By Prince Friday Ogungbemi
History is the record of events at various times and seasons, the actors, perceived actors and nominial actors, the progressives and conservatives; they all play key roles in their given societies.
The Yagba Federal Constituency consists of three Local Government Areas of equal council status, independent of one another, which are as follows, Yagba East Local Government Area, Yagba West Local Government Area and Mopamuro Local Government Area. They have a long history of conventional arrangement on power sharing and rotation which is highly recognized and respected among the various groups in the federal constituency.
Therefore, our case in Yagba Federal Constituency in 2027 deserves a better approach and understanding from all actors. The none conventional rotation arrangement that has governed the House of Representatives seat in Yagba Federal Constituency from time immemorial should today be institutionalized instead of being rubbished as it were now.
The current arrangement for 2027 should be corrected by voting for the right axis which is Mopamuro Local Government Area. It is a known fact that politics is not arithmetic where one plus one will always be two.
With the current political situation in Yagba Federal Constituency, it might not be a win-win situation for anybody from Yagba East Local Government Area in 2027 who is aspiring for the seat of House of Representatives.
Record has it under the current political rejuvenation that in1999 Hon. Chief Shola Ojo from Mopamuro Local Government Area was elected to the House of Representatives on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999-2003 and despite the presence of the political heavy weights in the Mopamuro LGA he had just a tenure then.
The rotation arrangement moved the position to Yagba East Local Government Area in 2003 then Hon. Chief Tolorunju Joseph Faniyi had the opportunity of being our representative in 2003-2007 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Hon. Faniyi equally had a tenure and left the National Assembly as a respecter of the convention.
Hon. Otunba Samuel Bamidele Aro from Yagba West Local Government Area was equally elected to the House of Representatives on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party in 2007- 2011 he had a tenure there, though he contested for the second term, but he was defeated in 2011.
These representatives variously did their best under the different circumstances and administrations they found themselves then, all these today have become history.
Hon. Sunday Steve Karimi as he was known then from Yagba West Local Government Area won the election on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011-2019 he had a two-term tenure in the House of Representatives. His tenure was the beginning of the second round rotation of the office among the various Local Government Areas in the Yagba Federal Constituency.
Hon. Sunday Karimi did not contest any party primary neither was he in the general election in 2019.
Hon. Elder Leke Abejide from Yagba East Local Government Area won the election in 2019 on the platform Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) for his first tenure in the House of Representatives between 2019 – 2023. He contested and won his second tenure in 2023 on the platform of the same ADC which will last till May 2027.
Hon Leke Abejide defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2026 and contested the party primary and he won the party primary election and he his the candidate for House of Representatives in 2027 in APC.
While the agitation for power rotation in Yagba Federal Constituency in 2027 is very loud and clear against the ongoing political permutations in Yagba Federal Constituency might be an hercules task for the predetators and the antagonist of the rotation arrangement.
It is very obvious that money-politics is very visible in our today’s society and against all variables the ambition of Hon. Elder Leke Abejide still appears like a very tall dreams for him to accomplish as Yagba people cannot be easily bought over. As the people are all aware that their future lies in their hands, and that the evil seeds we. are planting today our children will reap from it tomorrow.
As the Yagba political landscape is already in tumor now. If we are precisely and truly going to learn from our past experiences, and forge a united entity of the Yagba block selfish ambitions and aspirations should not dominate our political landscape as it were now. I equally believe that all those political merchants and barons who are very eloquently audible in the lullaby songs whose desires for stomach infrastructure know no bounds. But they are prepared to drive Yagba people to a halt, not minding the consequence of their actions.
There is no doubt of the fact that Yagba people in their individuals are great personalities who will not allow themselves to be bamboozled around against their wishes. We must be careful not to allow one individual ambition to tear us apart.
As a people, we must realize that there can never be any genuine unity, sincere love and brotherhood, true peace and stability in Yagba land until we allow justice and fairness to prevails in all we do towards one another.
The Yagba people must reflect on the fact that power is a loan. It is never truly owned, only held for a while. Whether it comes through politics, appointment, influence, or privilege, power has an expiry date. Yet, many who hold-on to positions or offices or authority forgetting this fundamental truth. They build monuments around themselves, silence the voices around them, and focus on preserving their grip on power rather than using it to empower others. Unfortunately, by the time the truth becomes evident, it’s often too late to do the needful.
Leadership, in its truest form, is not about how long you stayed in an office or position. But it is rather, about what you do while you’re there. The greatest misuse of power is to leave people the same or worse than you met them. The greatest honour is to uplift others in your wake because one day, the spotlight will shift, the position will change hands, and the very people you ignored will become the ones who determine your place in history.
For the people of Yagba West LGA, I am in doubt if they are prepared to tarry further beyond 2035 to have their opportunity to go to the House of Representatives again, therefore there are many intricacies to consider in Hon. Leke Abejide 2027 House of Representatives aspirations and ambition.
Though we have a lot of social media politicians and noise makers who can assure and guarantee what they cannot accomplish to the politicians who are desperate for positions or offices.
The people from Yagba East Local Government Area particularly those from Isanlu axis will equally not be too keen to continuously become onlookers indefinitely. They will want the merry to roll round to their turn there are so many issues to be considered while taking positions on every matter.
The struggles and agitations with the popular slogan, “Mopamuro Lokan” is not whole a Mopamuro Local Government Area affairs alone but a general struggle for the emancipation of the Yagba people from oppression by the political merchants and barons who use some baits to continuously deceive our people turning them to willing tools to achieve their inordinate political ambitions. We should not let anyone to fool us for them to get their objectives accomplished.
What the Yagba people lacks today is sincere leadership who could stand up for their people. What these politicians are investing in our land are nothing to write home about, we should stop fooling ourselves, they do not love us at all.
Our primary schools have no teachers, the secondary schools equally have no teachers, the Primary Health Care Centers have no nurses and no feeder roads to our rural communities. Yet they proclaimed and make us believe they are dinning and winning with leaders in authority, but there is nothing to show for it, these are nothing more than name dropping before the rural masses.
There is no doubt that Hon. Leke Abejide has done his best in the circumstances he finds himself. While the Yagba people may wish him best of luck in his future endeavours but not in the contest for the House of Representatives in 2027.
Let us all agree to this unconditionally and make a clarion call on all Yagba sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora should come together to champion the cause of a united Yagba and be part of history.
Finally I wish to call upon the Yagba people at home and in the diaspora to let us play politics by the rules of the game in this matter before it is too late for us as an entity. Let us all put on our thinking caps and don’t allow our individual ambitions to thwart our opportunities as Yagba people. Please as Yagba people let us allow reason to prevail on us all. “Yagba o’oni baje ooo”.
– Prince Friday Ogungbemi writes from Yagba West.
