2027: Olajengbesi Challenges Ijesa North To End Oke’s 28-Year Political Ambition

The Accord Party candidate for Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has challenged political leaders and influential stakeholders from Ijesa North, both at home and in the diaspora, to resist what he described as an attempt by the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Wole Oke, to extend his stay in the House of Representatives to 28 years.

Olajengbesi made the call in the third volume of his political epistle titled “Ijesa North, Rise Now – Vol. 3,” where he urged the people of Oriade and Obokun Local Government Areas to reject what he characterised as money-driven politics and demand leadership anchored on competence, character and fresh ideas.

He alleged that Oke had developed a sense of political invincibility because of his financial strength, expressing confidence that the people of Ijesa North could prove that political influence and wealth do not automatically translate into ownership of the people’s mandate.

The Accord candidate lamented that money had allegedly become the dominant consideration in the constituency’s political landscape, pushing merit, integrity and genuine commitment to development to the background.

Recounting his political experience, Olajengbesi said that in August 2016, when he was 30 years old and indicated interest in contesting for the House of Representatives, one of Oke’s associates, Hon. Niyi Ajifowobaje, allegedly told him that he would need to be prepared to “throw N500 million into a river” and spend as much as N1 billion to be taken seriously as a contender in Oriade and Obokun.

He further disclosed that a 16-page assessment prepared for him by a group of young political strategists on July 11, 2017, concluded that money was the major selling point of Oke’s political appeal, alleging that the incumbent had little to offer in terms of fresh ideas, innovation and inspiration for younger generations.

Olajengbesi also claimed that Oke once boasted of purchasing return flight tickets for political challengers based in the diaspora and financially settling local opponents to neutralise their ambitions.

According to him, the lawmaker allegedly maintained that nobody in Oriade or Obokun could spend up to 20 per cent of what he commits to elections.

The Accord candidate called on individuals with integrity, competence and genuine development-driven ideas, who had stayed away from politics because of the perceived financial barriers, to become actively involved in the political process.

He argued that no aspiring leader from the constituency should be required to possess billions of naira before having the opportunity to present ideas and seek the people’s mandate.

“I defeated the poverty of the mind a long time ago. I refuse to believe that a young man or woman from Oriade or Obokun must first find a billion naira before anyone will listen to what they have to offer,” he said.

He urged voters to demonstrate their independence at the ballot, insisting that the people’s mandate should not be determined by the financial capacity of any political officeholder.

“On election day, let the self-styled landlord find out who truly owns the mandate. Let’s make his money useless so that we can all say again, ‘Owo ti wo igbo,'” he added.