- As Human Rights Lawyer, PELUMI OLAJENGBESI Battles WOLE OKE
Popular human rights lawyer Barr. Pelumi Olajengbesi is set to challenge the incumbent honorable Wole Oke for the 2027 House of Representatives seat in Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in Osun State. And that is presently the biggest gist in the political circle of the state, particularly within the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The race promises to be very tough because Olajengbesi will be contesting the party’s ticket with Oke, a 6th-term lawmaker who is said to be ready to run again. It’s also interesting that the activist lawyer would be contesting against his supposed political leader and ‘godfather’. Of course, it’s a known fact that both Olajengbesi and Oke used to be very close until recently that their political ambitions came between them. This is the more reason Olajengbesi is pained that his supposed leader in whom he has gotten the blessing and the go ahead to contest now turned around to contest the same position again. Little wonder that Olajengbesi, in a recent post on his Facebook page, described Wole Oke’s threats of leaving PDP as empty.
Sounding a note of warning, the activist lawyer said neither Oke nor any other disgruntled member of the party could stop him from contesting the seat come 2027. He also threw a strong jab at Oke by saying that his political hide-and-seek tactic is becoming more childish and embarrassing.
He wrote, “Those who genuinely care about Hon. Wole Oke should do him a favour, either take a break from social media or confiscate his phone altogether. And also, tell him the truth.
At his level, his childish inconsistencies are becoming an embarrassment. Nobody is buying into his confusion, and at a time when Osun State needs resolute leaders, he seems more interested in playing political hide-and-seek.
If he thinks his endless social media outbursts are helping him, he is mistaken. They only make him look confused and politically unhinged.
For the avoidance of doubt, I have the utmost respect for Wole Oke. However, he needs to be properly advised that, God willing, I will contest the House of Representatives seat for ORIADE/OBOKUN against him, neither he nor anyone else will have the power to stop a free and fair contest.
It is high time he demonstrated leadership and honoured the party that has kept him in the House of Representatives for 20 years. You cannot be begging the governor in private while, at the same time, sowing doubt among those who still bother to listen to you.
And let it be clear: Wole Oke’s empty threats of leaving the PDP for the APC have lost all impact and steam. Nobody is losing sleep over it anymore. Whether he stays or leaves PDP, it is no longer a breaking news story. Not a single soul in Ijesa North, not even one person, will abandon PDP because of him, and he knows it. Wole Oke is a PDP member, and he has no other place he can go to. He can not be in APC and be making the social media posts he is making now.
As for the APC, they are hardly eager to have him either. They are perfectly fine with him offering them support from the sidelines, which, let’s be honest, and as a matter of facts available, he is already working for APC. The core leaders in PDP are aware, but they are only waiting for a payback time.
Wole Oke should also erase from his mind any delusions of becoming Osun State’s version of ‘Wike.’ That door is permanently shut. Under the formidable leadership of Sunday Bisi, the PDP is in good hands, and there is absolutely no room for the kind of political games Wole Oke is attempting to play.
There is completely nothing that is honourable again about Wole Oke to me. Wole Oke after his last election not once, not twice, but on eleven different occasions called me that he had no interest in contesting for the House of Representatives again, and he is supporting me. He personally urged me to go ahead, even promising to support me financially so that I wouldn’t have to spend a dime. He assured me I had done well and instructed me to start working with his team. And like a loyal party man, I followed his lead, only to later discover that, behind the scenes, he was plotting, spoke to the Party leaders with promises, asking that the party begs him to run again. I was like, this is laughable. How can a man have such uncontrollable appetite for deceit?
What kind of man does that? Where is the honour in that? If Wole Oke is truly as formidable as he likes to think, let him organize a political gathering at the headquarters of Ijesa North and see if anyone still takes him seriously. He should call a meeting of the Political Leaders in ORIADE/OBOKUN and see if anyone will listen to him or even show up.
The truth is simple: The only credibility Wole Oke brings to the table is money but truly, Wole Oke can not even spend the money to help people that should be helped. I will advise anyone who needs Wole Oke’s money to follow him up now if he truly can spend the money. This is the time to get the money from him. Some leaders deliberately talk to him because they claim they need to get their return on investment for 20 years.
In the just-concluded local government elections, he failed to impose his preferred candidate in OBOKUN, despite the candidate being competent and loved. Why? Because his association with Wole Oke was enough to turn people away.
He made a big show of donating money and a bus on social media to OBOKUN and ORIADE but when the election drew near, he declined, only to send a pitiful amount at the last minute, which was immediately returned to him in rejection. That was in OBOKUN, his local government. I want to send a message to Wole Oke, the miserable money was sent back.
My advice to Wole Oke: Wake up. Humble yourself. Adjust. Reunite properly with PDP stakeholders before you find yourself politically homeless. The party is gradually moving on.”
As expected, the political crisis between Oke and Olajengbesi has already created division within the hierarchy of the party. While some see Olajengbesi’s ambition as a welcome development, others believe it’s an afront to his political leader in the zone. Those in support of Olajengbesi feel that Wole Oke has served for too long, having been on the seat for more 20 years. They believe the zone deserves some fresh breath, and to them, Olajengbesi, judging by his antecedents, experience and achievements as a seasoned legal practitioner, is more than suitable for the job. They see no reason for comparison between the two when it comes to capacity building and poverty alleviation within and beyond the constituency. The believe is that Olajengbesi achieved whatever success he may have recorded in the area of humanitarian services as a private citizen, not as a politician.
Meanwhile, those at the side of Wole Oke have insisted that his political experience and sagacity are still much needed for the zone to maintain the winning That, to them, is aside his many achievements and the development he has brought to the constituency in the past years. Their argument is that if Oke had not impacted the constituency positive he wouldn’t have been on seat for over 20 years and still counting. Even to the extent of serving the same zone during the administrations of the opposition party.
But can Olajengbesi beat Wole Oke, who is a deeply rooted politician, to Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency ticket? Time will definitely tell.
-Dare Adeniran
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