Ogun West Crowded Field of Senatorial Aspirants
Kayode Odunaro
The race for the seat of a Senator to represent Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun State in 2015 is assuming a feisty character. It is like no other in the democratic history of the district in terms of the issues and personalities that have so far thrown their hats into the ring. Hitherto, the race in general have been tepid in tempo with contenders emerging by virtual consensus or being drafted by some power brokers within and outside the district in the absence of willing, capable and qualified aspirants.
Over the years the district has been represented by Senator Ayo Otegbola, (Awori); Senator (Prof) Afolabi Olabimtan (Yewa); Senator Iyabo Anisulowo (Yewa); Chief Kunle Bajomo (Yewa) and the incumbent Senator Akin Odunsi (Awori). A point of note at this juncture is that none of them was returned for a second or third term as is also reflective of the situation in the two other senatorial districts of Central and East in Ogun State.
As things goes in Nigeria, all of them parade credentials and /or antecedents that is comparable to the best anywhere. But whether their credible resume translated to effective representation and development of the district in the Nigerian nation is a discourse for another occasion. At all events, the individual senators except one are alive and the jury is still out on the score of their effective representation.
For all practical purposes, the aspirants have three political parties from which to actualize their dreams, namely the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, the faction ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the new entrant into Ogun political milieu, Labour Party (LP).
One issue that may determine the fate of aspirants is the issue of zoning between the two major groups in the district namely the Yewas and the Aworis. Usually the position in an unwritten agreement rotates between the two groups from time to time and as noted earlier no senator had served more than a term in the political history of the district and indeed Ogun state.
That may well change. But old political habits die hard in these clime. Related to this is the issue of zoning of party offices with high political party position for one of the group leading to a concession of the senatorial seat to the other group.
In APC, four candidates including the incumbent, Senator Akin Odunsi, have through actions and body language indicated interest in flying the flag of their party for the position on February 14, 2015. The others are Hon. Adeola Olamilekan Solomon, the chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bolaji Oyeleye and Prince Gbolahan Dada. All of them are in varying degrees pushing themselves into the consciousness of the people.
But one of them Adeola, aka ‘Yayi’, seems not only to be causing sleepless nights for the others as evidenced in his being a common denominator in the race but among other aspirants from other parties who are ill at ease at the prospect of facing an experienced and willing legislator in the field of electoral contest.
Adeola, representing Alimosho Federal constituency, ostensibly a constituency bigger than Bayelsa and Yobe state in terms of population, is a legislator of over 13 years experience at both state and federal legislative houses and have chaired critical committees like Finance at the state legislature and now the Public Accounts Committee.
This committee under his watch has exposed many corrupt tendencies and is a toast of other committees in effective oversight function of the Green Chamber.
This Lagos state returnee is so formidable in reaching out to all sectors of the Ogun West District and beyond that the only argument of his opponents against him is that he is a returnee from Lagos as if he will be the first returnee from Lagos to relocate to his homeland for electoral contest.
Many including former governors have similarly followed the same route and in any case the argument fall flats in face of no constitutional hindrance prohibiting such move. Beyond his variegated public service in legislative practice, he also has a robust private sector experience working in the prestigious The Guardian newspaper in Lagos, before establishing a private practice in accounting.
The incumbent Senator is another aspirant to watch out for, considering he is the man of the moment in terms of attraction of constituency projects and the power of incumbency. What may count in his disfavour is the tradition of one term for Senators in Ogun State.
Also depending on where his party finally settle the zoning of the chairmanship position of his party which is zoned to the district, his return to the Red Chamber is at best uncertain whatever personal decision he makes to contest or not.
Another touted APC aspirant is Prince Dada Gbolahan from the same Awori group as the incumbent. A man with mostly private sector experience as former director of banks, he is generally known to be averse to politics and politicking as presently practiced in our clime. Some credible information has it that but for his reluctance he would have emerged as the Senator in 2011. Nothing much has changed since then except that some forces see him as a good material for the plum job.
Certainly his possible emergence as APC candidate may douse the raging enthusiasm in APC that is firing the race towards 2015 in the district with younger elements routing for a vibrant youth as senator for a change. In any case, his candidature may negatively affect the party against others fielding younger elements of the district.
Oyeleye is also another candidate of APC. No much is known about his previous political antecedent but he has been making waves and appearing in relevant circles for him to be taken into cognizance. But in a race to be contested by the incumbent and the likes of Yayi, his chances are at best slim.
So far, the two other political parties of LP and PDP have not thrown up many candidates for reasons that are too obvious. LP is relatively a new phenomenon in Ogun state while so far, PDP is still engrossed in the strangle hold of fratricidal factionalism. A new entrant into politic, Omoba Segun Adewale a.k.a OSA, has initially indicated interest for the position under LP and at some point was the sole financier and face of the party in the district.
But surprisingly a few weeks back, he decamped from the party to join the dominant faction of the PDP in the state. He may yet get the ticket of his faction. But it remains to be seen how his newness in politics and the problems of factions will propels his ambition to sit in the Red Chamber. At all events like Adeola, he is new and welcomed tendency in the political recruitment process in Ogun West District.
Moving forward the race for the Senate in Ogun West District is still in a state of flux with many variables that will shape the race undecided in terms of party schisms, candidates and geo-political play. But the race this time is qualitatively different from what it used to be with the entrance of Yayi and OSA. It will be determine, all other things considered, on ability to reach out to the relevant stakeholders, a grassroots structure, the person of the candidates and a deep purse as political campaigns now are huge financial adventure.
(Chief Kayode Odunaro, a former Special Adviser (Media) to House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, wrote from Ona Ola Quaters, Ilaro, Yewa South LGA, Ogun State.)
