Oyo APC Jamboree: Power Dynamics and Cognitive Dissonance | Isiaka Kehinde

The Oyo APC jamboree was a spectacle of power dynamics steeped in cognitive dissonance.

Leaders danced and sang together in what appeared to be camaraderie, yet the unity was clearly forced.

Beneath their cosmetic smiles lay deception, boldly concealing unintended consequences.

The Italians call it “Fatuus Smile”: a hollow expression masking inner contradiction.

The APC gathering in Ogbomoso paraded a counterfeit image of unity.

Clad in uniform political regalia, they projected solidarity while their minds wandered in conflicting directions.

The scene recalls Shakespeare’s Macbeth, where Donalbain exposes the unsettling truth, that treachery often hides behind friendly smiles. Indeed, there is a dagger in men’s smiles.

What unfolded before us was not reconciliation, but an adversarial reunion of old political frenemies.
Occupying the podium were the same self-glorified political warlords, figures who, despite years of dominance, have little tangible achievement to their credit.

Their speeches echoed grievances rather than solutions, revealing the accumulated neglect inflicted by Abuja-graded politicians who serve themselves alone.

They govern from empty vessels, as Eleanor Brown would aptly describe.

The audience watched with visible disgust, bracing themselves for the familiar, worn-out rhetoric—the politics of “O jagba gbà ti lọ́wọ́ ẹni kan”, forceful power snatching from its rightful owner.

They shouted loudly in support of PBAT’s second-term re-election, yet remained conspicuously silent on who would actually lead the inevitable war of attrition within the state.

As these aging warlords boasted of their supposed electoral prowess, the people watched them with unspoken emotions, aware that these men had squandered their chances.

Now, a new generation believes it is their turn. Their flyers, placards, and billboards already speak volumes.

Side by side sat two familiar political figures, men who have repeatedly failed in their quests for the governorship, yet still cling to the illusion of entitlement. Like the biblical twins Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac and Rebekah, they embody rivalry and contradiction.

Each covets Agodi House as though it were a family heirloom. They grip each other at the jugular in private, yet exchange smiles like satisfied schoolboys in public.

Their propaganda machines are well-oiled, primed to launch fresh attacks on GSM in a desperate attempt to manipulate public perception.

But perception is not so easily rewritten. Jamboree noise may electrify the moment, but it cannot permanently alter reality.

Time, as always, will be the ultimate judge.
Isiaka Kehinde
I think, therefore, I am.