By Aliyu Moshood Ajao
I have just read Senator Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe’s speech delivered at the unveiling of the G15’s new name, replacing its former identity.
What immediately caught my attention was his claim that the group stands for equity, fairness, and justice. That claim is difficult to reconcile with the political position he has chosen to take. Senator Oloriegbe, your actions appear to reflect personal ambition more than the principles of equity and fairness you profess. There is nothing inherently wrong with political ambition, but it should not be presented as a struggle for justice when the facts suggest otherwise.
How does aspiring to succeed a governor from your own region —a region that has occupied the governorship for 20 of the last 28 years —advance equity and fairness in a tripodal state? How do you justify opposing your party’s decision to zone the governorship ticket to Kwara North, the only senatorial district that has not produced a governor in this democratic dispensation? These are legitimate questions that deserve honest answers.
To many observers, it is difficult to see how this position aligns with the principles of fairness and justice. The rhetoric simply does not appear to match the conduct, and that inconsistency raises important concerns.
If the basis of your disagreement is the belief that your party’s primary process was flawed, you are certainly entitled to criticize it. Constructive criticism is part of democratic politics. However, such criticism should also acknowledge that many political leaders—including yourself—have benefited from party primaries that were far from perfect. That reality calls for consistency.
President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly been made aware of your position and has nevertheless continued to support your party’s decision. It is, therefore, difficult to reconcile repeated declarations of loyalty to the President with continued opposition to the position endorsed by both him and the party leadership.
Ultimately, the impression created by the group’s actions is that the struggle is less about equity and justice than about political interest. To many, the message appears to be: “If it is not us, then it should be nobody.”
Aliyu Moshood Ajao writes from Zango ward in Ilorin East Local Government, he was a former chairmanship aspirant. allymosh2016@gmail.com
