By Bisade Ojoye
Former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba has lashed out at one of the leaders of Pan-Yoruba socio-polical group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo describing him as inconsistent and selfish.
Osoba frowned at the standpoint of Pa Adebanjo on the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because according to him there was no moral justification for him to prefer another man to his kinsman.
He recalled how he was antagonistic of the then progressives governor before late Chief Obafemi Awolowo where he called them all sorts of names just for his selfish interest, but failed woefully as a result of the foresight and sagacity of Chief Awolowo.
Osoba said, “He has always been antagonistic to anybody who rose to governance within the progressives’ family. He was antagonistic to the UPN governors when they reached out to the PRP governors in the Second Republic. He led the crusade against the governors and told Awolowo that the UPN governors had sold out.
When Papa (Awolowo) got exasperated he called a meeting of the UPN leaders at Eko Hotel. I recalled Chief Onabanjo speaking on behalf of the governors and telling Chief Awolowo that “all the people shouting are not more loyal to you than we are, that if the party must win at the federal level, the party must relate with others outside Western Region”.
“At the end, Chief Awolowo said the governors should continue with their association but they should report regularly to the National Executive Committee of the party. They then expanded their association to 12 governors. That was the group that led Awolowo into signing an agreement with Dr Azikiwe in Benin ahead of the 1983 presidential election which Awolowo actually won. Their reaching out was very helpful. It was that same progressive association that helped us when we moved to the Third Republic SDP that produced the late Chief MKO Abiola as presidential candidate.
He said Adebanjo was never comfortable with any governor either in UPN or in AD, saying that he has started manifesting the same attack on Asiwaju Tinubu. “He bragged that he made us governors.
Who among us did not have political experience before we became governors in 1999? Lam Adesina as Oyo governor was, as far back as 1979, a House of Reps member in the National Assembly dominated by the late Chief Abraham Adesanya and co. The late Chief Adefarati as Ondo governor was a Commissioner under Ajasin. Akande in Osun was deputy to the late Chief Bola Ige as old Oyo governor. So he was making a cheap statement by saying we are not consistent”, he stressed.
“The point is that Adebanjo has never contested any election. I challenge him to test his popularity. He should pick anywhere in Ogun, let the two of us walk around. There is no village in Ogun State that I will not call out three or four families.
For example, in his dictatorial way, he says he has now zoned the presidency to the Igbo. Who is he to zone the Yoruba race out of the 2023 presidential race?
Osoba asked, “Where did we meet as Yoruba? Awolowo will not behave like that. There will be a meeting where there will be consensus. Of course the Igbo have the right to contest in 2023 just as I as a Yoruba man also have the right to contest.
Only Ayo Adebanjo understands his interpretation of consistency. Here is a man who, when we were rigged out, was the first to jump on the PDP vehicle of Gbenga Daniel in Ogun State. Till tomorrow, he is the godfather of Gbenga Daniel. He moved from Gbenga Daniel to Olusegun Mimiko in Ondo under the Labour Party. And he went to pronounce Mimiko as the greatest of those executing Awolowo’s philosophy, that Mimiko’s free education was the best.
“He moved from there to PDP in Osun to praise Olagunsoye Oyinlola and today he is with PDP’s Seyi Makinde in Oyo.
That is his interpretation of consistency. He said we sold out to Fulani. When he campaigned for former VP Atiku for presidency, he forgot that Atiku is a Fulani man too.
When they hobnobbed with former President Jonathan, that is consistency. Awolowo will never jump from one party to another. And Awolowo, if alive, would never hobnob with PDP.”
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