OLUSEGUN OBASANJO HUMBLED, CHASED OUT OF YORUBA SOUTHWEST?

 

Icheoku says, from the just concluded Nigeria elections 2011, has emerged the biggest political loser of our time. Olusegun Obasanjo, the self-styled 'do or die' area-boy politician from Otta, whose failed third-term bid, permanently consigned him into Nigeria's most despicable political personalities wasteland won the award. 

The deity of Otta and chicken-farmer, was three times beaten and four times shied in the election. First, his sponsored candidate, Speaker Oladimeji Bankole lost his reelection bid back to the House of Representatives; then his own biological daughter Iyabo Obasanjo lost her Senate re-election bid as she could not sail to victory on her father's supposed mighty wings of destiny. Lastly, came the mother of all loses, the failure of his sponsored governorship candidate, Tunji Olurin, to emerge victorious as the next governor of Obasanjo's home State of Ogun. The result of a house divided among itself that was bound to fall as the fight for control of PDP machinery between Obasanjo and Governor Gbenga led to splinting of the party in Ogun State and thus further weakened an already fledgling party pummeled by an insurgent Bola Tinubu led ACN. This loss by Obasanjo's Tunji Olurin to ACN's Amosun was the biggest slap on the face of Olusegun Obasanjo and Icheoku asks with what face would this man still appear in Ogun State and in Nigeria, after being so politically decimated in his own home turf? 

Icheoku bemoans that Olusegun Obasanjo and Governor Olugbenga Daniel lost Ogun State chiefly by their infighting as neither of them, standing alone was a match to the now confirmed and crowned political successor of the late CHief Obafemi Awolowo in Yorubaland, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Gbenga will now say blame Obasanjo for not letting me win Ogun State for the PDP while Obasanjo will be saying blame that rascal Gbenga for refusing to take my dictation. Icheoku asks how is the mighty OBJ fallen or was this a confirmation that he rigged his party into power in the Yoruba Southwest during the previous elections of 2003 and 2007?  Anyway, the playing field has now been leveled and Obasanjo has once again been rejected by his own Yoruba people of Southwest Nigeria. 

So with the ACN sweep of the five states in Yorubaland, the party has now succeeded Awolowo's UPN as the bona-fide Yoruba regional party with Asiwaju Bolaji Tinubu presiding. Bola Tinubu who, like his predecessor Awolowo, shall never make it in national politics because of certain peculiarities of Yoruba politics of not trusting anyone else but themselves.  Moreso the North will never forgive Bola Tinubu, who they blame for sabotaging Buhari's prospective presidential election; and the Igbos may still have the problem of establishing trust on another Yoruba leader after their experience with Awolowo and Olusegun Obasanjo, whose policies burnt them badly. It is equally instructive that Nuhu Ribadu is still dazed and confused at the treachery he suffered in ACN controlled Yoruba Southwest when he lost woefully in the last presidential election. It is possible that the mallam is smarting to take his vengeance on Tinubu for leaving him high and dry midstream. Icheoku says but who blames Bola Tinubu for taking his revenge on Nuhu RIbadu after the later branded him the worst financial criminal in Nigeria and still dreams of becoming a presidential candidate in the formers political estate, ACN. Anyway, so long OBJ as Icheoku and the rest of Nigeria believes they have heard the last of your scorch and burn politics; 2015 might be too long for a bad man so aged to still be around and relevant. What an election this has been!