Ibikunle Amosun’s Garment of Shame
Perhaps, if the outgoing governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, had been more circumspect, he would have heeded the advice of several chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and backed the candidate chosen by the party, Dapo Abiodun, before the March 9 governorship election.
He, however, shunned the wise counsel. His actions and inaction betrayed one who seemed to have a pathological hatred for Abiodun. He was even blinded by his arrogance.
Today, the Owu, Ogun State- born politician, who does not have any shame or scruple wearing his flamboyant garb of arrogance, is ruing his action, as his preferred candidate, Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Progressives Movement, was defeated by Abiodun.
It will be recalled that shortly after Abiodun won the APC primary, he threatened fire and brimstone, saying that Abiodun would never succeed him.
In his desperate bid to upturn the mandate given to Abiodun, he visited President Muhamadu Buhari and top monarchs in the state on several occasions, all to no avail.
Many have not forgotten how he usually boasted that the President would grant his wish; otherwise, he would dump APC for Accord Party.
Amosun had reportedly issued this threat during a meeting with some party leaders and his loyalists across the 20 local government areas of the state held at his private residence located inside Ibara GRA,Abeokuta, where he lambasted some of the party leadership, including a former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for attempting to disgrace him.
In one of his visits to Aso Rock, he got the shock of his life when the President reportedly told him frankly that he would not want to go against the NWC decision.
In fact, Amosun’s stubbornness really unsettled leaders of the party, who had mounted pressure on him to place the interest of the party above his personal interest.
This created a crisis among the leaders, particularly after Buhari was embarrassed during his presidential campaign in Abeokuta.
Despite being tongue-lashed by the APC, the governor remained unperturbed, even after being suspended from the party for anti-party activities.
He was said to have also berated those he termed “Abuja connection APC” for standing the rules of the primary election on its head to produce Abiodun as the party’s candidate instead of Akinlade, who emerged through a direct primary.
To date, many wonder why Amosun had settled for a Akinlade, in spite of the fact that Ogun State parades a line-up of sterling technocrats and politicians with time-tested, brilliant records of public service.
His choice of candidate made many to conclude that he probably has some skeletons in his cupboard that he needs a character like Akinlade to cover.