By Dapo Oke

London, May 8, 2018 (AltAfrika)-I deem it necessary to once again put the history of Ogun Governorship elections and the story of Ogun west in its proper position and perspective away from the way many self acclaimed story tellers are representing the facts while presenting their usual fictions. This has become more expedient in the face of blatant lies and various misconceptions being concocted by some rented story tellers towards making people believe that Ogun west was responsible for the previous election losses. Their aim was to present the zone as a tarnished brand to prepare ways for acceptance of their wicked agenda.

As a student of history, I have learnt  from the basic  principle and conceptual theories of historiography that there is no mono-causal event in history. It therefore means that historical accounts of any events in history can only be well accounted for by examining both the remote and immediate causes. The story tellers of previous Ogun west elections’ failures have this as their major shortcoming in their historical projects. Hence there are several untold stories in their vague narations

Let me put it on record that the only time disunity can be cited as the last straw that broke the camel’s back in the political agenda of the Yewa people was in 1991 primary election of SDP when Professor Olabimtan and eight other aspirants could not reach a consensus to present a candidate to face Akinrogun Segun Osoba. All other elections since then have been subject of internal political wranglings among the major players and power brokers in the state politics. It unfortunate that all these story tellers often forget these versions  of the stories

We saw how the Ayepe meeting of AD produced Osoba without a primary election in 1999. We are all living witnesses to how Dele Arojo the leading Governorship Aspirant in PDP 2003 race was assassinated by unknown gunmen. It is surprising that non of the story tellers have posted that 2003 was an advantage snatched by Ogun East in the aftermath of the death of Arojo nor acknowledge the role Ogun west political leaders played in the emergence and  8 years rule of Otunba Gbenga Daniel from Ogun East.The story tellers have refused to give prominence to the fact that Are Jubril Martins Kuye also lost the 1999 gubernatorial race to Osoba while thesame Senatorial district was favored to re-present Ogd from the same Senatorial back to back in 2003 and 2007 as the second Civilian Governor from the East district.

Let me once again clear the air on the 2011 election which  many uninformed people often referred to as the best opportune time for Ogun west to have produced her first Governor for the state. The references in this theatrical episode are usually made without due consideration of the political circumstances in the state between 2009 to 2011. Their story tellers have forgotten how the ruling party became so divided and lost its electoral value before the general election. Unfortunately Ogun west ticket was produced and was dead on arrival.

You will recollect that immediately OGD gave the impression of looking at Ogun west for his supernatural successor, things fell apart in the hitherto strong and united party and till date the Centre is yet to hold in that party. I’m surprised that people expected the 2011 PDP to win the election with all the facts on the  table about the level of disunity and internal warfare among its real power brokers. I don’t know how any story teller will forget that the people of Ogun State voted for change in place of Continuity and how anyone with right sense of judgment will conclude that it was basically GNI and Olurin feuds that made Ogun west lost the election without reflecting on what created the impasse and the big roll call of the big elephants at the war front.

Again this assumption contradicted another principle of historiography that historical accounts of event in history are products of many remote causes promoting the immediate cause of the event: an indication in Yoruba parlance that people were merely looking at the veil without seeing the real masquerade. It is a truism that political parties rather than candidates win or loose elections. I therefore put it on record that PDP rather than Ogun west lost the 2011 and 2015 elections. That was the same election Iyabo  Obasanjo lost, when a sitting Speaker of the House of Reps could not win his Federal constituency, the election where the combination of Ladi Adebutu and OGD could not deliver the Remo federal constituency and so on. These story tellers never saw any fact in all these

The fact we need to note considerably is that it takes a strong and united party feeding an overwhelmingly popular candidate little efforts to win an election. It is also instructive that no matter Investment of money and efforts, a party at war with its members can never be victorious. I can point that 1979 and 1983 UPN that elected Onabanjo, the  1993 SDP that elected Osoba, the 1999 AD that elected Osoba, the 20003/2007 PDP that elected OGD and 2011 ACN that elected Amosun and 2015 APC that returned Amosun for second term were all strong, united, virile and well positioned political platforms that could never be compared to the 2011 and 2015 PDP platform that failed Ogun west at the Governor elections.

We therefore need to realize  that the electorate votes are counted across the state to produce the winner

It is in the light of this fact baring evidences that I want to submit that the people of Ogun State need to understand the precarious situation Ogun west political agenda had been subjected to in the previous elections through their party affiliations and patronage  of political leaders who allowed their political differences affect the agenda of the Yewa and Awori people and that in all these situations the Ogun west agenda were incapacitated beyond self redemption.

What the story tellers also refused to tell their reading audience that It is the responsibility of the people of Ogun State to elect an Ogun west Governor and this is our expectations in 2019.