The greatest and most important promise a gubernatorial candidate who picked an Okeogun indigine as a running mate is to say “MY DEPUTY WILL NOT BE A SPARE TYRE”.
Oh God, bear witness that I heard this directly from Sen Folarin on his interview at Agidigbo FM. I’m a witness that TKF voluntarily and intentionally said this without any promptings from anybody.
Sen Folarin saw that Gov Makinde has not treated Okeogun fairly with regards to Engr. Olaniyan, he therefore wants to make a complete departure from GSM style. Oh, God Almighty , let Sen. Folarin win the 2023 gubernatorial election in Oyo State.
Another important departure in coming governor, Sen Folarin is going to make is that he will revamp agriculture. He has manifested his intention to do this by picking an agricultural expert and a University don as his running mate from Okeogun, an agrarian community. Kudos to Sen Folarin. He has from the onset planned to succeed by putting a round peg in a round hole. Surely, Dr. Femi Okunlola is going to add value in this regard. If truly, he will not be treated as a spare tyre, we are going to stand on his neck to deliver. We will continue to remind him to be faithful and loyal to his boss. I’m also giving that commitment. We will not keep quiet. We will remind both Sen Folarin of his promise to Okeogun and we will constantly remind our son Dr. Femi Okunlola to be sincerely committed , to be loyal and supportive of the agenda of Tessy administration.
Take or leave it. There is no governor who has treated the Okeogun people with disdain and contempt than Gov Makinde. The issue is not whether Engr Olaniyan was right or wrong, but observance of the due process in his purported impeachment and removal from office. By due process, I’m not even talking about the Constitutional provisions on impeachment of a deputy governor since the matter is on appeal but the traditional and Omoluabi due process.
When you approached a geopolitical zone or area in oyo state to vote for you and they voted for you because their son is your running mate, before you take any decision on such a deputy governor, courtesy demands that you should inform , brief and carry along Okeogun people.. One would expect that Gov Makinde would have informed the traditional rulers, the religious leaders, community leaders and critical stakeholders in Okeogun, the wrongs or misdeeds of Engr. Olaniyan before he was purportedly impeached. As far as I’m concerned and those traditional rulers and critical stakeholders I have interviewed on this matter, they told me that there was no time Gov Makinde reported the misdeeds of Deputy Gov Engr. Olaniyan to them.
If there is anyone who intervened from the Okeogun elders, let him tell us.
This is a big pitfall of Gov Makinde which Sen.Folarin must avoid.
The third reason and another most important factor to look in a governorship candidate is the calibre of people he acknowledged, respected and he is in their company.
Sen Folarin is a high chief of Ibadan and a potential Olubadan. Omo Ajanaku ki yara, omo ti eya ba bi eya ni yoo jo. Onilu ko ni fe ki ilu o tu. Folarin has no reason to misbehave in governance since he will like to become Olubadan one day. He will not do anything to block the chances of his sons and grand sons from becoming Olubadan one day, so he will be careful.
Sen Folarin being a chief will respect Obas and chiefs. He will know how to treat them better. By doing this, he will expect to be well treated when he becomes an Olubadan. Can you see why he will not fumble?
Someone was saying and repeating the statement “I have no godfather” I have no master even though that is not true. Any candidate whose hand is raised up by another or a leader or group of leaders introduced to a group during campaign, that leader or leaders are his godfathers.
Ko dara ki eniyan ma ni alafisun. Sen Folarin has consistently acknowledged some people as his mentors. Some are dead and some are living. Sen Folarin is giving honours to whom honours are due. At least, the Olubadan of Ibadanland before he came to the throne was a godfather to Sen Folarin. This I know as a fact and nobody can deny it. Yes, Olubadan is now father to all. But can Folarin as a governor disrespect Olubadan, the seat that he prays he should one day occupy? No. It then means, one can report wrongdoing of Folarin to Olubadan.
Another prominent politician, high chief and a great mentor Folarin can never disrespect is High chief Sen Adewolu Ladoja. How can Folarin that we all know come out to say he has no godfather?
I can go on and on to list the names of people Folarin is calling egbon, my leaders and my baba in Okeogun, Ibarapa and Ogbomoso. Watchout each time he is addressing the crowd, you will know those you can report Folarin too.
Yoruba bo, won wipe Ko ri onibawi, omo ra o se din..The position of governor is too powerful, delicate and dangerous for one to be without a godfather, moral and spiritual guide, mentor. The power will intoxicate the holder of that exalted office without a strong personality that can always call him to order.
It is dangerous for a party to have a governor who is all in all. We don’t want omnipowerful, omnipresent and omniscient Governor in Oyo State.
How can a governor be the Head of administration, the Head of the executives, the Head of the party? There is no way he will not misbehave.
Go and read the history of dictators. The first thing they start doing when they get power is to suppress dissenting views and opinions. They target all those who are powerful in their state or party by excluding them and scheming against them. They begin to frustrate them or send them away from the party. Go and look at PDP in Oyo State and see the big names of politicians that have left the party.
Sen Folarin learnt politics and he masters politics.
He knows the worth and importance of people and party members. Whether or not he likes, at least some people will remind him.
We are taking roll call of prominent and notable Ibadan sons around Tessy today. Most of you are well known in Ibadan. We believe that outsiders will not come and hijack Folarin when he becomes the governor. I trust you, you will not allow that. I’m working on your names and I will do another well documented write up with a topic “Men Around Tessy”.
Tell me one gubernatorial candidate with notable people like Tessy..
Tell me one governorship candidate that can boast of senatorial candidates with intimidating credentials, pedigrees and popularity like Tessy. All these senators, Dr. Sen AbdulFatai Buhari, Dr. Yunus Akintunde and Chief Barr Sarafadeen Alli are not push over. They will respect Folarin as a governor and leader of the party and he will reciprocate their respect. Their relationships is not going to be master/ servant relationships. They are quality men who can look Folarin straight into the eyes and give him quality advice unlike in one party without checks and balances.
APC is parading powerful legislators and first class materials.
Honestly, if I were you, I will go for Sen Folarin.
The last but not the least why Okeogun should support Folarin. Check the political party that picked Okeogun son as running mate and funny mates. Only Folarin picks a youth as a running mate. It is either others picked funny mates or non at all. The governorship candidate who picked a much younger, vibrant, articulate and cerebral deputy from Okeogun meant well for our area. He wants to build future not someone who picked deputy that cannot aspire to contest for governorship , Senate or even president in the future.
Check the intention of any gubernatorial candidate who picked an elderly or someone much older than him as his deputy, it was meant to overwork such deputy and abuse him.
Those who picked much elderly person as deputy are simply afraid of competition.
Gov candidates who picked elderly deputy are suffering from inferiority complex, they don’t want a deputy that can aspire to be governor. If to be guided by experience is the motive, a governor can choose an array of elders as unannounced special advisers and be paying them salaries without formalising it. In fact, the one billion naira monthly security vote will conveniently take care of that.
Okeogun should vote for only a candidate who has foresight and meant well for the future of our area by picking a youth as his running mate.
Perhaps, you don’t know the author, I remain yours sincerely, Abdul Waheed O..Lawal. I have a covenant with my creator to say the truth and to say it the way I saw it. As for my fortunes and future, they are in the hands of Allah, my Cherisher & Sustainer.
Tessy lo dara ju, to ye ki Okeogun o dibo fun ni 2023.
E dibo fun Tinubu, Fatai Buhari, Yunus Akintunde ati Sarafadeen Alli.
APC all round.
