by Gbenga Olorunpomi

In a conversation with Alhaji Lai, he told me he met over sixty APC members in detention. Not one was a PDP man. Even his release was matter of heated debate between some of the senior officers.

 

The story of the recent election in Osun has been told and re-told so often in the last one week that most must be sick of it already. A winner has emerged and the people have rejoiced, so why don’t we all just move on already? As a witness to the happenings months before D-Day and a player in the intrigues of that particular election, I carry a burden I must unload on us all. My heart is heavy because there are many things I am going to have to keep to myself so as not to get myself and others into trouble. I only wish more had seen this election through my eyes. May be those who accuse my party of hysterics before, during and after the polls would have a re-think.

What is an election? Is it simply people taking their turns to apply inked thumbs to a piece of paper and slotting same through a slit box? Or is it more than that? How do you measure harassment? Is it until you are slapped in the face or does the mere unfamiliar cacophony of sirens constitute harassment? When did Nigerian soldiers begin to wear hoods and brown boots as part of their official uniform? When did it become their jobs to stop other Nigerians from using a public place without any explanation? Who reserves the right to order a curfew other than the Governor of a state? When did it become okay for the spokesperson of the DSS to make a joke out of the arrest of the spokesperson of the biggest opposition party?

The questions above require answers from those who accuse me and my party of ‘crying wolf’ before and after last Saturday. As at 3pm on Friday, I had holed up in a safe house where I was going to be monitoring the election. With eyes all over the place, information began pouring in from 6pm of the many illegal occurrences linked to the polls. In Osogbo, three storage points for election materials had been attacked and the items stolen away before 9pm. This was in a city that was crawling with security agents. The Executive Secretary of Osogbo LGA, Isiaka Faramade, had his home surrounded by men in hoods claiming to be soldiers. They were threatening to enter the house and kill the man. At about the same time, the home of Senator Adeleke in Ede was under siege, which led to a shootout, allegedly between the officers protecting the man and those who had come to take him away.

Same night, APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had a gun pointed directly at his head. He was rudely ordered into a bus along with two others. When we raised the alarm, not a few called us liars. When he was released, they blamed the man for ‘loitering’ at night. IN A DEMOCRACY!

In a conversation with Alhaji Lai, he told me he met over sixty APC members in detention. Not one was a PDP man. Even his release was matter of heated debate between some of the senior officers.

By the time the election was over, over 150 APC members had been arrested. This list included the Chief Law Enforcer of the State, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Osun State, Barr. Adewale Afolabi and more than a few other commissioners and aides of the governor. Sikiru Ayedun, the Commissioner for Culture Tourism, told me his story and it wasn’t a palatable one.

So, how did the APC emerge victorious despite the obvious bias of the security forces? Five things stand out for me:

The People: Osun People were determined to vote. They were determined to exercise their franchise and nothing was going to stop them. Days before the election, the people lost their fear of the soldiers and openly told them they would vote despite their scary gear. One of the popular songs in those few days went so… “T’Aregbe lawa o se! T’Aregbe lawa o se! E’eba ko soja, k’e kaja wole! T’Aregbe lawa o se!” Meaning “We are for Aregbe! You may bring the soldiers and the dogs but we are for Aregbe!” One of the inspiring stories for me was the risky move by one of my friends to skip the first few days of NYSC just to cast his vote for his beloved governor. For me, Osun People are the deserved heroes of the polls.

Track Record: Only the blind comes into Osogbo and won’t notice it is a city on the rise. Even when driving in, you would see the undoubted hands of development at work. The children of the state get free meals every school day. Pupils in the elementary schools have playgrounds with toys and swings. The schools being built will accommodate 300,000 individuals. The stadium where the PDP held its rally was being built by the government they wanted to displace. So, why would the people want to vote against Aregbe?

Ogbeniamania: As a man who grew up in the North, I understand the concept of indoctrination. I know you can make a fanatic out of anyone provided the message is repeated well enough and strongly enough. Ask any child of age two to tell you what comes after the word APC is screamed and said child would most likely respond, “Change.” Ask who uses the words “Ona, Baba Ona” and you would hear, “Aregbe.” The governor is more popular than Garri Igbebu in Osun. Everywhere youy turn, there is a message from the man or of him. His aura covers the land like a virus and he’s very infectious.

Mega Rallies: When the PDP alleged that most of those attending the Aregbesola rallies were mostly rented or drawn to the place by the musicians, I shook my head. They were so blinded that they did not know the man was effectively educating his people on how to vote and protect their votes. The man campaigned like he had a vision he was going to lose. He campaigned like a wounded lion. His message resonated everywhere. On the day of the Osogbo rally, where he taught his people how to fold their ballot papers, I saw people teaching each other how to do it on their way home. The mega rallies worked really well.

PDP’s Wrong Candidate: How the PDP could have gone for Omisore still baffles me. This is the man who can only get rid of the stench of Bola Ige’s murder if the man’s corpse suddenly fingered someone else. How they could have imagined the man that was both deeply unpopular and hated would win is beyond me. May be if he was going up against a weak incumbent but not Aregbesola. He lost the moment he made up his mind to contest the seat.

Personally, I would clone Aregbesola and make him run for every office at every level for the APC. Since that is impossible, I hope my dear party learns from his model of governance. This man blends humility with purpose. The man had his plan for Osun ready by 2003; hence he had all his bases covered. If you doubt this, ask his son Kabiru to illustrate his father’s vison and you would be shocked at the passion with which he delivers it.

That morning, as the results were being announced I made my way to the Governor’s House to be briefed and I saw the man. In his hands, he held no bottle of champagne nor cognac. He held no glass of wine nor danced to loud music. There he was, sunk to his knees – in all white – in total submission to his God. He was so deep in prayers and so humble in doing so, I could have sworn he was an angel.

That is the man Osun elected as governor. God bless them!

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