Ogun Consensus Candidates: Is Amosun a Tyrant?

Mixed reactions have since trailed Ogun states governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun consensus list and whoever posits that the ruckus steamed by that singular move has died down or will soon would have to think again. The buzz and noise the move has gathered is only the beginning and one is quite certain that this is just the genesis as more dust is certain to rise in response.

It is a known global truth that for every coin, there are two sides to it and while some of the reactions have tagged the former senator and current governor a militia man, accusing him of sitting in the confines of his mind and making the much-coveted list, his supporters have since swung to the other side of the pendulum, asserting that this is ludicrous and the handiwork of political traducers.

As earlier stated, there are two sides to this argument but the major question must be- Which is for the greater good and which of these offers more advantage?

First of all, it is necessary to state in this article and elucidate here that according to some reports, the consensus list was not a singular, solitary and maverick move or decision by Amosun. Right in the full presence of the media, these candidates were chosen one after the other by their respective local council party men after meetings and consultations with the aspirants which took a number of hours.

Members of the House of Assembly aspirants were invited to Abeokuta by the state executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and required to attend with three party supporters of his or her choice and equal opportunity was afforded each aspirant.

Any political analyst or avid follower of the politics of Nigeria with particular interest in Ogun state would remember and reminiscence the words of the governor in 2017 when he stated that he would make sure the governorship ticket in 2019 go to the North West area of the state.

To quote him “It is a covenant between me and my God, I will be handing over to someone from Ogun West but other senatorial districts are also qualified to contest.

“But we shouldn’t see them as enemies, it should not appear that we are taking anyone for granted. Our people in Ogun East can come out to contest, in Ogun Central we have agreed, but if anybody comes out from the central, I will confront him frontally.

“We will be tactical and strategic but we shouldn’t pay attention to those that are not necessary. I am free to take my position just like every other person.

In essence, the move for a consensus list or rather consensus governor had long been a preplanned move. It was a move that Amosun was pregnant with and has finally been put to bed or bed.

However, the pertinent and imperative question that must be asked is how democratic is the process? Did it pay close attention to the rule of law? If we go with the lay meaning of democracy which says a government by the people, for the people and with the people, then this consensus list draws a lot of question. Were the people i.e. members of the party outrightly involved in the selection programme or was it simply a case of he who pays the piper dictates the tune? Were the representatives coerced into choosing these candidates through backdoor meetings which have become a common trend with our nation’s politicians?

The other side of the coin begins to ask why a consensus list? Why should the governor sit idly and begin to determine who and who should get selected for varied positions? It is this question of why with numerous question marks and little or no answers that would continue to plague the mins of Ogun state indigenes, residents and political analysts.

2019 promises to be an interesting year in the history of our country and while we are all girding in preparation, we must inevitably ask- Is Amosun a tyrant?