- As Senator Balogun Fires Back
Real Facts Why Makinde Denied Olubadan’s Brother A Second Term Ticket”, said the governor was initially against the idea of dropping him as a senator but later caved in to the pressure.
From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan.
Facts have emerged on why the Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, denied the younger brother of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun Alli Okunmade II, Senator Kola Balogun, a second term ticket.
The Senator was the only PDP Senator in the current National Assembly having defeated the late Governor, Abiola Ajimobi during the 2019 Senatorial Election. Senator Balogun represents Oyo South Senatorial District comprising nine local governments from Ibadan and Ibarapa axis of the State. It has been alleged that, contrary to reported claims, the decision to deny the incumbent senator a second term ticket was informed by the fear of the Balogun family becoming too powerful for the governor to control.
But Governor Makinde, about two weeks ago, gave his anointed candidate, Mr Joseph Tegbe, the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to contest for the 2023 senatorial election in Oyo South Senatorial District. Tegbe,a former Governorship aspirant in the State decamped from the APC to the PDP due to the promise to make him replace tge serving Senator,Kola Balogun.
The development changed the State political narrative due to the decision made by Tegbe to drop his Gubernatorial ambition under the APC platform. Some notable politicians in the State condemned the action while others supported it. The governor, among some other reasons, reportedly alleged that Senator Kola Balogun has not performed and that he is not taking care of the party leaders in the senatorial district. However, breaking his silence for the first time since the development,
Senator Balogun said Governor Makinde was pressured by some powerful cartel in his Guest House who were of the fear that having a Balogun as the Olubadan and another Balogun as a senator would be too strong for the governor to control.
The incumbent senator, in a statement titled, “Real Facts Why Makinde Denied Olubadan’s Brother A Second Term Ticket”, said the governor was initially against the idea of dropping him as a senator but later caved in to the pressure.
“At the initial stage of preparation for the coronation of the Olubadan, the governor was unyeilding but a group within his house impressed it on him the implications of having two Balogun brothers as the Olubadan and as a senator.
“He initially rejected the suggestion by this group. A very prominent resident of Ibadan was with the governor on a pressing state matter when this same set of people came back to further convince him to stop my second term ticket.
“He also rejected the suggestion for the second time. But subsequent efforts of these people brought in a former senator from the state and they made him to cave in to their demand. “Governor Makinde reportedly made some claims that I am not performing and that I am not taking care of the party leaders in the nine local government areas in Oyo South Senatorial District.
“As a Christian, can he swear with the Holy Bible and with his life that those were the real and principal reasons he took that decision? “I challenge him to publicly swear before the PDP stakeholders; before the people of Ibadan, Oyo South Senatorial District and the entire state that he took that decision solely because of the reasons stated in the report. If he can do this, I will come back to openly apologise to him.
“The allegation of non-performance against me is puerile. The record of my performance and achievements is in the public domain and it is hereby attached to this piece,” he said. Senator Balogun also challenged the governor to publicly disclose the party leaders in Oyo South Senatorial District who alleged that he is not reaching out to them.
“In Oyo PDP, under the leadership of Governor Makinde, we have two categories of party leadership. We have the formal leaders from the ward to the state levels, plus other recognised leaders. “We have been relating with this category of party leaders in the course of my duty as a senator, both collectively and individually. The records are there for all to see.
“I made financial contributions to the campaign efforts of Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, both when he was running for the office of the PDP South-West zonal chairmanship and the Deputy National Chairman (North). It was in millions of naira. Some prominent leaders of the party are my witnesses. If for reasons of performances, the Governor according to him was making unfounded excuses to justify his actions.
He however said its only God that gives out power to whomever he wishes and vowed to fight on. Senator however drew out a long lists of his achievements including giving out millions of naira to PDP Party leaders and Chairmen of the local governments that made up the Senatorial district. Added to his claim was a huge sum of money contributed to the PDP Conventions that birthed the emergence of Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja as Deputy National Chairman of the Party among others.
