Sen Adeola: An Unstoppable Wind of Change

Kayode Alimi

Power politics in Ogun State is intriguingly unfolding. And it is not unexpected. In politics, power routinely changes hands just like life itself. In this life, everything under the sun is transient. Just as the famous actor and filmmaker, Charlie Chaplin, once said: “Life is a play that does not allow testing. Sing, cry, dance, laugh, and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.”

As constitutionally stipulated, Ogun is one of the states where there will be an imminent change of guard in 2027. On May 29, the eight-year tenure of the administration of the incumbent Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, will complete its circle, leaving the Oke Mosan Government House, Abeokuta, vacant for grabs. As experience has shown, the succession process doesn’t come so easily. Due to intense scheming for positions, there will always be permutations, back-stabbing, intrigues and a deluge of innuendoes. These are the things that make politics an interesting game anyway.

To get the best out of the power game, insinuation is rife that some prospective aspirants have already been flying the kite to test the water. They have been making high-level secret consultations, holding nocturnal meetings, and strategizing ahead of the impending slugfest. Some names have been mentioned plotting to sustain the power-sharing status quo levering their privileged positions within the state establishment. In the fullness of time, all of these will be unveiled to face the test of public scrutiny.   

For whatever motive, sustaining the status quo is not an option at this time in our history. While it is the right of any aspirant to seek election into the exalted position, it will be preposterous for such individuals or groups of persons to ignore the rightful agitation by the Yewa/Awori (Ogun West) people and concede it to them to produce the next governor because they have been marginalized for too long. In this regard, the only path to a peaceful transition process in 2027 is a power shift arrangement to the Ogun West Senatorial District. That is the only concession that can be seen to be just, fair, and equitable.

Governor Abiodun must make the powershift to the Yewa/Awori axis the major plank of his succession plan in the next transition. This is particularly important for the sustenance of his good work and the future consolidation of his achievements. A successful succession plan is the hallmark of a good leader, as no serious human endeavour can endure without a good successor. Succession planning is very crucial for good governance. It ensures that the succeeding administration continues to run smoothly without undue influence and interruption. 

Succession planning is a contingency plan. It is not an ad hoc thing because time is needed to identify potential replacements and evaluate the capacity of contending individuals as events dictate so that whosoever is ultimately chosen can be adequately prepared to assume effective control.

In this country, succession planning routinely fails due to a general lack of sincerity. It has always been a case of the unpatriotic cultivating the unprepared. It is too early in the day to begin to speculate about the succession plan of Governor Abiodun. However, learning from his experience, he must ensure that policies of inclusivity, transparency, openness, and genuine sincerity of purpose are guaranteed in his succession planning to make it come to fruition. These were the fundamental factors that culminated in the failed succession game plan of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun that ultimately ended in a fiasco. He made a fundamental error of judgment believing that he could unilaterally decide the selection process, handpick his person, and impose it on the party. He paid for it.

As a leader, you can have a personal preference for one person or the other, but you cannot impose him or her on the rank and file of the party and get away with it. In a democracy, imposition doesn’t work. Candidate imposition alienates, while consultation, an open and transparent process engenders broader participation, trust, and confidence in the people. Amosun didn’t factor all these into his success plan. He played on the low indignation capacity of his party supporters and threw a spanner into the wheel of progress. The rest is history.      

The present administration of Governor Abiodun cannot afford to tow the same path. Admittedly, either in private or public life, succession is a complex process. But it doesn’t have to be, especially if the leader can organize and plan ahead of time. Although 2027 is still somehow far away, time is of the essence. The ultimate goal of Abiodun’s succession plan should focus on a candidate who has demonstrable character, resourcefulness, political clout, and the capacity to take the state to the next level of development. Good enough, Ogun West has more than enough supply of outstanding achievers who have demonstrated capacity in all fields of human endeavours.

One of them is Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) who has raised the threshold of good represention in the district. As a close ally of Governor Abiodun, he has been working hard to support the effort of the present government towards the promotion of the general well-being of the people of Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole. He has a track record of success in various capacities he has served either as a private sector player or a politician. The trajectory of his political career as a lawmaker since the advent of the present political dispensation has been without blemish. Now, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he is currently one of the shakers and movers of policies in the country under the watchful eyes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His experience will be an asset to the state if allowed to be the governor.

But I beat the gun. For proper clarification, Senator Adeola (aka Yayi) has not disclosed his intention to join the race. However, I deliberately zeroed in on him, knowing that people’s demand for his candidacy has become an unstoppable wind of change. He has become a phenomenon in our political firmament. So phenomenally powerful so much so that people now regard him as a household name among all strata of society. From the civil populace to Okada riders to the artisans, market men and women, party faithful, everybody is earnestly yearning for him to be governor. They all know him as they know the natural marks on the palms. At different fora, he has interacted with them. They know his antecedents; they know his capacity and his connection with the grassroots. Everywhere they go within Ogun West Senatorial District, they see his imprints in virtually all sectors-road network, education, healthcare service, human capital development, youth and women empowerment etcetera. His philanthropic gestures transcend religious, political, and dialectical boundaries. From East, West to the Central, he treats everybody as equal stakeholders under the banner of his development approach to good governance. That is why his popularity is increasingly becoming infectious. He is a man whose time has come. He represents a new wind of change that no one can stop because when a change reaches a flood tide, anything that comes its way can only come down before its overwhelming power. As far as grassroots politics is concerned, Adeola remains matchless in his popularity, generosity, and general benevolent gestures

Beyond his rising popularity, Senator Yayi has some other unique selling points that need to be considered in the selection of a candidate who can lead the APC to victory in the next general election for the continuity of the laudable achievements of Governor Abiodun.

Since its inception, the present administration has focused largely on the creation of a conducive environment for industrial transformation through infrastructure, agriculture value-chain, youth empowerment, healthcare service delivery, sustainable economic growth, human capital development, ease-of-doing business as well as other complementary reforms initiatives that have turned Ogun State into an investment destination of choice not only in Nigeria but the West Africa sub-region.

We cannot afford to let the guard down. At this stage, the state cannot afford to put in power someone who will put the developmental strides of the administration in reverse gear. We need continuity and sustenance of the good work of the present government. We need somebody with the right vision and mission who can effectively pilot the affairs of the state to take the baton after the successive completion of Governor Abiodun’s tenure in 2027.   

Having passed through the thick and thin of Ogun State politics together with the Governor, Senator Adeola is in good standing to take charge as a reliable successor. Brought up under the tutelage of President Tinubu, he has been adequately groomed through mentorship to take over the mantle of leadership. With decades of legislative experience, he is well-prepared for the job. At different levels of his political career as a legislator, beginning from Alimosho constituency in Lagos to the Federal House of Representatives where he rose to the Senate, he has proved his mettle.

All through the trajectory of growth that the state has recorded, Senator Adeola has always been on the same page with Governor Abiodun. He has been his dependable ally in all facets of his developmental agenda. So, levering his wealth of experience in governance, he will seamlessly take the state to the next level.

Again, with the loud agitation for a power shift to Ogun West, Senator Adeola represents the face of the Yewa/Awori people. He is the cynosure of all eyes as far as that age-long aspiration is concerned. And, of course, they have a genuine reason for jealously guarding the renewed opportunity to take the slot, especially having been marginalized for nearly 48 years of the existence of the state. For the benefit of those who may be tempted to seek power by default, since the creation of the state on February 3, 1976, the governorship slot has remained elusive to the Awori, Egbado, and Egun people, as well as other sub-groups constituting Yewa/Aworiland. None of their own has had the privilege of occupying the Oke-mosan Government House. Rather, power has been oscillating between the two other zones- Ogun East and Ogun Central.

This time around, giving support to Adeola as the most trusted and tested son of the Yewa/Awori community for the job will not only help to heal the wounds of the past but also go a long way to promote a genuine sense of belonging. If elected, he will build on the achievements of the present and past administrations and steer Ogun State toward a brighter future through innovative ideas, new policy initiatives, inclusive governance, and a sustainable developmental agenda.

This confidence derives from the commitment he has shown to the development of the state through outstanding legislative performance, constituency projects, philanthropy, and countless numbers of benevolent gestures. His focus on youth empowerment, job creation, and infrastructural development align with the needs of Ogun State people.

Within one year of the attainment of his enviable position as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, he has facilitated many infrastructural projects across the length and breadth of Yewa/Aworiland within Ogun West Senatorial district and beyond. Given the opportunity to govern the state, he will leverage his closeness to the President to attract more federal presence in the state for the ultimate good of all and sundry. So, let no one halt the new wind of change, as it promises to be cool, soothing, and refreshing.    

Alimi writes from Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State