Oyo politics: Eleweomo resurfaces for yet another time
The deceased NURTW leader, Lateef Salako who is also known as Eleweomo has become a major topic in Oyo politics for more than a decade. He has come up again at least thirteen years after he painfully lost his life.
The PDP was organizing a congress at a primary school in Ona Ara Local Government Area. Violence erupted and the senator, who is currently representing Oyo Central Senatorial district, Teslim Folarin, came under an attack.
Two of his “boys” lost their lives in the fracas. But it didn’t end that way. The deceased NURTW leader, Eleweomo, was pursued, cornered, and butchered. He died in late December, 2010.
Oyo politics has maintained the topic of Eleweomo since that time. His killers may still be in the city of Ibadan till now. Nobody has faced prosecution let alone conviction over his murder.
Splash FM, Ibadan, organised a debate for the gubernatorial candidate. Mr. Teslim Folarin, the rumoured killer of the NURTW boss, attended the debate as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
In the heat of the debate, Mr. Seyi Makinde make a comment that exhume the buried topic in Oyo politics. The Oyo State governor, Makinde directed his question about the murder to Folarin.
Makinde asked, “The person calling someone an ex-convict…who killed Eleweomo? And where is the file? It is still with me as the governor of Oyo State. It’s a criminal case. I don’t want to bring it up right now”.
Threats are also part of Oyo politics. Makinde said he still had the file on the case. Why has he not opened it and brought the culprit to law? Why the hesitation or there is no enough evidence?
The governor made the comment while diplomatically defending Mr. Mukaila Lamidi, the Park Management System manager. He appointed Auxiliary after he had disbanded the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Folarin had accused Makinde of appointing an ex convict to supervise transportation in Oyo State. Since the appointment, Lamidi, who was sentenced in 2016, has become a part and parcel of Oyo politics.
Mr. Mukaila Lamidi has become a regular topic on radio stations in Ibadan. He faces accusation of indulging thugs and violence.
Folarin reacted to the covert accusation. He said, “Just because you’re the governor doesn’t give you the right to make irresponsible allegations. If you know who murdered Eleweomo and you have the file, I dare you to charge the person to court”.
The murder of Lateef Salako shook the state. It happened at a time Oyo politics is rife with violence, bloodletting, irregularities, arson and other criminal and unconstitutional activities.
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