Recent events in the Nigerian socio-political space are all indicative of the on-going calculations and permutations at federal and regional levels for pre-eminence and control of authoritative power at the centre and in the states in 2023.
Another unhidden truth about goings-on, particularly in the political arena, and, amongst States politicians is that though the period of the next electioneering campaigns vis-à-vis general elections is still a few months away, alignments and realignments have begun in calculative gang-ups for which particular local government will produce next member of House of Representatives in their various Federal constituencies.
Putting Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Federal constituency in focus, it is an open secret that all the talks and moves about which local government should produce the next house of Representative is still about Ifelodun Local government and Boripe Local government , which have literally monopolised political leadership of IBO federal constituency since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria in 1999.
Undoubtedly, this is where the whole affair of who becomes the member of House of Representatives of our federal constituency at the expiration of Rasheed Afolabi’s term in 2023, becomes imperatively interesting and thought-provoking, especially, for Odo-Otin Local government.
It is stating the obvious that Odo-Otin local government has been playing the third fiddle in the political affairs and configuration of Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Federal constituency in the current democratic dispensation in our country.
This uncomplimentary historical development, which, of course, dates back to the 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic government, Boripe local Government had enjoyed this post for 14 unbroken years and 8 years under Progressives party while Ifelodun will complete their 8 years come 2023 left Odo-Otin to had enjoyed this post for two years of late Ranti Alabi, now there’s encumbering group albatross which Odo-Otin Local government may no longer accept according to feelers from the State.
In a recent group discussion at a function in Iragbiji, which was amplified on some social media platforms, some top citizens of Boripe Local government expressed their belief that the political leadership of their federal constituency cannot continue to be exclusive preserve of the Odo-Otin local government. The reasons for this position are compelling and deductively evident.
Left to me, Ifelodun Local Government must not continue in 2023 and Governor Adegboyega Oyetola should look critically into why Odo-Otin Local government cannot continue to be the slave-partner in our federal constituency because the Nigerian Constitution, particularly the 1999 Constitution, is unambiguously and explicitly against inequality in running the affairs of our country. In effect, this Constitution conspicuously provides that there should be equality, social and political justice for all Nigerians.
In particular, Section 17, subsection 1 of Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria states: “The State social order is founded on ideals of Freedom,Equality and Justice”; and therefore, Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Federal constituency where the performing governor came from as a prime part of the State of the virtue, cannot and should not be an exception in this regard.
The implicit question in the quoted portion of our Constitution is apparent and the poser is: Where are the “ideals of Freedom, Equality and Justice” in IBO federal constituency? This question becomes quite pertinent in a situation whereby two out of the three Local government in a federal constituency evidently created for socio-economic balance and political equity, seem to believe and scheme in perpetuity, to be the ‘ men on the horseback’, while Odo-Otin Local government remains on its kneels as an on-looker in the political aggregation and power-sharing in the federal constituency.
Considering the foregoing scenario, which is akin to what obtains in some State for which political pundits have predicted possible protest vote against the candidate of the ruling party later in the year, one may not be off the course of civility to admonish current political leadership and powers-that-be across the IBO federal constituency to begin to eschew all actions and decisions that can resurrect ghosts of internal crisis in Mr. Governor’s federal constituency.
The argument here as Progressives is that “Should we continue with the 8years of Ifelodun, or Boripe should continue from their 14 years or to forget Odo-Otin Local government?”
Conclusively, to the current ‘powerful’ leaders in our federal constituency, particularly the ‘political juggernauts, men of timber and caterpillar’, there is wisdom in not being too comfortable and complacent in the injustice and gross inequality that monopoly of political power and leadership of our Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin federal constituency constitutes.
While one’s prayer and aspiration is that our federal constituency should continue to enjoy peace and massive socio-economic development, political fate-deciders of the Federal Constituency most importantly Mr. Governor should be guided by history and principles of equity, justice and fairness which are a bedrock of enduring democracies all over the world.
The counsel here is that all political leaders concerned with what the shape or shapes of things would be in Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin Federal in 2023, should make the recoil, go back to their drawing-boards and patriotically consider and make sure that Odo-Otin Local government, which is yet to produce member of House of Representatives in Progressives era since 1999, should take a shot at the House of Representatives position and produce the House of Representatives in 2023.
For indeed, and, as Aristotle immortally established: “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal”.
