•To Make Sure That Hon. AKINLADE, His Guber Candidate Lost
The governorship elections in Ogun State has come and gone, with Prince Dapo Abiodun of the APC becoming the governor-elect. But not many people know how the Ijebu people determined who won the governorship, with Gov. Ibikunle Amosun’s guber choice, Hon. Akinlade losing out.
Fresh gists have emerged on how the Ijebus decided in one accord to mobilise intense support for Prince Dapo Abiodun. And they were unanimous in their decision not to vote for Hon. Akinlade who they see as a continuation of Gov. Amosun in government. It was the Ijebu’s hatred for Gov. Amosun that robbed off negatively on Akinlade, revealed an insider.
A strong Ogun East APC member revealed to City People how they mobilised members to vote enmasse for Dapo Abiodun to shame Gov. Amosun who they accused of anti-party activities.
“After we, the Ogun APC members were humiliated at the stadium, when President Buhari came to campaign for Dapo Abiodun, we all decided to go all out and mobilise both the old and young, both male and female to make sure Dapo Abiodun wins. It was an operation code named Vote In Dapo Abiodun.”
This deft move by the Ijebus worked out, as Prince Dapo Abiodun won all the 9 Local Government Councils of Ogun East.
That was also the first time the Ijebus and the Remos would vote in one accord. The decision of the Ijebu to come together, made Amosun’s game plan not to work.
Amosun had based his game plan on his candidate (Hon. Akinlade) winning in Ogun Central (which is Amosuns own base), then in Ogun West (which is Akinlades own base) and then winning some votes in Ogun East (which is Dapo Abiodun’s own base). Gov. Amosun had banked on the fact that Hon. Ladi Adebutu, and Prince Buruji Kashamu (both of Ogun PDP) will split the votes of Ogun East with Dapo Abiodun, since both Ladi Adebutu and Buruji Kashamu were perceived to be strong in Ogun East.
Amosun also believed that Akinlade will win all the LGs in Ogun Central (where he, Amosun is a strong factor) and Dapo Abiodun will lose out there. He also believed that Hon. Akinlade who is from Ogun West will win. Amosun & Akinlade had put in place plans to ensure that the APM captured Ogun Central & Ogun West. He also felt that his good friend Senator Lekan Mustapha who won the Senate seat for Ogun East on the platform of APC will also help APM gain a foot hold there.
According to one political commentator Online, the political mathematics of Governor Amosun had relied on the possibility of divided votes coming from Ogun East, since Kashamu was contesting. They ruled out any possibility of Kashamu silencing his ambition for Abiodun’s success at the poll.
There also banked on the registration of Ogun Central and West, whose registration surpasses the nine (9) local governments that makes up Ogun East Senatorial District. But they forgot that there are various indices prompting people to register. Of course, they jettisoned the fact that not everyone comes out to vote, even if the polling center is right on their nose explained the analyst.
“What the result showed was that in Ogun East; with the lowest registered voters of 710,635, only 227,878 people voted representing approximately 32.1%. Dapo Abiodun had a home advantage which was as a result of the acceptability of his candidature by the Awujale of Ijebu Land and 80% of the Kabiyesis, In Remo it was alleged that ORO was sent out accompanied with Epe (Curse) over anyone who voted against Ijebu Remo candidate, Ijebu Remo Leaders, Conglomerates of party gladiators. Kashamu’s underneath deal etc polled a whopping 109,571 votes of the 227,878 of the total votes casted representing approximately 48.1%. Akinlade on the other hand polled 59,138 representing approximately 26.0%.
In Ogun Central, where Governor Amosun believed he will get a landslide victory, not knowing that situation which could be traced to him leading to electorates yearning for a change was already blinking. He relied on his achievements in terms of infrastructural development as well as the holistic registration of 909,855 voters, whereas only 204,798 electorates voted representing approximately 23.0%.
Going by the results, Dapo Abiodun gave a good fight, obviously contesting against Amosun by proxy But with the support of Osoba, the party faithfuls whose territory lies with the Senatorial district as well as the popularity of most of his assembly candidates, scored 75,368 (36.8%) while Akinlade polled 75,434 (36.8%). This result in particular broke Amosun’s dream of installing a successor.
Remembering how he had boasted after meeting with the Ijebu Remo Agenda Elders sometimes last year reechoed by the dissolved APC Chairman, Chief Derin that the Senatorial District is useless to him knowing fully well that the zone will damage itself over dual candidature, unknowing that a Yoruba parlance says what an elder uses in eating his solid pap is underneath the leaves.
Going to Ogun West, unlike the game played by Ogun East who had enough political maturity, the westerners could not hold their home as two sons were on the field to play ball. With a boastful total registration of 751,218 only 211,859 actually voted representing just 28.2%. Despite been the home of opposition, Abiodun came 3rd by polling 56,731 representing 26.8% (this shows that even the APM tried in Ogun East by poling 59,138). Akinade did well by polling 87,581 representing 41.3%, (whereas Abiodun in his base had 48.1% of the total votes casted).
Just like Ogun West gave Akinlade 41.3% of the total votes casted, so did Ogun East gave out a whopping 48.1% of the total votes casted to Abiodun. Who is to be blame?
Amosun had promised to win his domain landslide but failed. The assumption of the Amosun group was that they have higher population than Ogun East.
But all these calculations did not work out as planned.
What happened was that the Ijebu’s made use of several political platforms to mobilise against Amosun, who they don’t like and the APM, which they see as Amosuns party. City People gathered that part of the reasons Amosuns assumptions did not work was the influence of GNI who is from Ogun West reduced Akinlades votes.
Last minute, the APM had put pressure on GNI to support the APM but he refused. So Akinlade & GNI slugged it out in Ogun West. Of course there were strong Ogun APC Chieftains from Ogun West who ensured that Dapo Abiodun won in some LGs.
In Ogun Central, the influence of Aremo Olusegun Osoba and that of other APC party Chieftains made Dapo Abiodun to perform well there. And in Ogun East, all the APC political bigwigs galvanised support for Dapo Abiodun.
City People gathered that one of the reasons the Ogun APM governorship candidate lost the elections in Ogun East was because the Ijebus don’t like Amosun. They feel he has not done anything for them beyond a few overhead bridges in Ijebu-Ode.
One of the Ogun East APC Chieftains explained that all the roads in the senatorial zones are bad and that Amosun deliberately didn’t do anything for the zone because he felt the Ogun East people didn’t vote for him at the 2011 and 2015 polls.
The fact that Amosun decided to support a Yewa candidate over and above an Ijebu candidate made Amosun lose the support of the Ijebus. When the race for the governorship started the Ijebu Agenda made up of a few respected elders from Ogun East met with Amosun to tell him to support an Ijebu candidate. They wanted him to support Otunba Bimbo Ashiru who was then Amosuns Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. They reminded him that historically Ogun State is divided into 2 political divisions – (1) Egba/Egbado Division and (2) Ijebu/Remo. They reminded him that since the Egba/Egbado Division which Amosun belongs to had been Governor for 2-terms up on till 2019, it was the turn of the Ijebus to be Governor. Amosun opposed the move and told them it was a Yewa Candidate that he would support.
The fact that the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona didn’t support Gov. Amosuns political preference also made APM candidate Akinlade lose at the elections. Once Prince Dapo Abiodun emerged as the APC governorship candidate, the Awujale embraced him, partly because he is Ijebu. Not only did Awujale support him, he came out openly to ask all Ijebu Obas to support Dapo Abiodun.
City People gathered that the Awujale is angry with Amosun for staying away from the last Ojude-Oba Festival. He also didn’t like how Amosuns loyalists went to the palace, the venue of the Ojude Oba to boo Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki who was the Special Guest of Honour at last years Ojude Oba.
The Ijebus have also not forgiven Amosun for letting them lose the Dangote Refinery at Olokola. The allegation is that Gov. Amosun for political reasons denied business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the opportunity to actualise a petro chemical plant at Olokola, at Ogun Waterside LG, thus causing the loss of a planned and 20 billion investment in the area to neighbouring Lagos State. According to Uhuru Times, Olokola was approved by the Federal Government as a free Trade Zone during the administration of OGD. It was billed to host a deep sea port and petroleum chemical plant among others. The Olokola FTZ project was expected to boost the industrialisation of the state and act as a catalyst for mass employment.
Amosun upon assumption of office moved against mega projects associated with his predecessor.
Dangote Industries wanted to develop the Olokoda Free Trade Zone by constructing a major deep water port to handle containers, bulk cargoes and liquid cargoes which would have become a hub for West Africa zone, a Petroleum Refinery Plant, a Petroleum Chemical Complex and a Fertiliser Plant.
The total capital outlay was more than $20 billion.
Many people feel the investments would have energised the economy of the state. The state would have become a gateway for Nigeria since Apapa port and Tincan Island port are completely choked up right now.
There was also the issue of TASUED Nigeria’s Premier University of Education in Ijebu, near Ijebu-Ode, which the governor insisted must be scrapped. But for Amosun inability to secure a comfortable majority to back the move in the Ogun State House of Assembly, the higher institution would have become history.
In Odogbolu LG, the Ogun APC candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun won 12,529 votes to beat Hon. Akinlade who scored 7,51. In Ewekoro LG, APM won 7,588 with Dapo scoring 6,492. In Odeda LG, APC scored 8,030, while APM scored 6454.
In Sagamu LG, APC scored 23,737 votes whilst APM scored 14,469 votes. In Abeokuta South LG APC won 19414 votes whilst APM won 18767. In Ijebu East LG, the APC won with 10726, whilst the APM scored 5,147. In Ijebu Ode LG, APC scored 13,234 whilst APM scored 4,401. In Ijebu North East LG the APC won 7,268 votes whilst the APM scored 2,785. In Ikenne LG for the governorship elections the APC won 15,109 votes whilst the APM won 6,553 votes. Prince Dapo Abiodun won the 9 LG for East.
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