Kwara state APC chieftain, Hon Bamidele Aluko, has asserted that Senator Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe knew he was never favoured to win the Kwara Central APC senate primary election that was held in Ilorin four months ago, based on the pre- primary election survey.
He submitted that before the primary election, there were signs that the senator would not get party nomination and the go-ahead to retain his parliament seat from the party members.
He noted that as a human being, the senator must have felt unhappy that he failed to get what he sought for adding however that tough time never last but tough people do. Aluko therefore urged Oloriegbe to tread carefully and show the needed maturity.
‘Yes, having sought to retain his parliament seat and having failed to get party nomination , he would naturally feel unhappy but there is no better time than now to apply his education and intelligence than now. He should show the spirit of sportsmanship and the needed maturity . In an election , there will be a winner and others will accept the outcome as what God has ordained . You cannot definitely win all the time , it is impossible. But showing maturity is very important. It is important that he puts the issues behind him unless he does not believe in God being the one who gives power to whom He wishes.
What was it that will even make him market only one and de-market other candidates of his political party? If it is about serving the people and the party members had said ‘ok, thank you for doing a good job but we want a new face as our representative this time around’ , the best course of action would be to accept the election outcome and sustain good relationship with all.
But the idea of campaigning for one and condemning others is strange, how can you say you love my father but you hate me or you hate me but you love my father. That means you actually hate my family and that is the truth ’ he said.
Aluko, a former member of the Kwara state House of Assembly, who said this while talking to journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com on arrival at the Ilorin International Airport, Ilorin , on Tuesday, made reference to what was recorded in 2019 noting that some people had been made to feel the same way the senator had just felt adding that they however did not rock the boat.
‘Talking about the primary election that produced him as APC candidate for the 2019 National Assembly elections , it was considered by some of his then co-aspirants as faulty , Comrade Musbau Esinrogunjo and others felt cheated but they did not do anything beyond their living rooms and the complaints ended there. The senator did not complain then because it was done in his favour.
Ahead of the guber election in 2019, on the day of the primary election , there was an announcement that Mallam Salihu Mustapha and Hon Moshood Mustapha had been disqualified despite spending a lot in terms of money and resources.
They had the option of taking the party to court and we may have witnessed what we had in Zamfara state but they did not do that but accepted what happened as what God had ordained and supported all the candidates of the party.
We had actually expected him to show maturity. He should stop all the funny things he has done in recent days and retrace his steps. This is very important’ he said.
Asked to provide insight into what happened and the factors that may have worked against the senator during the primary election, Aluko , asserted that Oloriegbe was never favoured to win the primary election while noting that most of what stood as disadvantages against him were however self-inflicted.
‘You see, as a political office holder , yes, you must perform very well and have a legacy of achievements it is also important that you carry party members along, give them a sense of belonging , play party politics and be in the good books of the party members.
Let me tell you this, one month before the primary election, the senator invited those of us who were called the stakeholders in Ilorin West to his GRA Ilorin residence.
It was an important meeting and he emphasized the need to give him support as one of us but majority of the people that spoke that day submitted that he had failed ‘politically’ and that they were aggrieved and unhappy with him . He apologized and promised to change for the better when it comes to his relationship with party members and every attendee of the meeting was given ‘envelope’ but they told him that such a meeting ought to have been held on a regular basis before the primary election . That was one month before the primary election and the attendees of the meeting were stakeholders in his own Ilorin West local government . So there were signs that he was never favoured to win the primary election and that is the truth. Inwardly, he knew he was never going to win the primary election’ Aluko added.
The former state lawmaker , who also noted that agitation by members of the party in Ilorin South , Ilorin East and Asa local governments that one of the three local governments should produce the Kwara Central senate candidate this time around, also affected Oloriegbe’s chances.
’The senator and the governor are from the same local government and the three local governments that felt Ilorin West had monopolized the parliament seat began to demand for fairness and justice. Actually Oloriegbe got it in 2019 because of the ‘tsunami mood’ but this time around people were asking questions and saying why ? Why should it be Ilorin West again? The party leaders would naturally see this as a plausible argument . It is just like having a vacant throne and there are four ruling families and only one of them had been producing occupants of the throne , the remaining three families will definitely complain.
However, if the senator had performed well ‘politically’, they may possibly not have remembered such an anomaly or complain at all because we are one , we have the same history, language and culture. People know that I do preach peace and harmony, the senator should show maturity and stop referring to a bygone issue. This idea of being unusually friendly with the opposition figures is also unbecoming of a man of his status’ he said.
Was this not a way of showing that he is a statesman?
‘He held the first thanksgiving prayer, the second edition and even his mother’s burial, why didn’t the opposition figures attend the events then ? Why now? Though some of them may have attended such an event when we were still together but this was predominantly opposition when it comes to its features’ Aluko, a barrister-at-law, quipped.
‘Where things went wrong was his failure in respect of his relationship with the party members and there was nothing anybody could have done to save the situation unless we had considered the idea of imposition. It was not that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu didn’t want former governor Akinwunmi Ambode to seek re-election but having seen that the stakeholders in the party were against the idea of him having a second term , he also did what the party members wanted.
Senator Oloriegbe should know that there is no better time than now to show that he is a true party man’ he added.
Aluko, a former board member of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, also emphasized the need to ensure party discipline and called on party officials at all levels to take necessary steps where and when necessary.
Assessing the chances of Mallam Salihu Mustapha in the upcoming Kwara Central senate election, Aluko not only predicted victory for him but also commended him for doing the needful to strengthen the chances of the party.
‘Our candidate, Mallam Salihu Mustapha will earn victory in the forthcoming Kwara Central senate election by the grace of God. He is a friend of all and he is a cheerful giver. All our candidates are sellable, we are enjoying the strongest public support.
You see, there are two categories of people when it comes to generosity.
Some are naturally cheerful givers and they do that whether there is electioneering or not and you have the second category comprising those who spend only during electioneering or for an intended purpose.
Mallam Salihu Mustapha , who is the Turaki of Ilorin, has built a network of friends that will stand him in a good stead during the election. He is the next occupant of the parliament seat’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com
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