Osun APC and the allegation of rigging

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There are times when the silence may not be golden. Let’s be clear: an allegation as serious as the one recently made by Yusuf Sulaimon Lasun, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, deserves all the attention it can receive. Speaking to the media in Abuja, Lasun accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of removing him from the Osun governorate primary in 2018 through a serious, well-orchestrated and coordinated gang-up. . The former member representing the Federal Constituency of Irepodun / Olorunda / Osogbo / Orolu of Osun State also alleged that Ovie Omo-Agege was remunerated by the post of Deputy Speaker of the Senate for chairing the nebulous exercise.

To begin with, the formation and structure of political parties can be compared to a man throwing his net into the sea to catch fish. Of course, the netting fish are coming in their species. Since the net is non-discriminatory, it catches all kinds of fish species which will swim in the direction and extend the perimeter of the net into the sea. Likewise, political parties are made up of mixed multitudes. However, the stronger the constitution of a political party, the more it reflects the character of the party. In other words, if the party constitution is weak and lacks legitimacy, each individual will try to impose their free will on the party. Suffice it to say that the possibility for such a political party to gravitate towards a party of strong men, with strong opinions, but without control or preponderant control, is high.

That said, the first fear is that APC will have to work on the internal dynamics of its constitution to curb anyone who likes to behave contrary to the norm and the essence of the party’s soul. This step becomes necessary because there is no explanation or justification for the explosion of Lasuns offensive against his party, unless, of course, the politician is not aware that political parties are institutions that require certain procedural protocols for dealing with or interacting with them. Even if there are thorny internal conflicts or issues, there should be many mechanisms in place to deal with them within the party. In the current situation, even if the former vice president had to do what he wanted, there is already a residue; and that’s what becomes of people’s psyche about the ruling party as a rigged party. Simply put, even if his governorship issue is settled, the fact remains that Midshipman Lasun came from a rigging team. It is not so much about Mr. Gboyega Oyetola who rigged it, or Omo-Agege to be compensated for having supervised the rigging. No! Not at all! Instead, it is that the APC will have to face the institutional damage dangerously presented by the Honorable Judges’ heavy allegation, and apply the appropriate sanctions. It shouldn’t be one of those cases that is knowingly swept under the rug. If there is an iota of truth in Lasuns’ claims, the public will be interested. Pares cum paribus / Pares cum paribus facillimecongregantur (A man is known by the friends he keeps). It’s sad that at 61, Nigeria looks like a game of chess. Like a bird, looking for a place to roost, everyone looks for where a situation benefits them the most. People hide their personal interests under the guise of group interests. Ultimately, this interest accumulates in personal pockets. The late Emeka Ojukwu understood this and particularly expressed his distaste for it before finally going his own way.

It is also sad that, in this society, the character profile of a person has been relegated to the background. Why did I say it? When you belong to an association, the character of that association is what people look for. For example, if Lasun is a member of the APC and the APC is a rigging team, then Lasun is a rigger. It’s that simple! Therefore, the fact that he is now starting to behave like a saint is not only unacceptable to his good conscience, but also reveals to the world who the former Honorable Member really is! In any case, tongues are already moving, that this man went to represent only Lasun Yusuf in the House. His stay of a few years earned him the best hotel in Osogbo, the state capital. Rumor has it that the legislator has another in Ikeja-Lagos. For the love of God, is not this the same man who will rather want to pollute the whole river than not to draw a particular fish out of it? Isn’t Lasun trying to demolish the house just to protect his personal interests? So who is cheating on whom?

If one may wonder: is not the case another in the series of ajegbodo à n waenikunra (the culprit, who is still looking for an accomplice) against Rauf Aregbesola as the former governor of Osun? Without being shameless, Lasuns ‘claim also questioned Ogbenis’ reputation, as the former vice president was indirectly saying that Aregbesola was overseeing the rigging. And this is a serious accusation! In all of this, Governor Oyetola deserves praise for his sidelight approach to the needless provocation of a lost member of his party. He deserves a pat on the back for neither doing justice nor abusing his power as the outgoing governor of Osun State. If he belonged to the tribe of aggressive chiefs elsewhere, he would most likely have responded; and that would have spoiled the broth of the institutions which are trying to curb the issue.

Seriously speaking, Lasuns’ claim should also serve as a lesson in season, in particular, for those who are currently applauding him for discrediting his party. Yes, it’s one thing to start singing Hosanna just because the former lawmaker did something wonderful in their eyes. However, Nigerians must also weigh the future implications of his disruptive and selfish actions, especially in making future political calculations and decisions. All in all, aspiring Lasun should still be allowed to participate in future ruling party elections, if he is interested. After all, Nigeria is in a democracy; and one of the essential attributes of a democracy is the ability to vote and to be elected. In other words, the politician should not be denied his right to challenge because of the allegation of rigging. But then, providence demands that he do it, not in a way that will ruin the whole system. Well, Nigerians maybe don’t see it now; but what the former lawmaker is trying to do is mess up the whole foundation on which the electoral system is built. Except that we are frugal with the truth, what he did amounted to an insult to democratic norms and values; and it transcends partisan affiliations. Something more reason must give, either to rectify the situation or to modify it. Otherwise, it will always be a metaphor for the barber chair: movement without movement! May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

* Komolafe writes from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

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