His foray into politics was fashionable. He answers a name that resonates with historic prominence. He was primed to sustain the heritage of his forebearer. His resume sparks of excellent erudition. His deep pockets make many grovel at his feet. However, the political trajectory of the scion of the late enigmatic politician of Ibadan extraction, Adegoke Adelabu appears to be heading for a downward spiral.
‘Bayo Adelabu is a financial expert who understands the risk of investments with high volatility but he must have been egged on by the trappings of his own ambition to believe in generating quick returns from a political venture. However, power is a haughty goddess that does not fall into the laps of those who do not court her. It requires a mix of resilience and well-thought-out schemes to establish a strong foothold in the slippery creeks of Nigerian politics.
He couldn’t have learned this in the build-up to the 2019 elections when the gubernatorial ticket of his
party (APC) was presented to him on a platter. He was the beneficiary of Joseph Tegbe’s controversial identity and lack of political will. It took a national leader of the party in the southwest to prevail on Abiola Ajimobi to drop Tegbe, his anointed successor in the nick of time. Ajimobi was hesitant at first, but he had to buckle under pressure as questions about Tegbe’s true origin continued to fall under heightened suspicion.
Adelabu emerged as the 2019 gubernatorial flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress after about 32 aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket were compelled to shelve their ambitions. It was only Chief Niyi Akintola who stood his ground till the last moment. The legal icon couldn’t discern the justification behind going for a consensus arrangement after he had committed a lot of resources to claim the party’s ticket through direct primary. A physically dissatisfied Akintola later announced his withdrawal from the poll at the Lekan Salami Stadium Adamasingba, venue of the primary election declaring that he felt cheated to have been begged to step down.
Adelabu, a product of imposition in the 2018 APC gubernatorial primary is completely unaware of the exigent requirements for winning a fairly contested election. He had envisaged the same meal of 2018 consensus be served again in 2022 but unfortunately, there was a change in menu. With the party sticking to direct primaries in 2022, Adelabu’s defeat was imminent.
It is laughable that he would later declare the election a charade. Adelabu could have owned up to his gross miscalculations and set up mechanisms to curtail a future occurrence of such instead of screaming blue murder and remotely blaming his defeat on manipulations when he apparently lost to a brilliantly executed strategy.
He is also a victim of his compulsive desperation. In a press statement he made available to journalists after he lost the recent primary election, he said: “This (his gubernatorial ambition) is the only reason why I left my groovy career as a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2018…” Isn’t it illogical and out of sync to expect people to placate you with their votes because you had left a job for politics? When efforts should be channelled on wooing the electorate with laudable programs, Adelabu remains fixated on his voluntary retirement from the country’s apex bank as a sympathetic tool to get power.
For seasoned politicians, the end of an election marks the beginning of another. Perhaps, the hotelier took cover in one of his cozy suites and went to sleep after the 2019 general elections, leaving enough space and time for others to oil their strategies aimed at reclaiming the party as he lost his hold on the party’s structure the moment he allowed his rivals to dominate the centre stage.
Since contests are won based on robust preparedness, only a person leaving in an alternate universe would have expected a different result from the recently concluded Oyo state APC gubernatorial primaries.
Rather than being in haste to govern the state, Adelabu needs to learn the ropes of Oyo politics and discharge resources into building formidable structures across the 33 local governments of the state. Decamping to Accord Party is a major misstep that places him further away from the governorship seat he covets so much.
Dele Oluwanishola writes from Ibadan via deleoluwanishola@gmail.com
