By Yemi Balogun
But for sheer political mischief, there is no possible way the charade staged at the residence of former governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Ibikunle Amosun, on Saturday could be construed as a genuine protest against the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun and his second term bid.
In this clime, a mob ruled by its muscles rather than its brains and kicking up a ruckus just for a bottle of beer, complimented by a pittance is nothing new. Hiding under hoodlums, masquerading as protesters to attack performing governors with intent to subvert democracy is a familiar tactic, and we make bold to say that Senator Amosun is the mastermind, planner and chief executioner of the charade staged at his residence by “protesting youths” on Saturday.
This matter is as clear as the sun: it is a known fact that Senator Amosun, jolted by his neutralization in the power matrix within the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had on several occasions expressed his deep hatred for the governor of Ogun State, Prince Abiodun, and stoutly opposed his second term ambition.
On countless occasions, he has expressed his evil desire to truncate Governor Abiodun’s desire to serve Ogun State people, taking advantage of the free political atmosphere, nurtured by the people’s governor, to hold political revivals across Ogun State and dress him in the garb of a villain, while portraying himself as Saint Amosun.
Since 2019, Amosun has perfected the practice of promoting people from other parties, while holding on to his APC membership, and his present romance with the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Biyi Otegbeye, is just the latest scene in his failure movie.
In a normal clime, Amosun’s action would have been quickly punished as a gross violation of the party’s constitution and utter disrespect to the party. It was the APC that made Amosun a governor and also a senator, but he has never ceased working against the party.
The so-called protesting youths are part and parcel of his agenda; those are the guys he is using to campaign against the governor. He and his pathetic and confused crowd will fail woefully on March 18.
This is not the first time Amosun has vowed to work against Abiodun; the youths that supposedly visited him to solicit his support in undermining their own governor are his street soldiers, and what they did is not new. With some money and hard drinks, they can carry placards from morning to midnight. Their principal is somebody who views himself as a god and who desperately seeks to cultivate a larger than life image, even when he is mired in political shipwreck.
The last election showed the folly of these political buccaneers, and the coming governorship election will further accentuate it. There is a limit to which concocted stories in the mould of “civil servants reject Abiodun,” etc, can go.
Publishing Amosun’s delusions without contacting Governor Abiodun’s campaign negates fair hearing. We state with all sense of responsibility that all major stakeholders in Ogun State have endorsed the governor and they did not endorse him for endorsement sake, but for his track record. By this time next week, the “protesters” would have learnt the results of their failure. For now, they can keep providing political theatre.
•Balogun, a public analyst writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
