By Mumini Abdulkareem
The venue was Arca Santa Event hall along Ajase-Ipo road, Ilorin and the event was the gathering of some “dissent” members of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who were against the leadership of the party and the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
At the end of their version of the state congress, which has in attendance notable leaders of the group who are incidentally still serving one form of suspension or the other from the state leadership of the party, some arrowheads emerged as consensus officers saddled with the responsibility of leading the next phase of the group.
Since that exercise, which has been termed by the national leadership of the APC as an exercise in futility that has no bearing whatsoever on the authentic wing of the party in the state, tongues have been wagging among apologists of this gathering and enemies of Saraki dynasty that the Senate President’s grip on the Kwara political machinery is becoming slack with some of them alluding that the next year will be tough and a watershed for the Saraki dynasty.
Coming against the backdrop of comments from people like the Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai that the president may not need Saraki’s input to deliver Kwara, the “dissenters”, the bulk of whom owed their political rise largely to the benevolence of the Saraki leadership, have reportedly vowed to turn the table against their now former leader in the state come 2019, in a similitude of the popular cliché of biting the finger that once fed them. In doing this, they have flaunted the support of the President Muhammadu Buhari, who is incidentally trying to mend fences with the Saraki led National Assembly.
For many political observers, election in the state has not always been easy in that sense for the dynasty and this will not be different because it will still end same way of previous exercises.
But a trip down memory lane will show that both the late political icon and enigma of Kwara Politics, Late Olusola Saraki and the scion, Bukola, have both withstood and overcame more daunting political battles as well as challenges in the past, especially former governorship candidates who later emerged the state number one citizens to occupy the Ahmadu Bello residence with the assistance, support, goodwill and financial magnanimity of the Oloyes.
During the era of deceased governors Adamu Attah and Muhammed Alabi Lawal that were practically installed by the late Saraki, the failed attempts of especially the latter from Idi-Ape in Ilorin East to accentuate the Yoruba Obaship in an emirate environment was not only stiffly resisted but roundly defeated. Same scenario also dominated the narrative of former god-sons to the dynasty, most of who have incidentally benefitted from the political astuteness and sagacity of the Sarakis. The Dele Belgore narrative was also not left out of the political drama to pull down the established dynasty coming into the fray with another twist and drum but could not dance beyond the ‘market square’ that attracted some few claps all the same.
However, beaming the searchlight on the present political actors, who said they have broken away from the Saraki dynasty and gathered at the Arca Santa hall in the new political drama series unfolding in the state, the question is, do they really pose any threat to Saraki come 2019? And going by their “pedigree”, both collectively and individually, what impact can they make in the next year’s election? Can they and their collaborators whether within the Federal Government or presidency snatch the state from Saraki, which a sitting president with all his power of incumbency and federal might failed to achieve despite making desperate efforts?
While Saraki has himself acknowledged that such allusion is only a fantasy and exists for the feeble politically minded person, it would not be out of place to x-ray these opposing gladiators in the Kwara APC and whether they have the political sophistication and tenacity to defeat Saraki on the familiar and “traditional ground” come 2019? Do they really have any political magic wand to create a historical upset in the politics of Kwara state as the election ship navigates the home curve?
Lai Muhammed: Lai Muhammed is the Minister of Information and Culture from Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State and Oro ward II to be precise. The former governorship contestant on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Kwara where he woefully lost, is a Tinubu loyalist, who served as the Chief of Staff to the former Lagos state governor and political leader. He lived substantial part of his political and service life in the south west city. Until the merger of the nPDP with the APC that brought him into the same boat with Bukola Saraki, the Oro minister has always been in the opposition, a process which he has reportedly started now with the “congress” at the Arca Santa Event Hall. He is practically not on ground and has always been defeated by the Saraki dynasty even at his home/polling unit and was roundly humiliated by Saraki dynasty at the last ward and local government congress in his local government. Although he was not physically present at the event, reports from the media said the exercise was with his full blessing and support and by now he must have learnt the wide gulf between illusion of a ministerial appointment and election proper.
Moshood Mustapha: Moshood Mustapha is the former immigration boss from Alanamu in Ilorin West Local Government, who is regarded as one of the greatest beneficiaries of the Saraki political dynasty. He was “politically made” by Bukola Saraki and empowered with various portfolios that spanned close to two decades with far reaching connections in government circles, the same financial and opportunity he wants to deploy now in his attempt to oust his former leader from the political zenith in Kwara state. MM, as he is widely known in the political circle could not even single-handedly deliver his ward while he was still with Saraki. Also, all the Saraki loyalists that had hitherto been with him (MM) have deserted him after he refused to heed their call not to part with Saraki because of his failure to get the gubernatorial ticket. He is reportedly desperate and keen on his new assignment and was even at the party’s national secretariat recently with Senator Adamu working with the hope to hijack the party if the nPDP eventually leave. According to political analysts, it would be interesting to see what Mustapha will be bringing into the picture except for the current noise that had seen him sharing the spotlight with his brother, who may emerge the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state.
Basheer Bolarinwa: Basheer Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB) is from Agunjin in Ifelodun Local Government area of the state and has also been a Lagos based fair-weather politician who aspired for the 2011 governorship race with the likes of Senator Makanjuola Ajadi, Bio Ibrahim and Senator Gbemisola Saraki. His profile included being a two-time councillor, three-time Lagos Mainland council chairman and represented the constituency in the House of Representative, all in Lagos. He was also appointed into the board of the Federal Ministry of Health parastatals by President Muhammadu Buhari last December. After he failed the popularity test as a governorship aspirant, he was said to have disappeared from the scene again and relocated to Lagos only to resurface now as his faction’s “chairman”. According to a top politician in Ifelodun, who spoke on the issue, his emergence is even a slap on the face of the group if all they can produce is BOB, who was defeated in his polling unit and ward by the leader’s structure.
Raheem Adedoyin (Oloriewe): Some political analysts described Raheem Adedoyin’s romance with the group as expected considering his closeness to MM. He has since given the event a larger than life narrative for those that will buy such from him on various social media platforms. From Oro ward 1, the next door communal neighbour to Minister Lai Muhammed is only popular in his polling unit in Irepodun, which is not even up to a fraction of the entire local government voting population. Adedoyin had also benefitted several appointments through the Bukola Saraki’s gesture serving as former commissioner for Information, education and as special adviser.
Cook Olododo: From Ibagun ward in Ilorin East Local Government, AbdulGaniyu Cook Olododo is a former Chief of Staff in the state during the Bukola Saraki’s administration and had once served as chairman of the council. After these plum positions, the dissenting member, who is still under suspension by the leadership of the party in the state for anti-party activities at the last local government election, had benefitted from several contracts by the Senate President running into several millions of naira. He surfaced at the Arca Santa Event Hall gathering after the party (APC) refused to accept him when his suspension lapsed, for allegedly refusing to show remorse. Olododo allegedly in collaboration with some aggrieved youths in the area, worked to ensure the opposition had a councillor. Many of what the youth complained about have been addressed, including provision of road infrastructure and empowerment however, the narrative will be totally different this time around, especially with the likes of the invigorated members of the dynasty, who resides in the area. Olododo has benefitted richly from the Bukola Saraki dynasty despite his “limitations” and can hardly win another polling unit outside his ward without the support and strategy of his erstwhile political godfather, Bukola Saraki.
Williams Adeleye: The presence of Mr Williams Adeleye at the gathering of the “rebels” that Saturday cleared the tiniest shred of doubt that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammad has anything to do with the exercise. While the minister’s name was constantly mentioned at the event that he was being expected, Adeleye cemented his boss’ connection by appearing as his representative and one of the major players of that event. Except for being the Special Assistant to President Buhari on Culture and Tourism, the Business Administration graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has no voting value whatever in Kwara state and it has been a difficult riddle to crack for analyst on what kind of string the Ogbomoso indigene in Oyo state will pull against Saraki where his principal, who is from the state failed disastrously.
Saheed Popoola: He has been absent from the scene for quite a while due to the auto accident he had in Offa that affected his right leg and only recently granted an interview in one of the national dailies about certain perceived grievances. From Ojomu Central B in Offa, Saheed is a former chairman of the council and had been in opposition with the like of present House of Representatives member, Tope Olayonu and House Leader of the 8th Assembly, Hassan Oyeleke, among others. Following his new status as a dissent within the APC in the state, Saheed had left behind strong stakeholders, who rallied round him to win previous elections. Not only that, he seem to have left the structure which they all crossed over to, it would be interesting to see how he would survive Saraki’s tsunami. One of his kinsmen, who spoke on the issue in confidence, said the former ACN and PDP chieftain, who is presently embroiled in fraud allegation and EFCC harassment, cannot even solely win councillorship position now. He is now like a fish out of water and we are waiting for the next election if he will still be where he has crossed to now, to take him to the cleaners and put him where he belongs politically in Offa.
Yammah Abdullahi: Currently being touted as one of the Kwara North politicians from Edu Local Government who may also come in handy in the financial stability of the group apart from Moshood Mustapha expected funding. From Shonga, Yammah Shuaib Abdullahi contested the then PDP primaries that produced Bukola Saraki’s first tenure administration in the state. A renowned tractor merchant, who is said to be strong in his town but have not been able to replicate such in other parts of Kwara North, Yammah will be a non-issue when the Saraki political machinery that cuts across districts unleashed its arsenals on him.
