Oyo Labour Party and the New Game Plan

Following the exit of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, leaders of the Labour Party in Oyo State may have taken their destinies in their hands in the countdown to next year’s elections, writes Ademola Babalola

Rather than thaw, leaders and members of the Labour Party in Oyo state appear unperturbed by the recent developments in the party, especially the exit of its only governor, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.


But the magic with which it intends to upturn tables against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the rancorous PDP and the rampaging Accord Party, are however still being kept under wraps by its leaders.


Already, overtures being made to some of its bigwigs particularly notable gubernatorial aspirants by leaders in other parties to dump Labour Party are being turned down for reasons best known to these promoters of the party in the state.


As at the last count, ceaseless efforts are being mounted on a leading governorship aspirant to dump the party for either the Accord Party or the PDP with the chieftain insisting on going ahead with his aspiration, having sustained the battle to take over the mantle of leadership in the state, this far.


The party, till date, no doubt remains an underdog in the political firmament of the state as 2015 inches near. The recent defection of Mimiko too, was seen by many as capable of dealing a big blow to its popularity among the populace especially within the last six months.
However, recent developments in Oyo LP after Mimiko’s exit suggest that the party may be up to something promising and glaringly unpredictable in the political chess game of the 38year-old Pace setter state.


For instance, two days after Mimiko was reported to have left the party, there was a meeting by the LP hierarchy in the state at the instance of its state executive led by the chairman, Gbenga Olayemi Ariba and Secretary, Gbenga Oyekola, where they reviewed Mimiko’s exit and its aftermath. At the meeting attended by its eggs heads, it was resolved that “even while he (Mimiko) was in the party, there was no known financial support to Oyo LP either in cash or material benefits”.


A source at the meeting quoted the elders as saying “The only support we can boast of receiving so far from him was his presence at the official commissioning of our state office complex which still remains the best by any party in the state today. His presence at the epoch-making event, no doubt gave us leverage among other existing political parties in the state.


“We thank him for that. But now that he has gone back to his ‘vomit’, there is nothing to worry about his defection, more so that we have been carrying on with this gospel of liberating the people of the state from old the horses, who continue to play god and see this state as their fathers’ estate.


“The change we see in 2015 is inevitable and our presence is everywhere and is already sending jitters than the spines of these old political warhorses. We represent the true change agents the people of the state have been waiting for and with the elite, youths and general masses keying into this change, LP is a party to beat in 2015.


“Forget the noise being made by our competitors. We are calculative, cerebral, humane and urbane set of youthful politicians desirous of effecting needed change in governance of this state to be at par with other states, where real progress and mouth watering developments are already taken for granted.


“Remember that the Political Committee arm of the state Nigeria Labour Congress has recently declared support for our party at the congress held at the Olubadan stadium as true workers’ political party as we journey towards February, 2015.
“We are the face of 2015 and people of the state are already tired of others because they have in one way or the other ruled this state with little or no quantifiable developments. That reality is still staring us, as a people, in the face.


“Let’s continue our crusade and we are sure of victory because sooner or later, there will be serious implosions in other parties which would no doubt ultimately work to our advantage. It is already happening and it is bound to happen further as more defectors would be welcomed into the party as we march towards the election,” said a source close to the party’s leadership.


From the foregoing, the outcome of the meeting above may have propelled the Gbenga Olayemi Ariba-led state party executive into devising new game plans up its sleeves as the party last week opened more party secretariats in three local governments in Oke-Ogun areas of the state, thus bringing its local government secretariat so far to over 20, apart from other wards party offices spread across the state’s five geopolitical zones.


Not only that, the party’s presence, according to its promoters in the state, have strong base and followers in Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Oyo and Ibarapa with its leadership hoping to lure a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, who has the control of a majority of Ogbomoso voters in his kitty.


Already, there are rumors of talks going on between the LP leaders and the former governor in case the PDP fails to field the ex-police officer as its gubernatorial candidate. If Akala agrees to work with the party without getting its governorship ticket, as are being rumored is another ball game altogether.


And with the official entry of a former Secretary to the State Government, Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, into the governorship race on the platform of the Labour Party, the chicken may have come home to roost for the rumored ambition of the former governor to pick LP’s ticket in case of eventuality in his current political party.


Alli’s campaign posters now dot every part of the state, putting paid to the rumoured plans of his defection to either the PDP or the Accord Party ahead of the parties’ primaries. Other governorship aspirants whose posters have flooded the state before Alli’s entry are Comrade Olu Abiala, Mogaji Nurudeeen Akinyo, and two lawyers; Kazeem Adedeji and Rotimi Adeniji.


For now, the party appears to be enjoying peace unlike other political parties and how it is able to reap from the possible implosion across other parties, will remain to be seen as the race to 2015 gathers momentum.


Those regarded as ‘recalcitrant’ were at the just concluded party’s convention in Akure, the Ondo State capital, expelled from the ‘New Improved LP’ in the state.


Also, its former chairman, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa has just been elected as the National Vice-Chairman of the party in the South-west, leaving Aremo Wasiu Adeola Adepoju-led faction to leak its wounds having been finally been expelled from the party in the aftermath of the convention of Saturday, October 11, 2014.


Nocturnal meetings across parties are on. So also is the impending criss-crossing of parties by politicians. The three other parties are also oblivious of what the race would be like. Feelers suggest that the direction is still shrouded in secrecy, just as the atmosphere appears cloudy for would-be potential occupants of the Agodi Government House.


The talk in town now is “where will the pendulum swing in the face of the presence of all the four political parties come 2015?” The apprehension in the state and from across the parties is not misplaced given the peculiarities of the nature of politics being played especially among the Ibadan people, who constitute over 50 per cent of the voting populace.


Unlike the neighboring states in the South-west zone, antecedents of candidates, some measure of violence, financial war chest, popularity, elite’ support base, traditional institutions’ influence, youths backing and artisans support including the control of strong followership among the drivers’ unions are some of the indices a would-be governor of Oyo State must curry and substantially have in his kitty to emerge victorious at the general election.


With the clock ticking towards the primaries and the general election next year, all within the next four months, it appears not clear yet who will be the preferred choice of the electorate. Save for the grand public declarations of two prominent aspirants within the PDP of recent – Akala and billionaire businessman turned politician, Seyi Makinde – serious politicking is yet to commence in full circle and the direction the pendulum would swing also appears uncertain.


The whole thing is shrouded in obscurity as uncertainty pervades the ranks and file of the political parties. The current fluid scenario promises to remain so until after the parties’ primaries. After all, it is often said that 24 hours is still a long time in politics.