By Allen Sowore, Esq.
Good people of Ondo State, lend me your ears. I have come to reveal the nefarious activities of one man who has brought disgrace upon his community. Throughout Nigeria, particularly in Ondo State, you may have heard or read about the baseless, frivolous, and malicious allegations of certificate forgery recklessly spread against the governor, His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, by certain unscrupulous individuals and political opportunists.
As the Yoruba saying goes, it takes just one individual in a community to tarnish its reputation—PajĂ¡pajĂ¡, the community of dog killers. The prevailing perception in Ondo State is that people from Ondo South, especially Ilaje and Ese-Odo, are habitual petition writers. However, this is a prejudice unsupported by empirical evidence.
Nevertheless, there are a few individuals notorious for filing petitions against emerging politicians and established figures alike, driven by an insatiable desire for power at any cost. They exhibit a destructive “pull-down syndrome,” particularly during election seasons.
Initially, I refrained from commenting on the issue, hoping that those who lazily and recklessly made allegations would realize their folly. It’s as simple as buying a WAEC scratch card and verifying the authenticity of the governor’s certificate by inputting his Center Number and candidate number.
“Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡,” an apt alternative title for this piece, embodies two destructive traits: besmirching the reputation of others to serve personal agendas and staining the honour of his community.
The revelation that one of the aspirants and former chairman of OSOPADEC, Gbenga Edema, was the petitioner who wrote to the APC’s Professor Abdulkarim Kana led Vetting Committee alleging certificate forgery, evokes parallels with the character of the Executioner in Elliott Paul Woodhouse’s poem. The Executioner derives pleasure from destruction, but ultimately faces his own Waterloo.
The revelation of Gbenga Edema’s handiwork is crucial because failing to confront the evildoer with the implications of their actions may lead them to believe they are contributing positively to society.
In 2020, Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡ targeted the former deputy governor, Alfred Agboola Ajayi, who had nominated him as OSOPADEC chairman, by surreptitiously writing to the Body of Benchers alleging Ajayi was not a lawyer.
It’s doubtful that any prominent politician in the South Senatorial District, particularly Ilaje and Ese-Odo, has escaped Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡’s history of petition writing.
When Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡ entered the governorship race, one might have expected him to campaign on the strength of his achievements as chairman of OSOPADEC and NDDC representative. However, his tenure in these roles was marked by incompetence and failure, earning him the dubious distinction of being the worst administrator in the state’s history.
After April 20, 2024, a day of reckoning awaits Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡ when he will be called to account for his actions. The hunter will become the hunted, for sooner or later, everyone faces the consequences of their deeds.
Let Mr. Edema henceforth carries the badge of dishonour as the primary petitioner, or Mr. PajĂ¡pajĂ¡, for he has brought disgrace upon his community.”
Peoplesmind