Osun Politics: The Intrigues Between Governor Adeleke & Babayemi
A report emerged yesterday that a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, which is loyal to Dotun Babayemi, has left the party and joined the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state. There have been intrigues between the Gbongan prince and the incumbent Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke.
They both conducted parallel primary elections ahead of the Osun 2022 gubernatorial election. But the national working committee of the party recognized Adeleke’s victory and presented him to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He went on to win the governorship poll in August, 2022.
But the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Babayemi’s loyalists have reportedly joined, didn’t give the governor much to worry about. His main rival is the prince who has made it clear that Adeleke is using his mandate.
The Adeleke’s side of the PDP orchestrated his suspension and later expulsion from the party. The PDP’s headquarters ratified the decision of Ward 2 of Ayedaade Local Government chapter of the party to do away with the big spender, Babayemi. Yet he has repeatedly claimed that his expulsion can’t stand and that he’s a bonafide member of the party.
So, it’s been a forth-and-back matter. It’s been accusation and counter-accusation. Later on, the Babayemi’s faction came up with “Atunto Osun”, which can be literally translated to “Osun restructuring”. They celebrated the launch of the movement across the state even though they didn’t explicitly make the platform on which they intended to project the movement known.
Prince Dotun Babayemi also granted an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune after the launch of the movement, Atunto Osun. He heavily criticised poor governance which has continued under Governor Ademola Adeleke, his main political rival. He presented himself as the main alternative to achieve good governance and give dividends of democracy to the impoverished people of Osun State.
Yesterday, Friday, 8 March, 2024, a report emerged first on WhatsApp that a group of PDP’s chieftains who are loyal to the Gbongan prince had joined the All Progressives Congress. In the report, a veteran politician from Ayedaade Local Government Area, Mr. Segun Odekunmi led others to the party. He described Ademola Adeleke as being selfish, and having agenda for Ede, his hometown alone. Elder Ayo Afolabi, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Irewole Federal Constituency welcomed the defectors.
A youth leader, Dapo Adeniran and the returning officer for the Babayemi’s factional primary election, Adelani Ajanaku were among the defectors. They are mainly from Gbongan, the headquarters of Ayedaade, and of course, the hometown of Dotun Babayemi.
Online Parrot News contacted Mr. Adediran via WhatsApp to ask question about the reported defection. He confirmed to us the news platform that they had defected to the All Progressives Congress, and that he wouldn’t disclose more than that.
The big man, the big spender himself has not announced his defection. Those who have announced their defection are key loyalists and kinsmen of the prince. And it’s not likely they have jilted their principal.
Babayemi isn’t new to the All Progressives Congress. He started his rather tumultuous journey in politics in the political party in 2014. He once said in discussions that the APC offered him the ticket for the Ayedaade-Irewole-Isokan federal constituency. He said he rejected it because “it’s too low and insignificant to him”. He wanted the Senate.
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, he dumped the APC even though the party was yet to conduct the primary elections for the general polls. He preempted and joined the then secretary to the state government, Moshood Adeoti to move their structure to the little-known Action Democratic Party (ADP).
The ADP fielded him as its candidate for Osun West Senatorial District. Babayemi came a distant third behind the APC and PDP’s candidate. After the election, Babayemi calculatively joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). One would have expected him to wait till 2023 to retry his bid for the House of Senate. He had another plan.
He started consulting and putting things in place not only in the 10-LGA Osun West, but also across the other 20 local government areas of the state. He wanted to be the candidate of the PDP for the 2022 gubernatorial election. And that is the genesis of his political rift with Ademola Adeleke.
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