I love movies, especially action movies. And I love the script being acted out in Oyo State . It has all the trappings of an action movie. The lead actor is the man they call The Strong Man of Ibadan Politics. On the cast are the pseudo men of timber and calibre in the political landscape of the state. Of course, the guest star is none other than the man at the helm of affairs at Aso Rock. Supporting are his aids and party chieftains. Really, it has been lots of heartaches watching the making of this epic of a film.

When some lawmakers or those who were supposedly elected to make laws in Oyo State trumped up some charges against their governor sometime ago, not a few people wondered what really was wrong. It was indisputable that, since he was elected, the man at the helm of affairs in the state had performed much below expectation. That was enough reason, constitutionally speaking, to want to remove him. But the manner the lawmakers went about it gave the impression that there was more to it than met the eyes.

The lawmakers who were for the governor were practically driven into a hole, and the rest did what they had determined to do: impeach the governor. It was irrelevant that they could not get a two-third majority! That was when the real reason for his removal began to emerge. The new governor, who was his deputy before the impeachment, was sworn in as the new governor. His first port of call was the palace of the The Strong Man. And the jubilation at the palace was unprecedented. Wine was popped and the new governor indicated his intention to be a good boy. The first assignment was to make the semi-literate personal assistant to The Strong Man the deputy governor of the state. Little resistance and it scaled through!

Asked by journalists why he championed the removal of the governor, the response of The Strong Man among other things was, “Am I not entitled to a percentage of the state’s security vote? But this man was spending the money all alone; he did not give me anything.” By The Strong Man’s definition, spending security vote - the money meant for the security of the state, I suppose - without giving him any share was an impeachable offence. And he had the human and financial resources to do it. His comments were aired on several television stations, but nobody raised an eyebrow. The main and only issue, it seemed, was the manner the governor was removed. It was unconstitutional and things had to be done right. Everyone expected some concern from Abuja , but there was none.

So our dear sleeping governor went to the court and secured victory. This was regarded as triumph, not only for the impeached governor, but also for democracy. There was celebration everywhere except in certain quarters. Then the same federal government that had pretended to be deaf and dumb all this while suddenly started hearing and speaking. The Inspector General of Police who said he was going to restore the security details of the victorious governor after the court ruling started singing with the other side of his mouth when the Attorney General of the Federation ‘interpreted’ the judgement. The need for peace required that the status quo should be maintained until…. The question was, why did a court judgement have to be interpreted, not by another or a higher court, but by a government official? It was beginning to be evident to all that the hands were indeed the hands of Esau but the voice was that of Jacob.

Not even the victory at the appeal court could automatically guarantee the erstwhile governor’s reinstatement; there had to be an order from above. Even when the order came, The Strong Man and his horsemen would not allow what should be to be. At every stage, the man was pampered and his ego massaged before the rule of law was allowed to hold sway.

In an attempt to disrupt proceedings at the state house assembly after the governor returned to office, the king’s horsemen were said to have seized a pistol from operatives of the State Security Service (SSS). The Strong Man was magnanimous enough to ask his boys to return the pistol. At the end of the day, nobody was arrested for this glaring offence. And they would have us believe that there are no untouchables in this government.

Quite recently, precisely during the voters’ registration exercise, six of the machines meant for the public were said to have been found in The Strong Man’s house. This was enough reason to send anybody (that is, anybody who has no connection in Aso Rock) to the courts, and subsequently to jail. Everyone waited to see what would happen. The police was challenged by all to do their job. The State Police Commissioner came out eventually to tell the world that he was being hindered from doing his work by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC). How? INEC said no offence had been committed. What it did not tell the public was that the registration machines were given to The Strong Man for safekeeping. After all, that was the only place in the whole of Ibadan where the security of the machines could be guaranteed. The riffraff who were finally arraigned for the so-called no-offence (since it was not committed) could not be tried for some time because the king’s horsemen disrupted proceedings at the court. And life in the state has been everything but peaceful.   

Even President Olusegun Obasanjo was reported to have knelt down six times to beg The Strong Man to allow peace to return to Oyo State . Then a few days ago, he was invited to Aso Rock with the state governor to mend fences. They both came out of the closed-door meeting grinning from ear to ear. It is certain that a truce has been reached somehow. Part of the condition for peace could well be that the state’s security vote will henceforth be shared equitably. And as long as the governor keeps his part of the bargain, there will be peace in Oyo State .

I honestly think that the greatest sin and undoing of Rashidi Ladoja is that he did not try hard enough to be on the side of the people after he climbed on the shoulders of his godfather to ascend the throne. There is no trace anywhere that he served anybody other than himself before his travails began. He merely dined with the devil and refused to dance naked thereafter. Now that he is back at the table with the devil, I hope he will remember to say his prayers before partaking in the meal. What he thinks is a truce is only an indication that the second part of this movie will soon be in the making.

It is obvious that the major reason the long arm of the law may never catch up with The Strong Man and his likes is that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) needs them to win elections at whatever cost. After all, President Obasanjo has already promised that the forthcoming elections will be a do-or-die affair. It is a do affair for those who are ready to assist him in executing his infamous plot and a die affair for those who are not ready to. Which is why I found particularly laughable the nod by the People’s Democratic Party to the police, through its national secretary, to arrest Lamidi Adedibu The Strong Man if he is found trying to rig elections in Oyo State . Haba! Under normal circumstances, the police do not need any clearance to arrest anybody who is on the wrong side of the law. But it is obvious that these are not normal circumstances.  

Meanwhile, I am reluctantly willing to help in promoting this potential award-winning movie being shot in Oyo State . Here is the copy for the radio jingle: (pitch voice) “Kata kata don burst o! Man make im pikin governor to help am take care of government money. Pikin reach there come forget im papa. Na who go settle this matter? I say na who go settle this matter o! This film na Aso Rock produce am. And e dey sell for Idumota, sorry, Ibadan . If you never see this film o, them never born you….”

PS:  I forgot to add that the soundtrack for the film is titled, “PDP…Pow-er.”

Robot  Villager

# 1 I love movies, especially action movies. And I love the script being acted out in ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 27.02.2007 13:06

BISIKAY  JJC

# 2 There is already a title for the film It is called OGBORIOBADIBU - The OBA-DIBU Slayer Who is OBA....? Who is ...DIBU? Who is the SLAYER ( OGBORI... OBA... DIBU )? The film could be a production of MAINFRAME - Opomulero So WATCHOUT BISIKAY Posted by BISIKAY| 28.02.2007 10:56