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Re: Tinubu’s unfinished business–Yinka Odumakin

Re: Tinubu’s unfinished business–Yinka Odumakin New York[RR]Abuja–PAUL Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was Adolf Hitler’s Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany. He also served as Chancellor for one day, following Hitler’s death. He was known for his zealous and energetic oratory and virulent anti-Semitism. One of his famous quotes is that if […]

OSOBA-TINUBU

Re: Tinubu’s unfinished business–Yinka Odumakin

New York[RR]Abuja–PAUL Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was Adolf Hitler’s Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany. He also served as Chancellor for one day, following Hitler’s death. He was known for his zealous and energetic oratory and virulent anti-Semitism. One of his famous quotes is that if you repeat a lie often it becomes the truth and if you tell a lie so big enough people would start to believe it. File Photo: THE APC NATIONAL LEADER , ASIWAJU AHMED TINUBU, TESTING ONE OF THE CAB AFTER FLAGGING –OFF THE 1ST FACE OF KADUNA CABS SCHEME AT MURTALA SQUARE, KADUNA ON WEDNESDAY. PHOTO:OLU AJAYI. That came rushing in my memory as I read Ochereome Nnanna ‘s “Bola Tinubu’s unfinished business” (Vanguard, April 4, 2016) where he repeated the untruth that has been told against the memory of the late Afenifere Leader, Senator Abraham Adesanya in the years after his demise. He wrote and I quote:”One of Tinubu’s rare acts of political vision was his refusal to join the other five AD Governors of the South West under the directive of Afenifere, to support former President Olusegun Obasanjo for a second term in office. Incidentally, all the governors who took Obasanjo’s poisoned bait – Lam Adesina of Oyo, Bisi Akande of Osun, Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti, Adebayo Adefarati of Ondo State and Olusegun Osoba of Ogun State – lost their states to Obasanjo’s PDP, with Tinubu (who had formed his own political party, the Action Congress) the last man standing. Not only did the Afenifere-propelled AD governors lose, the Afenifere itself, which Tinubu had distanced himself from because of their hobnobs with Obasanjo – collapsed as a political force” For the records For record purposes, Senator Bola Tinubu contested the 2003 elections under the Alliance for Democracy (AD). The ACN was not formed until 2006 as I headed the mobilisation committee that sold the ACN idea in the South West states. It is also not right to say that Tinubu severed relationship with Afenifere over “hobnobs with Obasanjo”. The truth of his estrangement with Afenifere was his quarrel with the late Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, the founding chairman of AD in Lagos state who threw his weight behind the late Engr. Funsho Wlliams at the 1999 governorship primaries in Lagos. It was the disagreement in Lagos between Tinubu and Dawodu that eventually led to the division in National AD which led to their holding two separate conventions, one at Eagles Square producing Alhaji Ahmed Abdukadir as Chairman and the other at Abuja Gardens electing Mallam Mamman Yusuf. The two factions of AD dug in for years with the late Chief Bola Ige, Deputy Leader of Afenifere who sought a pound of flesh over his loss to Chief Olu Falae at D’Rovans being the arrowhead of the Abdukadir group which had Senator Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Alhaji Lam Adesina and Otunba Niyi Adebayo as point men. Tinubu took over the group’s leadership after Ige’s murder in December 2001. The Yusuf side which had the support of leaders from Afenifere had in its fold Chief Adebayo Adefarati and Chief Segun Osoba. Senator Abraham Adesanya however remained a common factor to both sides of AD as he was able to insulate the group from taking sides with either faction thereby being able to call them together as occasion warranted . As 2003 elections drew near, Senator Adesanya tried to reconcile the two groups to have a united front. Several meetings were called with the Abdukadir group in South West on a high horse as it had INEC recognition. Abraham Adesanya’s offer Somehow, the two groups were harmonised in other five states leaving only Lagos where Dawodu-Tinubu conflict remained intractable. The last major meeting held at Ijebu-Igbo resolved that both groups should back Tinubu for second term as governor while the remaining political offices be shared 60% for Tinubu and 40% for Dawodu. Tinubu flatly refused to accept the proposition. A committee headed by Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Gen. Alani Akinrinade and my humble self as Secretary met both groups at Airport Hotel in Ikeja where Tinubu declared that he was unable to persuade his group to accept the formula. It was in the midst of all these that the so-called “hobnobs” with Obasanjo was going on. Let me state here and I challenge any living soul to contradict me that the whole deal was cut by ALL the AD governors and Senator Adesanya only tallied along like a general whose troops had gone in a direction. He is late now and cannot speak for himself but those of us who were eyewitnesses to history owe it to the memory of a self-sacrificing leader to defend his memory against orchestrated calumniation. Ige’s murder and turn of events Two months before Chief Ige was murdered, a reconciliation Committee headed by Chief Cornelius Adebayo with Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Mr. Jimi Agbaje as members and I as Secretary met him at his Ibadan residence where he told us matter-of-fact that the AD would not have a presidential candidate in the 2003 elections because he was the only one who could face him and it would be a stupid thing to do. He hinted of his impending resignation from Obasanjo’s administration. “I am coming home to rebuild AD. We will support Obasanjo but PDP would not win an inch of Yorubaland. This time around we will pick our own ministers into Obasanjo cabinet.” I remember telling Mr. Jimi Agbaje and discussing the naivety of such position with Mr. Agbaje as we returned to Lagos wondering how the fox in Obasanjo would allow him to be taunted as having no home base for the second term! At a meeting held in Senator Abraham Adesanya’s Apapa residence in February 2003, the AD governors told Senator Adesanya that they had held discussion with Obasanjo over his second term bid but informedhim they didn’t have the final say except he entered into discussions with their Leader. But before this, two fundamental things had taken place. One, the official AD controlled by the Governors had decided not to field a presidential candidate. Why would they take such a decision if they were not playing the script Chief Ige already hinted us as far back as 2001? Two, Obasanjo had held a meeting with the Governors Forum where the AD Governors shot down conducting Local Government elections across the country even to the consternation of their PDP colleagues. They already counseled Obasanjo before the meeting that if the elections were held he would not win in the South west and that would give an edge to his opponents in terms of delegates to the PDP National Convention. By the time Senator Adesanya came on the scene, there were three major meetings with Obasanjo. The first was in his Otta Farm where the governors minus Tinubu were present. Chief C.O Adebayo and Senator Femi Okurorounmu were appointed spokespersons. Three issues were tabled before Obasanjo as conditions to support him. He must guarantee free and fair election,organise credible census and restructure the country.

To be continued.

Re: Tinubu’s unfinished business (2) ON APRIL 19, 201612:49 AMIN CANDID NOTESCOMMENTS 5 0

By Yinka Odumakin

AFTER Chief C.O Adebayo and Senator Femi Okurorounmu had presented Afenifere’s position , Obasanjo cleared his throat and got up to speak. Chief Olusegun Osoba asked him to sit and address the meeting as one of his legs was hurting him but he responded: “How can I sit to address my leaders? Former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba with APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at a meeting in Lagos on Sunday. He started off by appreciating the delegation for honouring his invitation. He then picked the issues raised one after the other. First, he said he was for free and fair elections as he believed in “cooperative competition”. He said that informed his decision to have lunch with Chief Adebayo Adefarati after he finished the PDP campaign in Ondo state. He added that when he got to Oyo state and discovered there was trouble in Oyo state when he visited, he had to wade in and resolve the rift. The missing billboards He said the problem in Oyo state started when Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu went to town removing Alhaji Lam Adesina’s billboards in retaliation over the uprooting of Senator Rasheed Ladoja’s billboards. He was able to call the three of them together and he asked Ladoja why he did not call Lam when he noticed his boards were removed, his response was that he only reported the matter to Adedibu. He then asked Lam what happened and the governor explained that it was the agency in charge of environment that removed illegal billboards and that they removed some of his as well. He then turned to Adedibu to know why he did not call his two younger brothers to resolve the problem asking him what type of legacy he would want to leave behind. He said Adedibu replied thus: “I created a problem and you president of Nigeria is here to resolve it,what legacy are you asking me to leave behind again?”. On the issue of census, he said he was already talking to some foreign company about aerial mapping and that things were being done to know the number of school age children across the country and all those who were enrolled. And that with the National I.D card and Voters registry,only random sampling would be required to have accurate census. On restructuring,he said that he did not personally accept that Kano which was same division with Lagos would have two states and 77 local governments now while Lagos has only 20. He however said it is not only Obasanjo who would restructure Nigeria, all stakeholders had to be involved .He then turned to Okurounmu and asked “what are you people doing about the bill for restructuring before the National Assembly.” As usual, the meeting did not end without him throwing his usual banters. He exchanged some with Chief Ayo Adebanjo. He also turned to Otunba Niyi Adebayo to mention their meeting at a Parents-Teachers Association meeting. Otunba Adebayo replied that he didn’t know that Obasanjo still had children who could be his own classmates and Obasanjo said “Look at you, I still have in Nursery schools.” The meeting ended with a decision that both sides should have smaller teams to expand the discussion in a fortnight . The Afenifere team therefore retreated to Gateway Hotel where Chief Osoba arranged refreshments to review the meeting. It was at the review meeting that Chief Ayo Adebanjo said Obasanjo who obviously spoke with sugar in his mouth appeared a “born again”. The fortnight follow up meeting was a disappointment as Obasanjo arrived the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta ahead of the agreed time. Senator Adesanya who had Chief C.O Adebayo and myself with him arrived the venue to meet Obasanjo who came with Chief Bode George and Haruna Elewi with Chief Osoba and Chief Bisi Akande. Obasanjo announced to Papa that “we have discussed” and went on to add that he had received reports that some of the AD governors have been campaigning for him. I reported my observations at the meeting to a small group which met Papa Adesanya to draw his attention to the fact that Obasanjo was playing games with the engagement. Worried, Adesanya requested for another meeting with Obasanjo and now called in the Awujale of Ijebuland, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi and Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu. Papa told Obasanjo at the meeting that he is aware that in the military there is a strategy to lure the enemy into false safety and launch a ferocious attack. He said he had a feeling that was what Obasanjo was up to. The Ebora kept a straight face. Bishop Gbonigi thereafter said he had information that fake solders were being kitted to rig the South West for the PDP. Obasanjo asked him his source and he said it was Chief Adefarati.” Adefarati is a liar” thundered Obasanjo. “I have known Adefarati from our schooldays, he is not a liar,” responded Bishop Gbonigi. Awujale came in at that point to say the onus was on Obasanjo to conduct a free and fair elections. While the AD Governors were sold on the idea of a pact with OBJ, his footmen were already digging in. One Bola Shofu was carrying on all sorts of legal shenanigans in Ogun state but Chief Osoba wrestled him down through Mr Niyi Akintola(SAN). Tactics and strategy The same attorney fought Adefarati’s case in Ondo state. While Lam was doing “Aremu Isale and Aremu Oke” in Oyo state, Adedibu and his army were being armed to the teeth to rout him. By the time elections came in April, Obasanjo took out five of the governors except Lagos where Asiwaju Tinubu remained “the last man standing”. After Obasanjo got the results, he was said to have tapped his renowned belly and said “this my stomach is full of tactics and strategy.” I must not to mention one little incident in this narration. When Senator Adesanya turned 80 in 2002, Obasanjo attended the Church service in Ijebuland-Igbo. When the service was over, he stopped over in Papa’s house at Oke Agbo but refused any refreshments and left. As we got to the first meeting of Afenifere in the compound after the event, the heaven opened immediately after the opening payer and we could not hold the meeting. Papa went upstairs and some of us went to meet him. I recalled Mr. Funminiyi Afiuye asking him what was happening as no such thing ever happened in all the years we have been holding meetings in that compound and Papa answered “Ko yemi (I don’t understand what is going on) Now to the issue in contention. Senator Adesanya came on the radar in the long episode. The involvement of Adesanya in this whole process was between January-March 2003. Meanwhile, Obasanjo held the first meeting with the AD governors in January 2002. That meeting was facilitated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He had gone with Obasanjo to the University of Lagos convocation that day to use his popularity to shield the President who feared the students might attack him. After the convocation,the duo joined the rest of the AD governors at Dodan Barracks. Interests of Yoruba people Obasanjo told them he had called them to discuss with them in the interest of Yoruba people and expressed gratitude to Governor Tinubu whom he said had been in consultations with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for facilitating the meeting. It was at the meeting the issue of electoral pact was first broached. Asiwaju Tinubu was to later declare at a rally that Lagos would give Obasanjo the maximum votes any presidential candidate can have. He would later turn his back on this promise due to the fact that Atiku who had fallen out with Obasanjo briefed him on what Obasanjo was up to. It is doubtful if he shared the privilege information with his colleagues. That he already developed a new game plan became manifest when his Information Commissioner Mr. Dele Alake went on LTV telling Lagosians to vote AD in all elections. That was where they developed “Jeun Soke”(chop up) as AD was the first party on the ballot. I have gone to this extent as a public intellectual in service of the cause of truth. There is so much revisionism going on in our society concerning recent history to which some of us were in the first row. I have records of all Afenifere meetings held in all the period I have run through in this narration if anyone wants to dispute my narration. To the memory of that selfless and distinguished patriot, Senator Abraham Adeasnya I say:you served your people with your life.Your life practically ended after the 2003 perfidy by the grand fox and we owe your memory the duty to state the truth of what happened.Sun re o!

Credit: Yinka Odumakin, Vanguard

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