Beyond 2025: Will Political Leadership Ship Still Remain In Ilaje?
By Olusegun HOSEA. 6th January,2024
The handwriting for the struggle for the political seat of the governorship, in Ondo State beyond February, 2025 has gradually started as some of the political gladiators in the state, both home and abroad have started showing interest in the juicy position of the number one seat of the state. Going by the definition of the word permutations, which is according to Wikipedia “In mathematics, a permutation of a set is loosely speaking an arrangement of its members, into a sequence or linear order or if the set is already ordered, a rearrangement of its elements. The word ‘permutation’ also refers to the act or process of changing the linear order of an ordered set”. So many political parties have started changing strategies in order to clip the seat of the governor, in the coming 2025, by developing new political strategies to ensure that their plans come to reality. The current ruling party in the state are trying to see that their party maintains the position beyond 2025, while the opposition parties are trying to put their house in order, in order to unseat the incumbent Governor. The crack in the wall are being amended politically, before the primaries begins across the political parties in the state. But the question now is beyond the year 2025, will political leadership Ship still remain In Ilaje? Let the enigma remain in the cerebrum of our political leaders and analysis to solve, as the chronicles continue.
The Ilaje I know
Many things have happened in the past politically, when Ilaje prominent politicians were trying to take the mantle of political leadership of the number one position in the state but to no avail. Some factors worked against them and the chance slipped away from them to other regions. Based on this, those seventeen learners both executive governor and Military Administrators who have ruled this state have done their bit in terms of development in the region. The prominent among those leaders, werelate Olusegun Agagu, who gave the Ilaje people road. The Ilajes I know, will forever be grateful to this Ikale man, Navy Captain Anthony Ibe Onyeanrihbulem, also tried his best by commissioning the broad street in Igbokoda, in Ilaje Local government, While Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin would be remembered for his free legacy in the education sector, across the region and the state. It’s also worthy of mentioning the constructor of mega school, modern market, the former Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, for the development of the people in Ilaje. The immediate past government of late Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu -SAN CON, will also be remembered for the approval of the seaport, located in Araromi sea side, in Ilaje Local government, for the future development of the economy of the region and the entire state in general, of which our people would ever be grateful to his generation.The Region Development Was Inspired By The Outsiders.
Just before I continue, all the little physical infrastructure in the region today, if I may say, are being constructed by the government of Ondo State whose background was not from Ilaje, because no Ilaje man has ever risen to the level of Deputy Governor, let alone Governor, ever since the creation of the state in February 3rd, 1976, not until when the late Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu -SAN CON, in his magnanimous, appointed the then Deputy Governor, Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, after the latter had political issues with his former Deputy, Hon Agoola Ajayi. Before luck then smiled on Lucky again, by way of divine providence when Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu -SAN CON, passed on due to his iil health and he was sworn in as the 7th Executive Governor of the state on the 23rd, December, 2023 at the cocoa conference Hall, in Akure. According to an African proverb, if a child has not possessed enough financial muscle and the nightygrity about the circumstances surrounding the death of his father, he would never enquire about the death of his Father. Now that the political boat has finally landed on the shore of the Ilaje land, the expectation of the people of the region is that, there would be no excuse for failure, in terms of bringing essential development to the region, with the little time he(Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa) have in office, for the purpose of writing his name in gold in the history of the region, just like Former Minister, Ademola Adegoroye did for the people of his constituencies in less than a year in office.
Remember that for one to navigate the sailing water of the political economy of the state, one must be a fox in order to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves if you want to succeed in this few years in office just like Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince has said in his Penguin Classics book .Therefore, no time to waste in setting the Ball rolling politically for the people to see and appraise you or condemn at the end of the last day in office.
Beyond 2025: Will Political Leadership Ship Still Remain In Ilaje?
Now that the stage is set and the political gladiators across the nooks and crannies of the state are fully ready to dance to the lyrics of the political rhythm, by way of contesting for the hot seat of the governor. The people who came from the same region where the incumbent Governor came from, need to put their house in order if actually they want the political leadership Ship to still remain In Ilaje, beyond the said year. Otherwise, their political boat may capsize if wisdom, knowledge and political understanding is not applied and when this happens, the people may be forced to echo a term in economics called “Opportunity loss” , which in this case may take more years to regain and if at all it would be regained. To maintain this golden chance or opportunity, I think a lot of internal restructuring among the political leaders in that region, at the level of their party needs to be carried out, in order to retain power beyond 2025. There is need for them to sell a popular candidate to the people whose political aura could appease the generality of the people of Ondo State. A man that could deliver the dividend of Democracy to the people. The Ondo State needs a loving, kind and generous candidate that would lead them out of poverty not a man that would hold tight the commonwealth of the state for himself. The ones that possess all those attributes enumerated above are what the good people of Ondo State are yarning for. Therefore, Ilaje must Play their political card very well if actually they want to sustain the power beyond 2025.
Will the Federal Might Sustain Power For The State?
In politics, three things matters, I mean three things are germane if you want to scape through in the political journey in life. First is religion, your religion matters most in politics when it comes to power especially in Nigeria, as people are looking for who would defend their faith in government when issues relating to religion are to be discussed. That is why you hear Nigerians saying that their religion must be represented at the level of the government particularly at the Federal level. But here in our state, Ondo State the factors is not much pronounced as the state is dominated by one Religion. But this to me is not a major issue when it comes to the representation. What matters most is the achievements to the people that elected you.
Secondly, ethnicity is another factor that determines our political leaders in office most of the time. People want to cast their vote to their kinsmen, in respective of wether they would perform or not. In as much as the person is from their tribe, sentiment would set in immediately. A good politician who understands this parameter needs to play his games well, by developing his inter-personal relationship across all the ethnic people domicile in the state by seeking their favour because the vote of your brethren may not make you win the election in the modern electoral BVAS gadget.
Lastly, the Federal Might is another factor that could determine the winner of any candidate in political party in the state. The Ruling party at the Federal level would not like to loose any state that is being controlled by their party. To retain power in such state, they normally give their full support to whosoever appointed candidate their party chose. To achieve this factor, what they normally do is for them to pick a good and sellable candidate that would not be defeated by the opposition party. Therefore, whether the current APC government in Ondo State would continue beyond February, 2025 only time can tell.
Mr Olusegun Adeyemi HOSEA,
A Journalist, Public Relations Practitioner, Evaluator, Publicity Secretary, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria –APBN, Secretary Digital Media-DM Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists Ondo State and Publisher Exponent Magazine News-Online, writes from Akure, Nigeria.
