2018 Guber: Osun West Draws Battle Line 

Political activities ahead of the 2018 Gubernatorial election in the State of Osun are not only gathering momentum, but they are becoming interesting by the day. 

In less than one week, no fewer than three candidates from Osun West Senatorial District have come out to indicate interest to contest on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC) with the ambition of succeeding the incumbent Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola.

The first on the list was Alhaji Moshood Adeoti Olalekan, who is the current Secretary to the State Government. He is popularly called Shehu by his followers. He was the former state chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He is said to command respect and followers across all divides in the APC in the state. He is from Iwo local government.

Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Adetunji Tajudeen Ajagbe, who represented Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency has also indicated surprised interest that has caught political pundits in the state unaware. He was former Legal Adviser of Alliance For Democracy (AD) in Osun. P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Hon Ajagbe’s political influence in the State of Osun is a strong factor that will count for him in the race for the Governor.

The Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Hon. Nojeem Salam, a two time speaker from Ejigbo state constituency has also joined the race.

P.M.EXPRESS can report authoritatively that the issue of the governorship election has even gone beyond party affiliation as political heavyweights in Osun West Senatorial District have vowed to stop any imposition from the incumbent governor as report has it that Aregbesola is planning dumping the idea of backing his Chief of Staff, Mr Gboyega Oyetola for the post, as he is said to be thinking towards settling for Mr Bashiru Ajibola, the Commissioner for Justice, who is from Osogbo in Osun Central, while he is proposing Mr Mudasiru Toogun, Commissioner for Special Duties, who was his former Deputy Chief of Staff for the Deputy Governor ticket. Toogun comes from Iwo.

In the alternative, the Governor may pick Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, who is also from Iwo. The plan is to ensure he breaks the ranks of the politicians in Osun West, who were clamouring for the candidate coming from Iwo. The plan is also to undermine and checkmate the influence of Alhaji Adeoti who comes Iwo township.

However, the calculation might fail going by sources close to the current politics going on in the state. P.M.EXPRESS was told during the weekend that Mr Ajibola’s candidacy may not fly in Osogbo because he is not popular in the grassroots politics of the area and more importantly, the Governor and a strong leader in Osogbo politics, Alhaji Fatai Diekola, are currently at war. Diekola is a leader of APC In the State of Osun and former Chairman of Osogbo Local Government. Some of political and opinion leaders in Osogbo won’t go along with this idea as well. Ajibola is also seen as one of the Ajeles, who are Lagos based. Okanlawon is also seen as an Ajele too, while Toogun, though home based or aborigine (as the grassroots politicians are called in Osun), he has no strong political based to support the ambition.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that serious politicking is currently going on among politicians from Osun West are bent on having their way this time around. It was learnt that if situation gets worse  they may present a consensus candidate from the area.

“I can tell you that if Ogbeni wants to repeat the scenario that happened in the last senatorial bye election, we would do the unthinkable that will surprise political bookmakers in this country,” one of the leaders from the West told this newspaper on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue.

The heavyweights in the West are also reaching out to the people in Osun East and Central Senatorial Districts, who it was gathered are sympathetic with the position and agitation of their West counterparts. Former Governors of the state are also listening with interest to the clamouring from the West.

Worrisome to the people in the camp of the Governor was the outcome of the last senatorial bye election, which APC heavily lost.

“Osun West Senatorial District will play a vital role on who succeed Ogbeni. You can see what happened between Hussein versus Adeleke, how we united to shock APC. We will mobilise the ten local governments in the West to achieve this ambition. Nobody could believe that APC could lose in its strongholds. We want to tell them that the politics in Osun is different from Lagos politics. We will be waiting and battle ready, ” one of the politicians said.

Interestlingly, an aide of the Governor, Biyi Odunlade, Special Adviser on Youth, Sports & Special Needs. recently granted to an interview with an online blog, telling who cares to listen that there is no zoning in 2018 Gubernatorial election.