Ogun State 2011: Some facts, figures

Wale Adedayo




With the declaration of Ijebu-born Rev. Olajide Awosedo as a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a fresh twist has been added to the quest by both the Yewa/Awori and Egba to occupy the Ogun State Governor's Office come May 29, 2011.

Until Awosedo's declaration, the interest of the Ijebus in Oke Mosan was not public knowledge, with the Egbas contending against the Yewa/Awori for the seat. But in the words of an Ijebu leading light of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, in Ogun State last week: "The Ijebus will contest if the Yewa/Awori fails to present a candidate."

Traditionally, Ogun State has four divisions: Egba, Ijebu, Yewa/Awori and Remo. Proponents of Egba's right to Oke Mosan in 2011 argue that instead of the known old divisions, it is the senatorial districts, as recognised by the current political dispensation, that should guide the acknowledged rotation principle for political offices. If this argument should hold, it will be an uphill task for the Yewa/Awori given the ambition of prominent Egba moneybags eyeing the seat.

In the words of the Afenifere chieftain: "The Egbas know it is not their turn, yet. The Ijebus were the first to taste the office under a democratic dispensation. That was in 1979, when Chief Olabisi Onabanjo got elected. An Egba, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has been there twice. He just left for the incumbent, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, from Remo to occupy the place. It is the natural turn of the Yewa/Awori to produce a governor. But if they are not interested, either by acts of commission or omission, the Ijebus will be foolish not to take their turn. It is after an Ijebu has been there that the Egba will take their turn. That is the natural order of things here."

But yours truly believe that instead of the PDP being the sole determinant of who occupies the exalted office, groups within and outside the party also have dominant roles to play irrespective of who picks the PDP ticket. The five prominent groups irrespective of party affiliation in Ogun State today are:

1.                  OGD Team: Until the emergence of Buruji Kashamu's Omo Ilu, it was the most formidable despite the negative publicity around the person of the governor and his associates. Originally made up of Ogun State indigenes resident mostly in Lagos with a few in Ibadan, Oyo State, the group soon swallowed followers of Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye. OGD's background in the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Afenifere also ensured the defection of many who should have strengthened the Action Congress (AC) to the PDP as members of the Governor's Team. Economic largesse to dull the political sense of the people, spiritual coercion and the use of strong boys was almost the exclusive preserve of the group. The pyramidal structure of the group ensured that the 236 Wards of the state are covered like a web without any village or rural settlement missing from its political map.
2.                  OMO Ilu: Founded by Ijebu Igbo-born moneybag, Prince Buruji Kashamu, the group was originally a sub-set of OGD Team. With a lot of attention on the Shagamu shrine where oath of allegiance to OGD was being taken, it was a big relief when Kashamu approached his old friend and offered Ijebu Igbo as a new base of oath-taking in support of the Governor. But it was a miscalculation on OGD's part because he did not take into consideration the affinity between Senator Lekan Mustapha and Kashamu, thus a possible allegiance to JMK. It was not a surprise to the discerning when the original name of OGD Omo Ilu was changed to simply, Omo Ilu, and the oath-taking became an allegiance to Kashamu. The group has effectively diluted OGD's Team presence across the state having adopted similar tactics which made the Governor 'acceptable' to the grassroots.
3.                  JMK Team: Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye emergence as a minister has boosted the morale of this group, which was already in a coma before the emergence of Omo Ilu. Just like OGD's Team, the JMK Team is spread across the state with politicians from the Second Republic till date being active members. Most, if not all, leaders/elders of the PDP in Ogun State would prefer a JMK as leader and follow his directives instead of OGD. Kashamu's Omo Ilu is also most likely to dissolve into JMK's Team not just because both men are from the same local government. But the political engine room of the JMK group, Mustapha, is like a twin brother to Kashamu, socially, economically and politically.
4.                  SIA Team: But for the defection of a number of his key allies to OGD's Team in 2008, Senator Ibikunle Amosun was a very potent force in Ogun State politics. He had the six Egba Local Governments, which the ANPP won in 2007 elections, in his political grip. His support base was also solid in Ado Odo/Ota and Yewa South Local Governments in the Yewa/Awori area. The poor presence of his boys in Shagamu Local Government ensured that SIA's supporters kept to 'houses' and did not openly 'show' themselves. But he also understand grassroots mobilisation better than the Action Congress (AC) people. We had to hurriedly leave the campaign ground in Ijebu Igbo towards the 2007 elections when his boys joined forces with Alhaji Gbenga Kaka's DPA crowd to attack the PDP campaign train in the town. Four 18 seater buses hired for members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) by the PDP were seized by the DPA boys with the OPC boys suffering different degree of injuries. It was a very tough one with yours truly barely escaping with his life!
5.                  Team DPA: Maybe it was the old Afenifere tactics or simply Alhaji Gbenga Kaka at work. But till date, apart from SIA in Egbaland, the only other formidable opposition with serious grassroot presence against the PDP remains the DPA. For instance, the DPA won in Ijebu North, Odogbolu and Remo North local governments during the 2007 elections. But unlike what happened in Ijebu North, especially Ijebu Igbo, the party could not 'police' its vote just like the ANPP in Egbaland. It was thus easy to 'officially' reverse its victory. The DPA, with its obviously meagre economic war chest, has excellent organisational ability in its area of popularity - Ijebuland..