Makinde’s Second Coming as Oyo Governor

Kemi Olaitan writes that the dissolution of Oyo State executive council provides an opportunity for Governor Seyi Makinde, to avoid pitfalls of the past as he begins another term today

the dissolution last Tuesday of the Oyo State executive council and termination of appointments of political office holders by Governor Seyi Makinde, for many political observers in the pace setter state was nothing but a climax to the imbroglio which had reared its head since the cabinet was inaugurated about four years ago.

Makinde, a businessman turned politician was elected governor in 2019 through a coalition of major opposition parties determined to dislodge the then ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. Indeed, precisely a week to the 2019 gubernatorial election, three major governorship candidates, Senator Femi Lanlehin of Action Democratic Congress (ADC); Sharafadeen Alli of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), announced their alliance to work together for Makinde.

During the merger that led to Makinde’s endorsement as the sole candidate in 2019, there were allegedly some agreements reached with the trio and others who worked for the governor’s success in the election, that the PDP takes 64 per cent; ADC 30, ZLP 10 and SDP 5 per cent of all positions across board.

However few months into the administration there were bottled up animosity over the implementation of the agreement with series of peace meetings summoned to paper over the cracks yielding no result.

The formation of the cabinet in August 2019 and subsequent appointments of other political office holders by Governor Makinde, was to heighten the crisis which for four years refused to go away with major partners accusing the governor of not honoring the terms and agreement of the coalition.

First to opt out of the coalition was Lanlehin who feeling uncomfortable with the disposition of  Governor Makinde to the agreement, said in a statement by his Media Office that he had opted out because of Makinde’s non-compliance with the spirit and letter of the terms of the pre-election agreement. The former Senator who represented Oyo South Senatorial district between 2015 and 2019, said, “A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the gubernatorial election of Oyo State on the 9th March, 2019, which overwhelmingly threw up Oluwaseyi Makinde as governor of the state.”

The statement read, “Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (Solan), Oyo State leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), hereby announces forthwith his personal withdrawal from the coalition he had with Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State governor.

“Senator Lanlehin, former Oyo State gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) joined forces with other opposition parties’ governorship candidates to back Makinde, and the gubernatorial victory was thereupon resounding.

“I wish the governor a resounding success in the performance of the onerous duties providence has placed on his shoulders. May the Almighty God see him through.”

With the crumbling of the coalition, Lanlehin eventually left the ADC to rejoin the APC where he played a prominent role in the last election serving as the Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee of the party.

Similarly, the gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP),  Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, who is now Senator-elect on the platform of the APC, was to pull out of the coalition, stating that the governor refused to fulfil the promise he made to the party before the election.

The former Secretary to Oyo State government in a release while reacting to statements that Makinde has fulfilled the coalition agreement with other parties, credited to one of the governor’s aide, Hon. Babatunde Oduyoye, insisted that most of the assertions made were not correct, especially as it affects ZLP.

According to him, Makinde promised two slots for the party and one for a former governor of the state, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, revealing further that ZLP was promised two commissionership slots and two Special advisers of which none was fulfilled.

His words, “Most of the assertions are not correct, especially as it affects ZLP. He promised two slots for the party and one for Baba Ladoja. He fulfilled that of Baba Ladoja and no cause for anyone to complain about the one given to Baba Ladoja; he reneged on the promise he made to the party. I have never been or agreed to be a member of the Governor Advisory Council (GAC) as stated by Oduyoye. I also see it as an attempt to cause a crack in the ZLP especially between Senator Ladoja and myself.”

The crisis was however not to be restricted to the coalition parties alone as it also engulfed the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) itself with major party leaders  that include former deputy Governor of the state, Hazeem Gbolarumi; former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande; a popular PDP leader in the state, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan, Mr. Femi Babalola, Chief Nureni Akanbi, and many others, pitching tent against the governor.

While close aides of the governor had consistently maintained the position that Governor Makinde did not betray the agreement he had with the coalition parties, the governor himself was to reiterate this at the 85th birthday of the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Michael Koleoso. 

The governor maintained that he had fulfilled all agreements he entered into with the coalescing political parties that aided his election in 2019, stating that a lot of those who accused him of breaching the agreement reached with the parties who went into a coalition with him in 2019 did not have their facts.

He said, “The impression I want to correct is that there are people that were not there when we were making the agreement but went on air before the last election and started saying Makinde did not honour agreement.”

While the people of the pace setter state are expecting so much from Makinde who became the second governor to be re-elected since the beginning of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, many observers are of the view that he has to tread softly to avoid the unnecessary rancour he faced during his first term.

For political watchers though it may be difficult to ascribe his victory this time around to coalition parties, it would not be out of place nevertheless to say that Governor Makinde won with the support of both the seen and unseen forces. Political analysts thus believe that in constituting his cabinet as well as making other political appointments, it is important that the governor would do everything to satisfy the interest of these ‘forces’.