Why we shunned entourage – Babaloja
By Mumini AbdulKareem
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Oshinbajo was reportedly booed on Friday during an unscheduled visit to the town.
The incident was said to have occurred at the popular Owode Market around 5:00pm when she visited the facility to campaign for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and speak with the market women on one of the Federal Government’s social intervention schemes tagged Trader Moni.
The Vice President’s wife is related to Offa through the former Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan and Professor of Medicine, Kayode Oyediran who married one of the daughters of late Obafemi Awolowo.
The incident was circulated on many social media and online platforms which have no link with National Pilot newspaper and its website on Friday.
A similar incident reportedly played out during the visit of the Vice President, Yemi Oshinbajo when he visited Ipata market in Ilorin recently.
It was gathered that some of the traders booed the wife of the Vice-President when some of the few supporters that came with her were making anti-PDP comments which angered some members and apologists of the party who are traders in the market.
The lawmaker representing Balogun/Ojomu state constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly and only APC member in the legislature, Hon Saheed Popoola was said to be on the entourage of Mrs Oshinbajo.
A leader of the PDP in Offa and House Leader in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Hassan Oyeleke said he was not in Offa when the incident happened but he only heard about it. He added that he had to make further findings to make any comment on the matter.
But a source in Offa who confided in our reporter said the wife of the Vice President left a lot of lapses that warranted the ‘embarrassing situation’ at the market.
The source added that there was no prior arrangement with the leaders of the market before she visited the facility to campaign with the Trader Moni and the people were still savouring the huge success of the visit of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki to the community recently.
“This is somebody that did not deem it fit to visit the town throughout the first tenure of the APC and has not rendered any help to the community. In the past four years, she was nowhere to be found until less than three weeks to the election when she surprisingly surfaced at the market.
“Moreover, we learnt she came to Offa without even informing our royal father, the Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbademosi, Esuwoye II and the leadership of the market.
“Is it now that they know they are related to Offa when election is around the corner? How many people has she employed and what assistance has she rendered to the community all these while,” the source added.
In a telephone chat with our reporter, yesterday, the Babaloja of Offa, Alhaji Mashood Agbe said the VP’s wife and her entourage were not able to gather the people in the market for any formal address adding that his leadership was not notified about the visit.
“There was no place they gathered the people for any address and since they said we were not important, we have to distance ourselves from the visit.
“There was no body among the market executives that hosted her. Before she can address the market people, the Babaloja and Iyaloja will host her and we will then ask her the purpose of the visit or what she wants to tell the people. We would ask her when Owode market was gutted by fire was she not aware or she wants to buy us for votes.
“We only recognise those who recognised us and we don’t know anybody who does not identify with us,” he added.
But APC lawmaker, Saheed Popoola who confirmed he was part of the entourage, denied that Mrs Oshinbajo was booed when she visited the market.
Popoola in a telephone chat told this medium that “I was there on (Friday) as part of the entourage. It was a rousing welcome for the wife of the Vice President and a lot of people were following her.
“Don’t mind what the other people are saying. We will know the truth before the election which is less than two weeks away”.
On why the Palace of the Olofa was not carried along on the visit, Popoola said, “It is not about the Oba or anybody, she came to see the market women and they welcome her very well. That is just the mission”.
