The Politics of Self-Interest: Buhari’s Governorship Ambition: A Recipe for Division in Oke-Ogun

The stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo North Senatorial Zone rose from a meeting in Iseyin and made a case for themselves to produce the next governor of the state. The salesman for the campaign is Senator Abdul-Fatai Buhari.

The case is logical and convincing. After 18 years of democracy (by 2027), with Ibadan serving as governor for 24 years, including an unbroken 16 years (2011-2027), it is fair that other parts of the state are allowed to govern the state. However, a product is as good as its marketers.

The choice of Senator Abdul-Fatai Buhari as the salesman of the campaign will do more harm than good to the campaign.

What is wrong with Ibadan continuing to produce the governor even after 24 years? It is because it symbolizes the domination of other parts of the state by Ibadan.

What does Fatai Buhari symbolize in the politics of Oyo North? It is the domination of Oke Ogun by just one man. By 2027, Senator Buhari would have been Senator for 12 unbroken years. He was a special adviser and commissioner under Ajimobi from 2011 to 2015.

He was in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. By 2027, he would have spent 24 years in public office out of 28 years of the present democracy.

How many politicians in Ibadan who are accused of political domination of Oyo State would have lived on public funds for 24 out of 28 years by 2027?

With three local governments in Ogbomosho, he would have dominated the 10 local governments of Oke Ogun for 12 unbroken years as senator (2015-2027).

Buhari has done worse to Oke Ogun than what he is accusing Ibadan of doing to other parts of Oyo State.

If there is a need for power rotation, it should start from the office of the Oyo North Senatorial post and not elsewhere. What is amusing is how the politicians in Oke Ogun are parroting Buhari’s new song.

In the last two elections in 2019 and 2023, Buhari started out by claiming to be interested in the governorship ticket of APC, only to turn around in the 11th hour to claim the senatorial ticket through the backdoor.

The strategy is simple: goad unsuspecting Oke Ogun politicians to clamor for the governorship ticket while he secretly works for the senatorial ticket in the background. If Oke Ogun falls for this for a third term, it will be a classic case of political deceit.

As for the clamor against Ibadan, nobody in Ibadan is against other parts of the state producing the governor.

But it is ironic that people who have 10 local governments and allow the domination of three local governments (nay, one man) are complaining about the domination of 11 local governments over 10 local governments.

I think the first thing to do is to emancipate themselves from the minority domination of three local governments before challenging the majority domination of 11 local governments.