who enjoyed Aketi’s support to win in the last APC primaries would only make a mark on the register of the 10th National Assembly without achieving anything tangible for their constituents over four years. Many people are pleased with this political mistake of the Araba of Ikaleland, believing it will work against his gubernatorial ambition which I agree. However, others believe that all three senators voted according to Aketi’s instruction. Be that as it may, they have erred by working against their party’s interests and deserve the current title ‘The Rebels’ bestowed upon them by some national dailies. They will undoubtedly pay dearly for their actions in due time, as the next political term is almost here.
In summary, the rumour that our current senators from Ondo State voted against the decision of the ruling party is disturbing. Their resolution to erroneously align themselves with Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State, does not reflect the will of the people of the Sunshine State whom they represent in the Red Chamber. I am not surprised that they misfired; it was expected of them, and indeed, they did not disappoint my negative expectations about their tenure that has just begun. Their action against the party’s directive is enough to deny many deserving federal appointments to Ondo State APC members, considering how tirelessly they worked for Tinubu’s presidency. The people of the Sunshine State are solidly behind Jagaban of Borgu, loyal to him, and ready to abide by his fatherly advice and instructions. We hereby disown the actions of Jimoh, Ipinsagba, and Adegbonmire, if it is true that they worked against Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the new Senate President.
Peoplesmind
