2023: What Does Senator Teslim Folarin Have To Offer? | Joseph Olawuyi

As the 2023 general elections draw nearer, and with the results of the primary elections across the major political parties, APC and PDP, it’s very clear (as I earlier predicted in my previous article) that the Oyo State Governorship election will be a direct contest between the incumbent Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde (having secured the return ticket of his party, PDP) and Oloye Teslim Folarin (having also secured the ticket of his party, APC).

As a keen observer of the political intrigue in the Country, and for the sake of clarity, I have limited the scope of this piece to answering the vital question, generated from sampling public opinions.

The question is what special things does Oloye Teslim Folarin have to offer the good people of Oyo State?

As the part of my individual efforts at finding generally acceptable open-and-shut answers to the above question, I engaged several people who are rooting for Oloye Teslim Folarin to defeat Governor Makinde. Meanwhile, I have for some time been an ardent critic of some of Makinde’s approaches to issues, most especially, the security challenges in the state, because my people in Ibarapa are the major recipients of its side effects.

Also, at one point, I had also been advocating for a change of government in the state in 2023, because my people in Ibarapa were completely neglected in the scheme of projects. But, what then has changed? Why did I have a change of mindset? The answer was not far-fetched – because I knew since 2021 that Senator Teslim Folarin would be the major challenger to Governor Makinde in the 2023 general elections.

So, I asked, if not Makinde again, why Tessy?

Since 2021 that I have been asking this question, till the time of writing this piece, the only common answer I have got so far is – only Tessy can deal with Auxiliary.

Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi (aka Auxiliary) is the State Chairman Disciplinary Committee for the Park Management Scheme (PMS). PMS is the new initiative that governor Makinde used to replace erstwhile transport union’s leadership, NURTW in the state.

How then is ‘dealing with Auxiliary’, according to those rooting for Oloye Tessy, the only solution to the economy and security challenges facing this state?

Although, in all honesty, people of this state are completely tired of thuggery and hooliganism, as rampant in the days of late Baba Adedibu, and whenever they see how Auxiliary and his boys behave on the street, without being checked or reprimanded, they feel disappointed in Governor Makinde. This is where the memory of late Abiola Ajimobi comes to mind. (May his soul continue to rest in peace). Ajimobi was never a thug person. Under him, nobody could hold the state into ransom. Even, Auxiliary was jailed, while other thugs got born again or went into hibernation, when Ajimobi was the governor. That Auxiliary now becomes a principal stakeholder in the affairs of the state, betrayes the trust people repose in Engr. Seyi Makinde.

However, Oloye Tessy is not Ajimobi. While Ajimobi abhorred thuggery, Tessy embraces it. How?

Firstly, judging from how Senator Teslim Folarin and his loyalists have been conducting APC primary elections so far, across the state, one needs no prophecy to know what becomes the fate of this state, if he eventually becomes a governor. It’s also crystal clear that the majority of the current set of politicians (across all parties) are celebrated thugs. No wonder they fail leadership tests all the time. More so, If anyone thinks that there is a person amongst these politicians who won’t flaunt thugs, then the person is dreaming, because a thug (whether educated, rich or celebrated) can only beget more thugs. That’s the unfortunate reality of the moment.

Secondly, it’s true that Oloye Tessy can deal with Auxiliary. And he will definitely give Makinde a very tough contest. But after dealing with Auxiliary, what next? He can only replace an Auxiliary with an Alubankudi. He can not curb thuggery, robbery or hooliganism like Ajimobi did.

Furthermore, last year when Oloye Tessy and his followers came to Ibarapa for what they called consultation, it was completely a show of force. In fact, Auxiliary and his boys (as brutal as they are) are still learning, when compared to what Alubankudi and his boy did that day. So, is what we really need at this stage of our lives replacing a thug with another thug, or curbing thuggery in its entirety? I know the majority will choose the latter.

Yes, Makinde has not done well in reprimanding Osla and his boys. Yes, Makinde has not secured the state as expected. Yes, Makinde has not done well for us in Ibarapa. However, if at all there’s a need for change, it should be with someone with a credible character who will wipe out thuggery, and not someone who will rebrand or rename it.

Finally, this is a time in our political history, when leaders lack ideas. What they can only boast of is power and money, that’s the reason why they desperately subvert the will of the people by forcing their ways into leadership. So, regardless of the flaws of governor Makinde, Senator Teslim Folarin is never the answer to good governance, as replacing Auxiliary with Alubankudi is never the solution to thuggery. More so, as the present political situation has left us with no better choice in Oyo State, than choosing between PDP, the red sea, and APC, the pharaoh, we’d better choose the former. Because the waves of the sea could still be merciful to us (as they did to the Israelites in the Bible), than the merciless swords in the hands of the angry pharaoh and his gangs. A word is enough for the wise, whereas a stitch in time saves many.

Joseph Olawuyi,
Publisher for Ibarapa Parrot.
WhatsApp – 2348145104681.