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| Rotimi Akeredolu |
The keenly contested All
Progressives Congress primary election in Ondo State has left both the
inexperienced and experienced political players with life lessons to take home.
This corroborates the view
that life is a teacher; the more we live, the more we learn. In fact, learning
only stops when one dies.
50 party chieftains
reportedly signified interest in the governorship position in the oil rich
state. 25 summoned courage to buy the nomination form; 1 aspirant opted out
during the screening process and 4 others finally stepped down in alliance with
the politician that had the 'Olive oil' on his head - Olusegun Abraham. This
left 20 political juggernauts jostling for the number one position of the
Sunshine State under an opposition party. What a tight competition!
Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu
(Aketi) emerged as the flag-bearer of the party with a slim victory of 34 votes
after garnering 669 votes in the Saturday, 3rd of September electoral exercise.
Chief Olusegun Abraham, the rumoured anointed candidate of the 'Jagaban of
Nigerian politics' - Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu finished behind Aketi with 635
votes. Another major contender, Chief Olusola Oke, a decampee from the People's
Democratic Party scored 576 votes and Senator Ajayi Boroffice came fourth with
471 votes. Other aspirants shared residual figures.
Aketi, the white-bearded
legal luminary enjoyed unprecedented support from the party even in the face of
the crisis of imposition and the selling of votes by some delegates which
reportedly almost marred the credibility of the electoral process as votes were
sold for N100, 000 to N500, 000 according to media reports.
Aketi's emergence is far from
sheer luck or mere coincidence as some random social media commenters have
myopically asserted. His success was a product of concerted efforts and
painstakingly mapped out strategies with selfless sacrifices.
Aketi woke up to the
realization of his position as a 'man of the people' overnight, a force of
change with the prowess to alter the status quo. Aketi learned hard lessons
from his abysmal performance at the gubernatorial race under the banner of the
defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in the year 2013.
Aketi was bad-mouthed and taunted
about being a product of imposition in 2012. He was accused of being more
attached to Ibadan, Oyo State by detractors. His traducers also alleged that
the Senior Advocate of Nigeria isn't politically grounded to join the race of
the Alagbaka Government House. A prominent politician in his party once called
him a 'stranger' in the system who was introduced by powerful hands. Aketi was
accused of abandoning the party after the poor outcome of the 2013
gubernatorial election. They mocked him about losing his ward in Owo to
Governor Olusegun Mimiko during the election.
But one thing stands in life;
there is nobody that is immune to failure. There is no individual that hasn't
fallen in his life while pursuing one engagement or the other. The most important
feature of winners is their ability to utilize judiciously their past mistakes
and experience in tackling future challenges for the purpose of achieving
breakthrough. Aketi picked himself up after falling. He looked back at the
stone that tripped his movement and resorted to threading that path
punctiliously for a second time.
As Aketi said in an
interview, he never left Ondo State after the gubernatorial election loss. He
oversaw the merger of the party (ACN) with the Congress for Progressive Change
and others. Aketi tended to the wounds of his people in the last 3 years and
listened to their grievances more.
Aketi conscientiously toured
all the 18 Local Government Areas in Ondo not for campaign purposes but to sit
with the people's representatives and understand their predicaments. He spoke
their languages with them and introduced his gospel of hope to the despondent
after the 8 years of misrule by Governor Olusegun Mimiko that has seen the
civil servants in the state being reduced to beggars that desperately scramble
for rice in public places just to eat and feed their families due to the
non-payment of salaries overtime.
Aketi sweated and toiled
under the sun and in the rain appealing to the conscience of men, women and
even children at the grassroots. Other major aspirants within the APC stuck to
the old order of politics. They ignored the people and pursued 'godfathers' in
the quest for 'powerful endorsements' which has in the past militated against
the performances of promising leaders with proven integrity.
Some others relied on money
as they placed price tags on delegates which they effectively met. For example,
one of the gubernatorial aspirants, Jamiu Afolabi Ekungba reportedly admitted
in public during an outburst that he spent over N300 million to secure
delegates who ended up betraying him at the polls.
Some others lived on the
rumours of imposition and intra-party crisis to gain political relevance.
Even when the Ondo APC party
chairman, Isaac Kekemeke was thrown out of office, gates of the party
secretariat in Akure locked, laced with protestation posters and dramatically
transformed into an 'Okija shrine' as part of the intrigues of the heat of the
approaching primary election which was postponed multiple times, Aketi was
calm.
Aketi issued a press
statement calling for peace amidst the crises associated with positions of
power. He was more concerned about the free and fair conduct of the primary
election, the safety of aspirants, delegates and other party members.
The former President of the
Nigerian Bar Association was more bothered about he reputation of the party as
'positive change agents' and also setting a good legacy for the younger
generation which most politicians have failed to do by using them selfishly to
orchestrate electoral violence.
Insiders in Ondo State were
predicting a landslide victory at the primary for Aketi prior to the poll
before 'tragedy' struck. Strong rumours also reported in the newspapers have it
that some aspirants invoked a 'money rain'. Aketi allegedly lost about half of
his delegates to the influence of money. They were bought; the current economic
recession exposed the delegates and made the work of unscrupulous politicians
easier. But Nigerians have always proven that we are not totally corrupt
people. Some delegates even in the face of hunger and unlimited cogent needs
stood their grounds with a strong focus on the future; hence, the slim but
significant victory of the Owo native.
Based on subjectivity, one
could say Aketi who is being regarded as the biblical David that fell Goliath
(a coalition of Tinubu, Ondo APC party Chairman - Isaac Kekemeke and other
party executives who rooted for Olusegun Abraham) was highly favoured by
Providence as events played out in his favour.
Furthermore, what worked for Akeredolu again was that the votes from the four local government areas of Akoko were divided between Boroffice and Abraham. Had the people of Akoko spoken in one voice, Akeredolu's victory would have been the opposite.
Unconfirmed reports also have it that Akeredolu who raked immense support from Owo and Ose delegates enjoyed significant backing from the Presidency as some party bigwigs were bent on clipping the wings of Tinubu in the South-west ahead of the 2019 general elections.
One day, it is hoped that the
rejuvenated and highly optimistic Aketi with the legendary American boxer,
Muhammed Ali's style of bragging will tell his story and inspire youths who are
struggling to recover from the scars of the past. At times, it is imperative to
lose today so as to win big in the future which I believe defines Aketi's
political journey thus far.
A lot has changed in the last
four years. There is a difference between the Aketi of the year 2012 and the
current Aketi of 2016.
It is hoped that the party's
gubernatorial aspirants are not treated as losers because they were never
losers. They never lost. APC won. It is expected that they bury the hatchet,
sheathe their swords and join hands with Aketi to uproot the remains of Mimiko
in Ondo State by beating the People's Democratic candidate, Eyitayo Jegede
(Mimiko's stooge) in the forthcoming November 26 governorship election in the
State.
Think Anew! Think Aketi!! God
bless Ondo State.
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