Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo
To be honest, I don’t envy Senator Ademola Adeleke. Of all the governors to have served the people of Osun, he has had more difficulties in his first year in office. Had he been king, I would have asked priests if, during his time in Ipebi (seclusion), he had chosen the calabash with red pepper. It has been a chaotic year for the Governor, with allegations of nepotism, controversial borehole projects, arbitrary dismissal of Rector of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, the Chief Judge of the state and the creation of adversaries among civic groups, to name a few. The situation is exacerbated by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), and resentful members of the Governor’s party.
If the Governor were to be in the state, I would not even have sent a letter to convey my thoughts about the recent events in the state as expected. The Governor of Osun is not, in my opinion, very social media aware. I depend on his army of assistants to read and inform what I write to the Governor which will not happen. I have to bring my letter to Ede, where all communication is handled, if I even want to send it to my governor. By delivering my letter to the Adelekes’ residence, I have not only spared the time and money of civil servants or appointees, but I have also freed the minds of those imprisoned in the belief that the Government House and State Secretariat—which were renovated with millions of taxpayer dollars—are off-limits to the elected governor.
While I certainly have nothing against Ede, I do not want to go along with the horde of politicians and contractors that visit the Adelekes’ house to plead and beg in an attempt to gain favors and contracts. The country home, which was once regarded as a haven of solace, constructive thinking, and deference, has become a site of kneeling, lobbying, and stressed liberty.
One is compelled to remember the deceased by the misdeeds of the living, yes. Before Isiaka Adeleke’s life was taken by the grim reaper, I had three physical encounters with him. One was during his tenure as an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator. To place some kids in the scholarship program that the late Serubawon was administering, I followed some student leaders to see him. The other occasion included two other people and I being invited to his house through Comrade Murphy. Thirdly, I needed the help of notable Ede residents since I was having problems with Builder Patrick Hussein’s administration of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede and I was clearly in danger.
Let me take this moment to express my gratitude to everyone who helped facilitate my discharge, whether via positive or negative means. I owe you nothing except kindness, gratitude, and appreciation. This debt I owe to all including the late Isiaka Adeleke who welcomed me into his home and listened to me in his sitting room compelled me to write this piece.
The late Isiaka Adeleke was a modest and revered man. He greeted us warmly and asked for our pardon for the brief wait we had. He paid close attention to what we had to say and assured us that he would step in. He never asked to be worshiped or referred to as a demi-god. He declared that he is living for the people since his life is a service to humanity during one of our chats, in which he also reaffirmed his love for them.
In his prayer, he expressed his bitterness at not being able to do more for the people because of his restrictions as a senator and vowed to rule with fear of God and respect for all people should he ever become governor. In his prayers, he also asked God to use him to deliver others from extreme poverty and misery. He prayed, but sadly, God did not hear.
He did not succeed in becoming governor, and his younger brother, who did succeed him as governor, is currently managing the state’s affairs in ways that the late Serubawon could never have. Dr. Odetayo would not have been ousted from his position as Iree Poly Rector by the late Isiaka Adeleke and replaced with a master’s degree-holding native of his hometown who finished last in a deputy rectorship poll. Because Late Serubawon always desired independence and the ability to do as he pleased, he would not have been imprisoned by a strong cartel or system. In order to mess up he state, the late Serubawon would not have planned a political coup against the head of courts.
Who will bring back our state’s honor?
Let me reiterate. I am a proud citizen of the state. Although I sincerely hope Senator Adeleke succeeds, he is leading the state’s vehicle toward obscurity. Does he actually operate the vehicle? No. The greater issue is the lack of guts to defy the establishment’s rules, which have rendered the state utterly helpless through the arbitrary exercise of authority. This would retain a permanent mark on this administration.
Just a few weeks following Odetayo’s expulsion from his position as rector, the same institution that orchestrated his ouster also took aim directly at the courts. They think they have the power to remove anyone from office (playing on the Governor’s predicament). Using the state assembly’s vulnerability—which is headed by a speaker who is a newcomer, and utterly needs to be tutored on legislative matters—they carried out their plot.
Even though they knew that everyone was looking, they lacked humility. In order to fight the judiciary, they brought down institutions. They ridiculed the Osun people’s sensibilities, violated procedures, and disregarded court decisions. They pricked activists’ eyes, made fun of civil society organizations, and blackmailed others who voiced concern about the issue. In an effort to justify, defend, and distort circumstances that should be avoided, they issued more than ten press releases within two days.
Senator Ademola Adeleke removed a State judge, nominated a new one, and then reinstated the suspended judge in less than 48 hours. The National Judicial Council (NJC) made a strong entry, pointed out the flawed procedures, and restored the judiciary’s reputation. Who will bring back our state’s honor? Should Adeleke, the guy the people voted for, not be concerned if the people in the system continue to be unbothered? The larger issue is that Senator Adeleke, who addressed monarchs at the beginning of the month and pledged a responsible and transparent administration, has been in charge of the state for months without disclosing the specifics of the state’s IGR fund. This merely indicates that the state’s financial status and arguments have become more shady as a result of its continued secrecy.
Can Adeleke win re-election with a divided house?
Politics is the mother of governance. Only Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has held two terms as the state’s governor among the previous governors. He engaged in a strategy of settlement, collaboration, pooling of interests, and open arms. After being allegedly hounded and humiliated by Senator Iyiola Omisore, Aregbesola gave late Adeleke space in the fold and made him a senator. He made amends with Olagunsoye Oyinlola, his longtime political foe. Aregbesola continued to engage in party politics notwithstanding his popularity. It was inevitable that he was prepared for the game. With more than 100,000 votes, he defeated Omisore. Along with others, Omisore mistreated the late Isiaka Adeleke. Since his win depended on Jonathan’s presidency, he believed he could hold the office of governor without their help. Everybody knows how it ended. Late Isiaka Adeleke and others were toyed with by Omisore. He believed that by depending on Jonathan’s presidency to win, he could hold the office of governor without their help. Everyone is aware of the outcome.
Is Adeleke following the same path that failed others in the past? His unwillingness to take lessons from the past is what worries me the most. Even though he performed at rallies during Aregbesola’s campaign for a second term, he was at least a senator and a major party’s governor candidate during Oyetola’s campaign for a second term. Has Adeleke lost his memory of how he became governor and the people who helped him so quickly? Despite the internal strife within the APC, Adeleke prevailed against Oyetola with fewer than 30,000 votes. In the unlikely event that Oyetola and Aregbesola get back together, how does Adeleke plan to prevail and stay out of the Fayemi-Eleka predicament?
The tragic irony is that, despite claiming to be unconcerned about Prince Dotun Babayemi’s ATUNTO movement—which was founded with the intention of rescuing the Osun people from poverty and hunger; according to the founder —both the PDP and the Adeleke administration issued press releases denouncing the movement and characterizing it as disruptive.
Onlookers wonder if elders were present when children fall into gutters. Political elders with trouble-sensing abilities are plentiful in the PDP. The party under siege merely lacks political elders who are mute so as not to anger a demi-god or come across as ungrateful. Is the ATUNTO movement a political one? It really is. Has a message been passed? It really does. Did the message reach its desired recipients? Yes.
The movement’s economic benefits are secondary to a political litmus test. The reaction of Senator Ademola Adeleke and other members of the establishment in charge of state authorities to the political maturity test is of greater interest to political observers, particularly those from Osun state. Would they respond to it differently than the late Isiaka Adeleke? Are they only creating Serubawon’s statues in vain, or are they really following his footsteps and ideals? Is their heart or lips closer to the late Serubawon? Like millions of Osun residents, I’ll be watching the events develop.
Let’s keep praying for Senator Ademola Adeleke till then.
