—OLA KING

Perhaps, if the former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, had been more circumspect and cautious, he would have heeded the advice of several chieftains of the All Progressives Party, APC, and even backed
the candidate chosen by the party, Dapo Abiodun, before the last March 9 governorship election.

He, however, shunned the wise counsel. His actions and inactions betrayed one who seemed to have a pathological hatred for Abiodun. He was even blinded by his arrogance.

At the last year Eid el Kabir prayer ground the trained accountant boasted with all he has that he would bring his anointed candidate,
Abdulkabir Adekule Akinlade to the 2019 Eid El Kabir prayer, who would have succeeded him. In fact, he vowed that nothing would stop him from achieving his desire. But his prayer was not answered and his effort fruitless.

At the Eid el Kabir prayer last month, August, he only came with Lekan Adegbite to the Lantoro, Abeokuta prayers ground.

The Owu, Ogun State- born politician, who does not have any shame or scruple wearing his flamboyant garb of arrogance, is ruing his action, as his preferred candidate, Akinlade of Allied Progressives Movement, was defeated by Abiodun.

It will be recalled that shortly after Abiodun won the APC primary, he threatened fire and brimstone, saying that Abiodun would never succeed him.

In his desperate bid to upturn the mandate given to Abiodun, he visited President Muhamadu Buhari and top monarchs in the state on several occasions, all to no avail.

Many have not forgotten how he usually boasted that the President would grant his wish; otherwise, he would dump APC for Accord Party.

Amosun had reportedly issued this threat during a meeting with some
party leaders and his loyalists across the 20 local government areas of the state held at his private residence located inside Ibara GRA,Abeokuta, where he lambasted some of the party leadership, including a former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba and Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for attempting to ‘disgrace’ him.

In one of his visits to Aso Rock, he got the shock of his life when the President reportedly told him point blank that he would not want to go
against the NWC decision.

In fact, Amosun’s stubbornness really unsettled the leaders of the party, who had mounted pressure on him to place the interest of the
party above his personal interest.

This created a lot of crisis among the leaders, particularly after President Muhammad Buhari was embarrassed during his presidentialcampaign in Abeokuta.

Despite being tongue-lashed by the APC, the governor remained unperturbed, even after being suspended from the party for anti-party
activities.

He was said to have also berated those he termed “Abuja connection APC” for standing the rules of the primary election on its head to
produce Abiodun as the party’s candidate instead of Akinlade, who emerged through a direct primary.

Till date, many wonder why Amosun had settled for a Akinlade, in spite of the fact that Ogun State parades a line-up of sterling technocrats and politicians with time-tested, brilliant records of public service.

His choice of candidate however made many to conclude that he probably has some
skeletons in his cupboard that he needed a character like Akinlade to cover.