When Will PDP Collects ‘Gbekude’ From Dotun Babayemi To Rescue Its ‘Abiku’s Victory?

By Sodiq Adewale Chocomilo

……It is interesting to note that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will likely be tasting power again. This is coming barely 12 years after an appeal court sitting in Ibadan sacked its candidate, Olagunsoye Oyinlola from office over proven allegation of multiple voting, violence among others and declared Rauf Aregbesola, the candidate of Action Congress as the winner of the 2007 Osun gubernatorial election.

,,,,,,For 12 years, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fought so hard to climb the ladder back to power but every effort to taste power ended in futility. The relationship of Osun people and the Action Congress which merged with some political parties to form All Progressives Congress (APC) was smooth until it suffered setbacks in the second tenure of Rauf Aregbesola, the former governor of the state.

Introduction of modulated salary popularly known as ‘half salary, abandoned projects, high debt profile, reclassification of schools, same sex and single uniform among others were factors responsible for the setbacks. APC defeated its closest rival, PDP with over 100,000 votes in 2014 despite federal might but labored hard to win with less than 600 votes in 2018. It clearly shows that majority of eligible voters have lost confidence in the ability of the party to bring prosperity and progress to the state. Political struggles of the PDP have finally paid off after 12 years.

PDP appears to be childish with power. Recent developments in the party have shown that the party is at war with itself and has no regard or respect for sacrifices and efforts made by members to make it victorious. Have you heard or read the story of ”abiku’? Abikus do not consider the pains of their mothers neither do they put into consideration the resources exhausted on their naming ceremonies. They come to the world to give temporal joy to their parents and exit without notice. Abikus are joys that do not last long.

,,,,,,,The continued escalation of internal crisis rocking the party is a time-bomb if not properly accessed. I have fears that the PDP’s victory might be an ‘Abiku’ if situations surrounding the crisis are not responsibly addressed. When a child is an Abiku, there are ways to make the child stay and live longer. A diviner who understands the language of the gods and is in communication with the spirits would find it easier to tame an Abiku child and make her useful for her parents. In taming an Abiku child, it involves processes. These processes require sacrifices. Processes plus sacrifices tame Abikus and allow them to stay longer.

It is surprising that elders of the Peoples Democratic Party are watching their Abiku’s victory with evil eyes. I have read several opinions including statements from certain individuals struggling to embrace the new bride with rhetorics. They do not care if the Abiku child of the new bride dies or not.

They only want to eat, have fun at the naming ceremony while they abandon the survival of the child and allow parents to bear the brunt. That is why it is important for guardians of the new bride including her well wishers and relatives to ensure the child survives because it will be their personal loss.

…..Senator Ademola Adeleke is the bride. PDP as a political party is the groom. Adeleke dynasty represents the family of the bride while the victory of the PDP at Osun guber poll is the Abiku child. Spin writers, hallelujah boys are the attendees of the naming ceremony.

I really doubt if the Osun PDP leadership understands what is at stake. In a statement signed by the caretaker chairman, the party threatened to discipline Prince Dotun Babayemi and other fellows in his camp if they fail to back down from their legal struggles against the party. That statement was very unnecessary.

If you want to collect a fried beans cake from a child, you do not ask him or her to throw it away. You simply pour honey in the other hand, the child would voluntarily throw the beans cake away. Prince Dotun Babayemi is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. He bought the guber nomination and expression forms. He was declared by another faction in the PDP as their guber candidate and also worked towards the victory of the party at the polls.

,,,,,,It is no longer news that the location and organisers of guber primaries that made Prince Dotun Babayemi a candidate are contestable while the party delegates that voted at the primaries that made Senator Adeleke a candidate are also contestable. If Senator Adeleke could not prove the legitimacy of party delegates that made him a gubernatorial candidate, it is possible that he will not be returned elected come November 26. The argument of location and organisers of party primaries that made Dotun Babayemi a guber candidate too would likely not make him a beneficiary of the top seat. When two cows fight to finish over grass, they end up losing the grass and allow stranger to feed on it.

The continued legal tussle between the duo is posing a great danger and how the state leadership of the party is managing it would only make it worse. Treating the mother of an Abiku’s well at the expense of the person who owns the “Gbekude” hanging on the child’s neck would only make the grim reaper grows in strength. The state leadership of the PDP must come in terms to reality and see Prince Dotun Babayemi and his camp as genuine political threats and traps.

Against the predictions of naysayers and calculations of political contractors on this matter, it is worthy to note that Prince Dotun Babayemi has people in his camp to appease. He has followers who abandoned everything including the jollof-rice of the Adelekes to support him.

..,,,,,These people needs to be compensated. Prince Dotun Babayemi equally knows that if Senator Adeleke finally becomes the governor of the state, his dream and hope to contest for governor under PDP in the next eight years is already shattered. Both Senator Adeleke and Prince Dotun Babayemi come from Osun West Senatorial district. Whatever PDP as a party and Senator Adeleke as a governor-elect have on the negotiation table must definitely worth it. Adeleke’s dynasty and PDP as a party must work together to ensure that ‘Abiku’s victory’ must not die.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo is a journalist and writes from Ilesa, the former administrative headquarters of Ijesaland.

[WITHIN NIGERIA]