I declared six years ago that ‘Seyi Makinde could be a surprise president of Nigeria. He is of the right age and has made fabulous impact in Agodi.
The list of unimaginable things he accomplished in a few months as governor was clear testimony to his capacity and integrity. Every elected public servant in Nigeria has responsibility to two distinct constituencies. The first are the people who stake hope and happiness on his many campaign promises. The latter are the army of political jobbers whose lives are sustained by patronage and appointments.
It has always been a choice between the two major pillars. One is a pillar of cloud while the other is a pillar of smoke. Each could mean nothing or everything. The critical source and nexus for four years is power.
Ordinarily none of the two parties get sated as the Third Force which is the personnel of governance himself usually has his own greedy ambitions far in excess of what the people and politicians want.
Makinde came to power in May 2019 through an election that spawned some strife. There was a coalition with deep rooted organisations from other groups apart from Makinde’s Omi Tuntun. Power brokers from far and wide sided with ‘Seyi.
Political jobbers immediately commenced a struggle for visibility and sustenance usually attained at the expense of the down trodden.
‘Seyi did not play ball.
Many who felt entitled to patronage were disappointed. All hell broke loose with poorly sustained allegations of betrayal, desertion of concord and greed spawning the landscape. A splinter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) showed up almost instantly.
It became obvious by ‘Seyi’s giant strides that only one of the two contenders could be satisfied. ‘Seyi Makinde picked the masses and changed the template of power.
I have no doubt that ‘Seyi Makinde carries the unction to serve at the expense of the greedy ruling elite, if need be. To the ears of the needy, the grumble of the despondent political class is sweet music. It goes far deeper than rock or soul.
Many will like to see these political jobbers go hungry, if it will provide infrastructure and security.
That is the sad verdict.
‘Seyi’s ‘ingratitude’ is not new. He had been a man of himself from the blast of the whistle. Mama Abigail Omojolagbe Makinde, warned us all that ‘Seyi has a mind of his own which he would pursue with tenacity. May God rest her in bliss.
If ‘Seyi wants to be president, an ambition to which I wholly subscribe, what then happens to Jagaban, a champion of minimum accountability and subterfuge?
‘Seyi himself played an active role in electing Tinubu in 2023. To show who was in charge, all the constituencies who returned the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Presidential and National Assembly polling, turned around and voted PDP at the state elections.
That is the power of ‘Seyi Makinde.
It should give cause for concern if this same fellow wants to vie for the presidency. Oyo is a core Yoruba state with disturbing political reputation from antiquity. It is the largest by land mass and the second largest by population. That makes electoral maximisation a nightmare on Tinubu’s chess board.
Naturally Makinde became a target for blackmail and sundry manipulations.
It was embarrassing to see [former] Governor Ayo Fayose [of Ekiti State] present pitiable proof of ‘Seyi’s dishonesty over the ₦50 billion he allegedly got for the Bodija Ibadan explosion tragedy. Well, the money is actually ₦30 billion. It is intact with the bank account quoted. The Federal Government did not pay the balance because ‘Seyi refused to pay bribes.
Those who had showed significant interest in Makinde’s rectitude, suddenly ignored the other bit. The allegation that people wanted bribes to release funds meant for unfortunate people in the APC government didn’t matter to them.
‘Seyi was the target. Such an embarrassment.
My word for the governor is to deploy himself appropriately and improve the credibility of his ambition. These guys will not stop. Their interest is not in probity or rectitude. When the card of dishonesty falters, they will scrounge up matters like how reliable he is as a partner in criminal misappropriation of public funds.
•Ogunwusi, a legal practitioner, is a former Editor of the Nigerian Tribune.
