Olaniyan Removal: Unbundling The Vestige Of Makinde’s Administration By Afeez Soliu.
During the build-up to the last general election in 2019, I was at the Kaduna Nzeogwu Building at the University of Ilorin after the Senate Council sitting with some Union officials and colleagues. As a Union official myself, I was most often found around the building as it serves as the secretariat for all elected and appointed union officials.
As student leaders we were familiar with the happenings in the political space/party politics in our different communities and we, most often than not, have political leanings. I could remember some colleagues of mine asked who was my preferred candidate for the Gubernatorial election in my State-Oyo. My response was very direct and clear: ‘I am rooting for Makinde’ and they were all shocked knowing full well that I was (and still is) a promoter of a Progressive Nigeria. The rationale behind this decision and the subsequent emergence of Makinde Administration is not a subject of this discourse.
At the early hours of Monday 19th of July 2022, the Oyo Assembly purportedly acting on the report of the constitutionally required 7-Man panel set up by the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, removed the Deputy Governor, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan, from office.
The said panel report was read by Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, the lawmaker recently stoned by his Ogbomoso constituent members for underperformance.
The said allegation against the Deputy Governor (save for stating that the Deputy Governor is accused of financial recklessness) and the recommendation of the 7-Man panel remain unclear as it was not made public for ordinary Nigerians to see. Even novice in the political space knows that allegation of financial impropriety leveled against the Deputy Governor is nothing more other than a political bait to remove him from office upon his defection to the opposition party All Progressives Congress, in the State.
For the Nigeria political space, most Governor without exception to Governor Seyi Makinde, most often want a stooge who only do the biddings of Governor, a tool to be used as an errand man for unpleasant work of the government. For the record, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan is an ambitious man and a politically pragmatic person. He is no less a saint but far from being a stooge of Governor Seyi Makinde.
The clash of political traits between the two led the Governor to make him politically irrelevant and render him useless among his peers in the State especially from his homestead Oke-Ogun zone. The singular action of Mr Governor, may led to the party crumbling under his leadership and subsequently lead to his administration’s disappearance from the Agodi House, barring last minute reconciliation in his party.
This is a vestige of his administration’s presence in the State. What is more, Makinde administration has enjoyed the ancient legal fiction expressed in the maxim – Rex non potest peccare – (The King can do no wrong) by spending heavily on the media PR. Thus King Maneleus of Sparta was able to say –
“when a King takes spoils, he robs no one; when a King kills, he commits no murder; he only fulfills justice.”
The position has, since changed even in England where it emanated from.
The idea of reducing Oke-Ogun people to second class citizen by successive administrations in Oyo State is appalling.
Since the inception of democracy in 1999, and save for the era of the late Alao-Akala (as a deputy then Governor), Oke-Ogun indigenes have been selected (you may wish to call it elected) as Deputy Governor of the State. What is more, after their tenure as deputy Governor, they disappear into political oblivion without traces. Too bad! Even where one is impeached, he will be replaced by his kinsman.
It’s instructive to note that the only benefit Oke-Ogun people have derived so far is the blaring of siren announcing the arrival of the Deputy Governor who cannot facilitate any significant project to his local government in a State where he is the number 2 (Two) citizen.
As true Oke-Ogun sons and daughters, history will never absolve us if we fail to speak up and take step towards unbundling this administration from office. With our population and voting strength, we reserve the right to vote out successive administration until it gets to our turn. And just like we did for the last administration when we voted them out of office in the State for not taking Oke-Ogun people seriously, we can repeat same in this coming election. We must unbundle the vestige of a discriminatory Makinde’s Administration.
Afeez Soliu is an indigene of Oke-Ogun and a legal practitioner. He writes from Lagos.
