Ajimobi and politics of shifting alliances
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State seems to have developed a penchant for striking deals with political opponents to ensure stability of his own government. At present, he has entered into an alliance with former Governor Christopher Alao-Akala in a bid to ensure firm control of the state House of Assembly. KEMI OLAITAN reports on his latest alliance.
When Governor Abiola Ajimobi penultimate Wednesday officially inaugurated the eighth Oyo State House of Assembly in the presence of important dignitaries that include his wife, Florence; deputy-governor, Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo; former governors; traditional rulers and party faithful, nothing suggested the kind of drama that those present would be made to watch during the election of principal officers of the house.
While two returning lawmakers, Michael Adeyemo representing Ibarapa East State Constituency and Olusegun Olaleye representing Ibadan North II State Constituency were the contenders for the Speakership of the 32-member House of Assembly, it was to go the way of Adeyemo, who had the full backing of the governor and the party leadership in the state. This was however after the opposition raised by Olaleye that the process of electing Adeyemo as Speaker was flawed as the list of those to be elected as officials of the House had been published by a daily newspaper before the day was ignored.
The confusion, which heralded the election of Adeyemo was to pale into insignificance compared to the situation during the election of the Minority Leader as, Muideen Olagunju Alatede representing Oyo East/ Oyo West) under the platform of the Accord moved against a motion to elect Joshua Olagunju Ojo (Labour Party, Oorire). Alatede said under normal circumstances, his party which has eight members as against Labour Party with six members was supposed to produce the Minority Leader. He was supported by his party men including Ademola Ige (Accord, Ibadan South East I), Adeniyi Adeoye (Accord, Ibadan North-East 2) and Olusegun Olaleye (APC, Ibadan North 2).
Olaleye, who was on top of his voice cited one of the house rules which support the opposition party with the highest number of lawmakers producing the Minority Leader, warning the Speaker not to start his regime with crisis while another Accord Party member also urged the Speaker and his colleagues to search their conscience, saying they know the truth but are only playing politics. However, their arguments did not sway the Speaker to their side as he literally ignored them.
While the lawmakers may be said to have exercised their independence in electing their principal officers, especially the Minority Leader, many political watchers in the pace setter sate believed that the hands of Governor Ajimobi cannot be ruled out in the whole scene.
Sunday Mirror learnt from reliable sources that shortly after his victory in the April 11 gubernatorial elections and the vehement rejection of the results by former Governor Ladoja, Senator Ajimobi got across to Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala for a kind of working relationship between the ruling party and the LP. Indeed, it was gathered that part of the agreement would be for Akala to nominate some people into the cabinet which, it was learnt, include one of his sons.
This action of Ajimobi should not come to many as surprise as it’s just the situation of 2011 replaying itself but in a new dimension. It will be recalled that when Senator Ajimobi was elected the governor of the state in 2011 under the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), many political watchers believed that his administration will run into problems given the fact that his party did not have two-third of the members in the state House of Assembly, with just 13 members.
But he was to display his political sagacity when despite the opposition of the leadership of his party, he went into an alliance with Senator Rasheed Ladoja and his party, Accord, such that the ruling ACN was able to produce the Speaker and Accord produced the Deputy Speaker despite its being the party with the least number of lawmakers in the House.
This action by Ajimobi was to change the prevailing circumstance at the inception of his administration in 2011 as the state House of Assembly was populated by the three parties with the ACN having 13 members, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 12 members and Accord Party, seven. In view of the fact that Accord as was then composed was more or less an extension of PDP, many believed that should he fail to move speedily to court the party through the alliance with Ladoja and both PDP and Accord should team up in the House, it would be pretty difficult for him to have a stress-free relationship with the lawmakers. In fact, the ruling party in the state (ACN) would have been turned to the opposition party with the two other parties producing the Speaker if they had wanted.
The alliance was not to be limited to the House of Assembly as Ajimobi appointed from Accord two Commissioners, two Chairmen of Local Government Councils, Special Advisers and about 40 members of Board of Parastatals. The alliance was not to last for more than a year before the Ajimobi-led administration became the subject of virulent attacks from not only the members of Accord but their leader as well. For instance, Ladoja on one occasion berated the administration of Ajimobi, describing him as lacking in capacity to govern the state. According to him, the inadequacy had become manifest as a result of the working alliance entered into with Accord Party.
Ladoja had said, “The working relationship with ACN government in the state has exposed its shortcomings on how to run government. The decision of Accord Party to enter into working relationship with the ACN government in the state has really exposed the latter as incapable of running smooth government. The state government is not in tune with what people of the state really want. Shortly after the last election, the ACN government approached us for a working relationship so that they could, among others, have two thirds majority in the House of Assembly. We at Accord obliged them so that we can jointly move the state forward. Our relationship only exposed their level of ability to run a government and now that we have seen their level of ability to run a government, it is glaring they are grossly incapable of running a government. The ACN government in the state is not godly, hence its decision to be executing programmes that are not in the interest of the people. How can you say you will provide another alternative to the people you demolish their shops and stalls six months after the demolition? ”
The final straw was however to come when after having enough, Ajimobi decided to dismiss all members of the Accord in his cabinet. It was so bad that the sour relationship did not end even before the last general elections with the Accord saying it to whoever cared to listen that it will send Ajimobi packing out of the Agodi Government House.
With this development, many political analysts are skeptical that if the relationship became a reality, it would not go the way of that entered into with Accord. Indeed, the first sign that all may not be well with the alliance was the call by the leadership of the LP on the lawmaker elected as Minority Leader to reject the position.
The LP in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Taiwo Ibrahim, described the inaugural proceedings of the eighth House of Assembly which it said brushed aside parliamentary rule to produce the new Minority Leader as a flagrant abuse of the rule of law and a practical demonstration of democratic indiscipline. Taiwo said notwithstanding the calculation that one of its members was hoodwinked to assume the position, as a political party of high integrity established to foster good governance via principle and respect for the rule of law, the LP would not fold its arms to have elementary rules circumvented for whatever purpose.
He said, “Rising from its State Executive Council meeting in Ibadan on Monday, the Labour Party in a communiqué signed by the Chairman, Comrade Gbenga Olayemi and the Director of Media and Publicity, Hon. Taiwo Ibrahim, the party dissociated itself from the attempt that surreptitiously link it with a nocturnal alliance to swing the pendulum of position to its side through the backdoor.
“The party realised that basically the position of the Minority Leader should automatically go to the party that has the second largest number in the House of Assembly. The party, however, appreciates the principled stance of Hon. Gbenga Oyekola representing Atiba State Constituency for standing by the dictates of the law and the directives of the party on the floor of the Assembly. The communiqué further stressed that the party was now fully positioned to assume the front burner of opposition in the state. This, we believe will put the government on its toes as we shall constructively engage it to entrench good governance for the people of the state.”
Whether the alliance between the Ibadan-born businessman-turned politician and the Ogbomoso-born former governor will last for the next four years remains of interest to political watchers.
Source: APC VS PDP NIGERIA NEWS
Ajimobi and politics of shifting alliances
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