Hon Peter Ojedokun’s Second Term: Aja Raun Raun in the Ibarapa Political Landscape

By: Olaoniye Hassan Adesodi

I am not a bigot, but the Yoruba appear to be the most sophisticated tribe in the world. The tribe has a very rich culture, coupled with numerous proverbs that suit every situation.

In this piece, I will try as much as possible to narrow my submission down to the Ibarapa Central/North State Constituency, where since 1999, no politician has been able to be elected twice, hence becoming a jinx.

Even the current federal lawmaker of the same constituency, Hon. Saubana Ajibola Muraina, has repeatedly set political records and broken them himself. He was the first federal lawmaker in the entire region to be elected twice; he broke the jinx in 2011 and set another one in 2019 when he was elected for a third term. He aims to set a new record next year as he is currently the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections, having clinched the ticket of his former political party (PDP) four times and won thrice. Without any hint of political bias, being the candidate of the country’s major political parties (PDP and APC) for 16 years is no small feat.

Hon Peter Ojedokun’s second term: the tale of Aja raun raun nii pakun in the Ibarapa political landscape

Aja raun raun ni pakun is a popular Yoruba proverb used when the Yorubas want to express in a very witty way that ‘it is someone that people think it will be too hard for to achieve an important thing in life that always does that effortlessly.’

The aja in the proverb is never a dog, but rather a metaphor for a human being widely believed to be incapacitated to achieve something.

Yes, the Ibarapa Central/North State Constituency has been badly represented for many years. The only glorious era of good state representation in the constituency has always been traced back to the period when Hon. Bashir Akinteye represented the constituency between 1999 and 2003. The subsequent occupants of this office, with all sense of seriousness, have made a mess of that office to the extent that people now wonder about the essence of the State Assembly.

Without the good things that have always been said about Hon. Akinteye, coupled with the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Hon. Peter Ojedokun for a second term, one would have concluded that their horrible style of representation has always been the reason why they always lose their party ticket for a second term.

But the present leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State proved me wrong in the case of Hon. Peter Ojedokun Gbadegesin. What they simply did shows that, even in death, one can still clinch the ticket of the political party.

Since I was born, I have never seen a lawmaker so relaxed, less concerned, and unbothered by the yearnings of his constituents like Hon. Peter Ojedokun. I stand to be corrected if I am wrong on this.

This is the same man whose constituents have been crying on his neck since 2019 to publish his account of stewardship. The same man who was quoted as saying that his constituents were not on social media and that he had no business with those on Facebook or WhatsApp in order to avoid questions about his stewardship as a lawmaker representing five towns.

The same man, according to reports, that used to be on his farmland during plenary of the Oyo State House of Assembly? The lawmaker, who in almost 4 years in office, his only remarkable achievement was Eesa Elubo for his community people, and as we speak, the same man, yet again, is the candidate of the PDP in Ibarapa Central/North State Constituency for the 2023 elections.

In the case of Hon. Peter Ojedokun, some youths who are members of the PDP in my constituency deserve some accolades as they continue to demonstrate what will become their political history tomorrow.

Among the youths of the PDP in the constituency today, despite the position of the powers that be in the political party, they have decided not to include Hon. Peter Ojedokun among those they are marketing. It has now become a common question being asked by all and sundry in the constituency if Hon. Peter Ojedokun is not among the candidates of the PDP because it appears that quite a good number of these youths are not rooting for him just like others. And this demonstrates their political maturity, as this is the first time members of a political party are publicly rejecting their candidate simply because they know he is not capable and competent.

But without mincing words, ‘aja raun raun Hon. Peter Ojedokun ma pakun if care is not taken.’ Why?

Today in the Ibarapa region, Hon. Peter Ojedokun appears to be the only candidate who doesn’t have a contender yet. He may end up not having a strong contender if the status quo holds.

While other candidates vying for different positions in the region are running from pillar to post, Hon. Peter Ojedokun is gradually preparing for the next election despite the fact that he is alone in the race as a result of his unimpressive leadership style.

To start with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Ibarapa Central/North Constituency. It is an understatement to say the party is in disarray. It is a divided house, having failed to maintain peace and unity after a number of reconciliation meetings in futility. The APC has, however, metamorphosed into what is known as the Accord Party (AP) in the constituency and beyond. Also, most of the candidates of the APC who emerged from the purportedly stage-managed APC primaries in May 2022 are currently facing litigation in court by the aggrieved members of the party who believe that the party never held any primaries in the region in May.

With the fact in the public, the party may not have candidates for some offices in the state, and the Ibarapa Central/North State Constituency where Hon. Peter Ojedokun hails from is LIKELY not to be an exception in this case. No one can be too sure about the outcome of the ongoing legal battle between some aggrieved members of the APC and the alleged imposed candidates of the party but the above shows a sign that Hon. Peter Ojedokun is not having a tough ride at the moment.

Secondly, the candidate of the Accord Party who is not facing any legal battle will have to embark on a Harculen task in order to make himself/herself known. Presently, I really don’t know if the candidate of the party for the State House of Assembly is a male or a female. That is to tell us that even the third force candidate in the constituency that would have wrestled power with Hon. Peter Ojedokun is playing a kind of hide-and-seek game.

The above submission is not to predict victory for Hon. Peter Ojedokun in 2023, because in a serious society, without being apologetic, such a politician has no business eyeing a parliamentarian job in the first place. But the political intrigue in the constituency is currently working in his favour ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Be that as it may, the 2023 general elections will serve as a litmus test to know if the people of the region are ready for development with the age-long marginalisation, lack of infrastructure, less attention from successive administrations at the state level, and poor representation being faced as a result of the lack of purposeful leadership in the region.