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Wednesday 20 October 2021

CONGRESS: Oyetola’s Charge, Cautions and Lessons ( I ) Famodun’s Ultimate Burden... By ISAAC OLUSESI






Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s charge to the newly inducted All Progressives Congress (APC) state executives has its ramifications and implications juxtaposed.


The Oyetola charge to the party new executive council “to ensure reconciliatory process,” a responsible and responsive plank, entrenched in the tested tripod of justice, equity and fairness activates him on the toes and forearms while holding the rest of the body up, firmly on the ground, bestridding the kaleidoscope of Osun politics. How?


The charge is not a flop to have made Oyetola consent to the surge that it didn’t matter to urge the new party executives in the state, to carry everyone along in the running of the affairs of the party; not a plump to have activated or driven political praise singers, singing discordant and nebulous tunes around him; not a flump to have nudged him to certain steps, not minding or indiscriminate of how they resonate; not a plunk to have turned him on the cacophony of voices, traded in biases, parti pris, prejudices to dominate the state politico-socio amphitheatre; and not a plop to have attracted to his governorship certain politicians of variegated tendencies and proclivity, addicted to the opium poppy.


Last Saturday, October 16, APC ran the party state congress simultaneously nationwide in line with the principles and guidelines of the party as contained in the Article 20 (Election & Appointment) of the constitution of the party. In Osun, it was hitch- free, transparent and free of rancor, and Prince Gboyega Famodun had the accredited 1,840 delegates’ voice votes to emerge the Osun APC chairman. He called on the party members and stakeholders to channel same energy and unity towards future election primaries and governorship election just as his acceptance speech lauded the party event held in Osogbo, state capital as “impressive, well- organized and peaceful.”


The Oyetola charge to the APC newly constituted leadership in Osun, one charge, too many, has its ‘does nots,’ that comes handy with cautions. The charge does not belong in the revenge and revanchist propensity which is not how to lead; and the charge does not belong in the penchant for exclusion, separation, isolation, dissociation, divisiveness and break up or split-not how to lead.


The charge does not belong in the habitude of sacrificing excellence, service, trust, and confidence- not how to lead; the charge does not belong in the aptitude of mere assumptions, conjectures, eavesdrops and hearsays-not how to lead; and the charge does not belong in the impulse for immolating the minor for the major, and the selected, the privileged few to the disadvantage of the overwhelming masses or generality- not how to lead.


The charge does not belong in the predilection for the beloved, the preferred at the detriment of the hated, the enemies, perceived or actual- not how to lead; the charge does not belong in the proneness to divide- and- rule, disservice, indolence and misgiving not- not how to lead; the charge does not belong in the predisposition to mistrust, distrust and clumsiness- not how to lead; and the charge does not belong in the aptness for or bent to suspicion and skepticism or cynicism- not how to lead.


The foregoing agenda-setting analysis of Oyetola’s charge may have stepped on some non-cursory toes. But the charge, its cautions or warnings, if painstakingly digested and applied to self with catholic zeal by leaderships across political parties in Nigeria, will tilt the balance of growth and development in favour of the three – legged justice, equity and fairness.


Lessons from Osun. With the charge, a standing guide, Oyetola justly dispenses the rights and liabilities of the governed, and consistently meets the requirements of balance and spread of the people- entered dividends of democracy across the state, with high morality incumbent on his government in the process or as consequent.


Famodun’s triumphant return did not come with any surprises. The high performances of Oyetola in office, the 3rd year ending, practically appealed to the party people far and above any other considerations, complemented by the sky-high popularity of the governing party due also to the widely acknowledged achievements of the government in the state. The party profile rose as the life span of Oyetola’s government increased, with his policies, programmes and projects taken on acceptable credentials in the public eye. 


The government has instituted a regime of unimpeachable rectitude and integrity in the Osun public service and commitments to the wellbeing of the governed, generally speaking, and for which Oyetola has won several laurels, nationally and internationally, the last in the wing being the ‘Labour – friendly Award bestowed on him by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE), after  series of his endorsements for another term of 4years by different categories of workers in the state. “Not without NULGE‘s awareness of lies and cries of numerous oppositions,” said, the Union President , Dr Kehinde Ogungbangbe, with a nod: "We shall support you and campaign vigorously for your victory, comes next year.” 


The needed strength that most prominently helped Famodun withstand the ripple effect of the standoff mounted by the party’s internal opposition elements came from Oyetola, friendly and available: his robust and meaningful peace campaigns had much earlier boxed to a standstill, the party well-heeled intra wranglings, the heat thereof or is it cold war? Either, only augmented the logic of odd ball. Never kicked to a goal, anyway.


The party good showings or outings in the last ward and local government congresses in the state, their bandwagon effects were enough an indication that the just concluded state congress was going to be a walkover, an easy victory for Famodun, the Osun APC Chairman, helped by the whiff of cooperation from the party’s Elders’ Council in the state which translated to victory for Famodun 


 (To be continued )




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