Whoever advised Senator Ademola Adeleke
to be a no-show at last night's Debates organized by Channels Television for a few of the contestants for the Osun State Gubernatorial Elections due for next Saturday 22nd September, 2018, must have done him a huge disservice. If he made the decision singlehandedly, then it is unfortunate. Not necessarily because debates matter in Nigeria, or that they've really decided the outcomes of elections here. To the contrary, current President Muhammadu Buhari won in 2015 without attending any debate, same as Governor- Elect Kayode Fayemi for Ekiti just last month. So he does have precedence to point to in deciding not to attend the debate session, however his perception by a section of the electorate will be that of someone who gives no hoot about the electorate, is arrogant, camera shy (which considering that he's never shy to show his twerking skills
even when the opportunity isn't there) or lacks eloquence or speaking skills (even though that's not a requisite for delivering on good governance and/or dividends of democracy).
Present for last night's debate for the African Democratic Congress, ADC was Alhaji Fatai Akinade, the All Progressives Congress, APC's Adegboyega Oyetola, Action Democratic Party, ADP's Moshood Adeoti and Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party, SDP,
and they gave a fair account of themselves. As usual, Oyetola defended the incumbent government's line, while the others had differing opinions, as expected. Another minus for the PDP candidate was the issue of the news that went viral online to the effect that the bank accounts of members of the Adeleke Family had been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which he didn't debunk (with the popular singer, Davido, nephew to the senator who had been organising shows alongside his uncle to promote his candidacy, retweeting the fake news when it broke) till it was found to be a false and the EFCC vindicated.
If Senator Adeleke's supporters overlook this as well, there's still that Sword of Damocles, in the name of his WAEC certificate dangling over his head, such that even if he wins the elections, he might still get booted out of office should the courts fail to rule in his favour concerning the secondary school leaving certificate he presented, adjudged by his detractors to be fake. Sadly, in presenting that certificate, he overreached himself and was too clever by half, seeing as all he needed to do, as required by law, was prove that he attempted the school leaving certificate examinations, regardless of the grade.
Something that may work in his favour, may be the anger of Osun State people, over the comments APC's national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made before the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun in Osogbo, to the effect that Osun State
hadn't the kind of money he's looking for, that in sending his son, their own Oyetola from Lagos, he was doing them a favour. They may just see this election cycle as an opportunity to rid themselves of Tinubu's influence from Lagos over their life in Osun. Senator Adeleke will then become the popular choice, especially if the sore from the injury dealt the Osun people, as regards the assassination of former attorney general, Chief Bola Ige continues to fester, with the link to SDP's Senator Iyiola Omisore, despite court rulings in his favour, refusing to disappear.
Senator Adeleke's meteoric rise politically, in such a short time, following the demise of his elder brother, whose seat he took over in the Senate, was earned not really because he deserved it, rather because the people voted for him in memory of his late brother, against the imposition of an unpopular candidate by the governor, which led to the shifting of support from the ruling party to the PDP which he decamped to. The fact that the same scenario has played out again in the APC (with order coming from above in Lagos) with those that lost out finding shelter in other parties, further boosts Adeleke's chances, especially if he can match the financial muscle of those backing Adetola, if the fight eventually comes to who can outspend the other in the new game of vote buying, should the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the security agencies entrusted with the responsibility to discourage that, look the other way.
'kovich
PICTURE CREDIT:
- https://www.nan.ng
- https://www.pulse.ng
Present for last night's debate for the African Democratic Congress, ADC was Alhaji Fatai Akinade, the All Progressives Congress, APC's Adegboyega Oyetola, Action Democratic Party, ADP's Moshood Adeoti and Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party, SDP,
If Senator Adeleke's supporters overlook this as well, there's still that Sword of Damocles, in the name of his WAEC certificate dangling over his head, such that even if he wins the elections, he might still get booted out of office should the courts fail to rule in his favour concerning the secondary school leaving certificate he presented, adjudged by his detractors to be fake. Sadly, in presenting that certificate, he overreached himself and was too clever by half, seeing as all he needed to do, as required by law, was prove that he attempted the school leaving certificate examinations, regardless of the grade.
Something that may work in his favour, may be the anger of Osun State people, over the comments APC's national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made before the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun in Osogbo, to the effect that Osun State
Senator Adeleke's meteoric rise politically, in such a short time, following the demise of his elder brother, whose seat he took over in the Senate, was earned not really because he deserved it, rather because the people voted for him in memory of his late brother, against the imposition of an unpopular candidate by the governor, which led to the shifting of support from the ruling party to the PDP which he decamped to. The fact that the same scenario has played out again in the APC (with order coming from above in Lagos) with those that lost out finding shelter in other parties, further boosts Adeleke's chances, especially if he can match the financial muscle of those backing Adetola, if the fight eventually comes to who can outspend the other in the new game of vote buying, should the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the security agencies entrusted with the responsibility to discourage that, look the other way.
'kovich
PICTURE CREDIT:
- https://www.nan.ng
- https://www.pulse.ng
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