Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Reality Forum of Oyo State (RFOS), has made a strong case Oyo Central Senatorial District to produce the next governor of the state. It therefore called on the All Progressives Congress (APC), to pick its candidate from the zone or lose the state.
The forum made its intention known in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC tagged: “A Clarion call for a Political Equity, Justice and Fairness in Oyo State,” signed by its coordinator, Elder Jide Ajao.
It said the letter “is borne out of serious concern over the age-long political lopsidedness against Oyo Central Senatorial District and the need for a just, fair and sincere consideration and appraisal.
“This is the 19th year into the Fourth that came into being on May 29,1999. This dispensation has produced four governors namely Lam Adesina (Oyo South), 1999 to 2003; Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo South), came in May 2003 to January 2006, Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo North), 2007 for 11 months, Ladoja, 2006 to 2007, Alao-Akala, 2007-2011 and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo South), 2011-20019.”
Ajao insisted that, “this has given credence to the agitation from the people of Oyo Central that come 2019, it is their turn to produce the state governor
“Aside, the current dispensation has not done any commendable things to the politician from Oyo Central. From Oyo Central, we have the governor, Speaker of the state assembly, SSG, Chief of Staff, Head of Service, Accountant General, Auditor General and the APC state secretary.
“Oyo North has Minister of Communications, Deputy Governor, Chief Judge, Deputy Speaker, Executive Commissioner NCC, APC state chairman and Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission. From Oyo Central, we have only INEC Federal Commissioner.
“The unfolding political event all over the world is a pointer to the fact that any multifaceted culture can only avoid sitting on time-bomb by singular action of collective rotational leadership. An arrangement that guarantees equal and fair representation in a government of inclusion.
“One of the factors that militated against former President Goodluck Jonathan was the decision of the PDP to field him, a Southerner, after having southerners in government for 14years out of the 16 years of the party being in power.
“Arguably, democracy is a game of number, however, the senatorial partitioning is not a demographic arrangement but a political-cum-administrative arrangement enshrined in the constitution and protected by law.
“Two of the senatorial districts should not be rotating power to the exclusion of the third. Such arrangement is bound to agitate minds of the elite from the affected zone, if not now, certainly in the nearest future.
“This is the loud voice coming out from the Oyo Central Senatorial District since last election. The ball is now in the court of the ruling APC, if she wants to retain the power.”