By Sunday Olugbenga Abire is Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Ondo State
Yesterday, the people of Ondo state rose to defend their Governor who had been wrongly accused and maligned by a few Abuja legislators. They didn’t even wait for the media aides of the Governor to do what they have been appointed to do. I sat back and read. It marked an end to bullying. It is a good time to be an Ondo state indigene. Truly, Aiyedatiwa is loved. Evidences abound.
The only reoccurring decimal in the calculated sins of Governor Aiyedatiwa is his passion to work with everyone. The name a child bears matters. Aiyedatiwa looks like a joke to them in semantics and denotation? It is a name that typifies inclusion. Aiyedatiwa means joint ownership and that must necessarily reflect in his actions. It’s what it’s.
Political ideals from Plato differed greatly to what his protégé, Aristotle imagined and practiced. In fact, Aristotle’s ground of his dissent is stated in a dryly humorous remark which sums up better than pages of comment the fundamental difference of temper between Aristotle and his master. Hear him verbatim: “Let us remember that we should not disregard the experience of ages, in the multitude of years these things, if they were good, would certainly not have been unknown, for almost everything has been found out, although sometimes they are not put together, in other cases men do not use the knowledge which they have”
Life should come with serious improvements. Where the old laws erred, a beautiful step must be taken to readjust. Are books not written in editions? So are political realities. Life is dynamic. Aiyedatiwa understands these intriguing dynamisms and perpetual political enmity should not be part of any politics geared towards peaceful coexistence, well-being and development.
From Chief Ajipe’s letter of first refusal to Hon Makinde’s truth telling, Ondo State made history yesterday. The Ondo State House of Assembly through its APC caucus didn’t shirk. The House resonated in one voice and warned decisively against division and disrespect to the office office of the Governor of Ondo State. Could I count the number of people, associations and groups that rose to the occasion in defence of the truth? One thing was clear yesterday. It’s the fact that Ondo people will never allow their Governor to be bullied by any group within or outside the APC.
Making an exposition out of chief Ajipe’s letter, his fears are better understood with the towering popularity and acceptance of Governor Aiyedatiwa in Ondo state today. The APC chieftain was merely warning his party to avert the misdeeds that led to the defeat of the APC in Edo State. It is the truest hallmark of wisdom not to repeat a sordid history. The APC cannot afford to enter the same river twice. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa must be treated with so much respect.
In my considered opinion, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s sincerity, transparency, passion and dutifulness have made him a choice of all beyond his party. Those who underrate him are like those who still want to kiss the dead because it was a familiar face when it was human. The elders had even forewarned long ago that those who disdain the dead will contend with the spirit. “Ẹni tó fi ojú àná wo òkú, ẹbọra a bọ wọn laṣọ”
The intervention of Hon. Abiola Makinde, Member House of Representatives, Ondo East/West Federal Constituency is not just heroic but one that sets us on the pedestal of truth. When the truth is off the streets, destinies are trampled under feet. How else could the Governor had deflated the conjectures packaged as truth to the world by a group of lawmakers who had kept malice with the Governor since God made him the 7th Civilian Governor of Ondo State? History will be kind to Hon Makinde for being blunt.
We need to reiterate that the five federal lawmakers acted in error. But they remain members of the APC which Governor Aiyedatiwa leads today. In the spirit of no enmity, we forgive their misdeeds and we appeal to everyone who have been angered by their behavior to look beyond their inadequacies. There is no way we won’t offend one another. There is need for us to forgive the frailties of one another in the interest of peace. This is what Governor Aiyedatiwa represents.
Thankfully, the R-5 ill-conceived letter circulated yesterday is akin to chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s ‘Oṣù àga’, a statement made to disparage and whittle down the soaring popularity of former Governor Mimiko when he was contesting against the PDP in 2007. With Obasanjo’s intended damage of ‘oṣù àga’, the people of Ondo state tagged along with his Labour party and voted overwhelmingly for Dr Mimiko. If you are a careful student of political history in Ondo State, you will understand that there exists a semblance between Mimiko of 2007 and Aiyedatiwa of 2024. That the federal lawmakers even wrote to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man who has seen it all in his political voyage is a big blessing to the aspiration of Governor Aiyedatiwa.
Governor Aiyedatiwa has paid his dues. He’s a man reigning in his time. He is committed to leading everyone with the fear of God. In the spirit of love and if it suits your rhythmic flow, we say Hi five to R-five.
Peoplesmind
