PanNigerianNews 
By Ismail ABDULSALAM
The inroad to the 2024 chairmanship and councilorship elections in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State is at a stage of rancour. Selecting candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is getting noisy, depicting physical combat at many fora and quarters.
Based on my observations of political situation in Ogbomoso, there is palpable and audible silence and this calls for the attention of Gov. Seyi Makinde to wade into the crises rocking the party.
Historically, in 1982 or thereabouts, the late avatar and former Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, wrote an open-letter to the then President Sheu Shagari to appeal about the precarious situation of the Nigeria’s economy. He compared Nigeria’s economy to a rudderless ship that may hit a rock with catastrophe unless Shagari as the helmsman did the needful to save the day. The patriotic action of Awolowo was taken with a pinch of salt and he was called names.
Alas, one year after, Nigeria was groaning under the effect of the economic catastrophe. Like Awolowo, there is a need to appeal to the Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, not on economy this time around, but political. To wade into the crisis of the PDP in Ogbomoso North LGA that can tear the party apart.
This, I think, is due to lack of competence on the part of some acclaimed leaders of the party in the area. Many low-weight men and women are parading themselves as leaders.
Recently, the stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP in Ogbomoso North LGA was held in which Dr Saka Balogun was the host at his house at High School area, Ogbomoso.
Dr Balogun and some other acclaimed leaders of the party in the area were embarrassed and insulted with abusive utterances. The protesters hurled abusive words at them, carrying placards bearing various inscriptions to express their disapproval of what they suspected the meeting was heading to. The meeting aimed at selecting the candidates for the forthcoming local government elections – chairmanship and councilorship – for the ten wards of the council area.
Meanwhile, the two major contenders for the chairmanship position are Hon. Akanji Kabir Ayoade, the incumbent chairman of the council area and Alhaja Adijat Aremu (a.k.a. Rainbow) who is Hon. Ayoade’s vice. The two have been at loggerheads over who will emerge. Therefore, party elders gathered a couple of days ago to select the candidate for the chairmanship slot out of the aspirants who submitted letters of intent as well as councillorship candidates for each of the ten wards. But other stakeholders according to findings consisting of majority members of the executive committee at local and ward levels, youth and women leaders across the wards and so on, suspecting the Balogun-led committee was queuing behind Aremu, activated their grievances which snowballed into the disruption of the meeting. Dr Balogun was further alleged of nominating all councillorship candidates unilaterally without allowing input from other leaders of the party which many people reconsidered as improper. This action ignited the protest. The chaos was not perpetrated by thugs, nobody mobilised any thugs anywhere, but aggrieved members of the party exco showed their grievances, they are exco members at ward and local levels that said they could not accept such shenanigan. They rather demanded for primary election.
It is hoped that the People’s Governor, His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde will consider this appeal and do the needful to assuage the PDP crisis that is capable of tearing the party apart in our zone. From the history, any political crisis emanating from Ogbomoso North will definitely affect other local government areas as a model to other local government areas in the zone.
As it now, it is incumbent on Governor Makinde to stay focused even though there is no room for third term.
On Dr Balogun’s case, Gov. Makinde should know that Baba is too old to shoulder the role of selecting the party’s candidates for the elections. Some groups had also alleged that Balogun is biased towards some groups and candidates in the scheme. I believe the pressure is too much for Baba at this critical point. Baba should be respected as an elder statesman.
Sir Makinde should Wade in, I repeat. I beseech the party leadership and the Governor not to listen to the sentiments of biased minds claiming that all is well.
The way out
The best way to select a candidate in a democratic setting is through primary. The case of Ogbomoso North is different and should be handled with care. The exco of Ogbomoso North should be allowed to decide.
Feelers in some quarters are that the exco and delegates of the party in the area are set to decide if given free hands. Another fact is that majority of the present councillors, as part of leaders in their various wards, are also in support of primaries to decide.
Writes Abdulsalam from
Isale-Afon, Ogbomoso.
