South West APC leaders’ parley: Kayode Ajulo and other Osinbajo’s sponsored speculators, By Kayode Adebiyi
The meeting called by SW leaders of APC, notably by Baba Bisi Akande and Segun Osoba had come and gone and contrary to what a lot of rabid and paper weight foot soldiers of the VP, Prof Yemi Osinbajo thought the outcome of the meeting is going to be, the meeting successfully made a fool of so many social media wannabes who feels they have a say in the scheme of things.
Yesterday afternoon, I was sent a media release by some so called group named Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo saying categorically that PYO would not be attending the APC meeting in Lagos for some very st*pid and pedestrian reasons. Not only that, they went on to state conditions for any meeting that PYO would attend in the nearest future.
What shocked me most is that someone I have a lot of respect for and we’ve been friends on this platform for some time, Ajulo Olukayode Ajulo is the spokesperson for this faceless group who suddenly feel they are now progressive Lawyers at quarter to 2023 elections. I detest overt act of show off and hypocrisy. The affront with which that release was written is even so annoying. They wrote like they have the mind and soul of PYO and whatever they tell him, he would do.
I remember telling a friend if PYO dare not to attend that meeting, he would have finally nailed his own coffin. Knowing him as a wise man who is more in tune with the reality on ground, he did not listen to his wannabe foot soldiers. I have said it here numerous times I don’t have any problem with PYO fulfilling his constitutional right to vie for the position of president. He’s eminently qualified to do so. The greatest problem of every leader is the kind of followers around them. Most of the time, it is we the people that often mislead our leaders.
Let me dissect some of the pedestrian conditions the so called Progressive Lawyers gave for Osinbajo to attend any meeting:
- That the agenda of the meeting is bias towards Osinbajo.
Who showed Kayode Ajulo the content of the agenda for the meeting? Or did Baba Akande and Osoba call him and his ilk into a meeting and show them the agenda for the meeting?
- Composition of personality is sectional of the APC and clearly not in the interest of SW & Nigeria.
When did Baba Akande and Osoba inform Kayode Ajulo that they were calling a meeting of the South West or the Yorubas? Two elders and leaders of a political party, APC called a meeting of presidential aspirants under APC from SW to a meeting. It’s not a Yoruba or SW meeting. It is a political meeting of APC as a political party.
- Lagos Flag House in Marina belongs to Lagos State and associates. This venue should not play host to such a meeting. It should be a neutral location like Ibadan or Akure.
So, what Ajulo is saying now is that Prof Yemi Osinbajo is no more an associate of Lagos State and by extension Lagos State Government House? Really? The same Lagos State from where how PYO became the VP to Buhari was brokered and sealed? In the real sense of it, who is Ajulo to dictate to conveners of the meeting, elders of the party for that matter where to hold a meeting? All of a sudden, Ajulo is dissociating Osinbajo from his political kith and kin by this irresponsible statement.
- Agenda of the meeting was not defined and many aspirants were not engaged.
I want Ajulo to quote any of the aspirants invited to that meeting where any of them stated that he was not aware of the agenda for that meeting. What concerns Ajulo about an APC SW meeting called by two APC SW elders? Is Ajulo a member of APC. The last time I checked, he was a member of the now moribund Labour Party.
- We look forward to a meeting to be convoked by notable SW people like Afe Babalola, Chief Femi Okunnu, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Wole Olanipekun, Prof Tunde Adeniran, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, Gani Adams and frontline traditional rulers in SW.
This is highly laughable! I think this is looking for relevance totally gone wrong. First, which of the names Ajulo listed here is a member of the APC? Two APC leaders called a meeting of APC presidential aspirants and you sat in your home dictating to them to invite non party members to their meeting.
What is the business of Pa Adebanjo in an APC meeting of aspirants from SW when the old man has been categorical of the fact that he wants a SE president for 2023 and would be supporting a South Eastern presidential candidate. I don’t expect a lawyer of Ajulo’s standing to be displaying this level of naivety and exuberance.
Finally, I need to send this warning to a whole lot of wannabe foot soldiers of presidential aspirants. You are causing irreparable damage to the men you are supporting by your utterance and actions. No man dropped from outer space politically. Every politician has a political base. Osinbajo in particular became whatever he is today from the SW APC and Lagos State in particular. He cannot lay claim to any other place (not even his home state, Ogun) in his political trajectory outside of Lagos and AC, ACN and now APC.
Where were all these spokespersons in 2014/2015? How dare you tell a man to jettison where he came from and where he rose from politically, reject and dissociate himself from his political leaders just because you think you suddenly saw the light.
Odo to gbagbe orisun e ma gbe ni!
Agbajo owo la fin s’oya. Osusu owo kan o gberu d’ori.
Thank God Osinbajo is more sensible than a lot of these sudden day, I saw the light and dreamt a dream in 2022 Osinbajo wannabe supporters.
–Adebiyi, a public affairs commentator writes from United Kingdom
