The APC Masquerade Dance on Osun 2018 Gov Election By Goke Butika

THE APC MASQUERADE DANCE
Goke Butika

Eyeba masquerade was the best dancing masquerade in the ancient Oyo kingdom until he caves in to the ring of overconfidence and lost the prize to Leebe masquerade, his rival. That gives Yoruba a new proverb that: “It was the “Ori” that bequeath Lebee masquerade a prize, we all knew Eyeba is the best.”

I have cautiously watched the raft of arguments trailing the governorship pick of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun and i found the entire scenario to be a compound nest of conspiracy theories that shows how the mind of human being works in time of struggle and in time of power intoxication.
While the struggle to dethrone the Olagunsoye Oyinlola led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lasted, the argument advanced by Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun who was then superintending the governorship pick of the opposition party he ran to when his friend and loyalist, the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar lost out of the power game at the centre, was that it was the turn of Osun East. The narrative gained traction and Governor Rauf Aregbesola got his media milage from it.
Yes, Aregbesola was eminently qualified and he was and still very popular, but when Oyinlola demanded to know why he turned to pariah, the answer readily available was that it was the turn of Osun East who had never tasted the seat of governor.
I recall that Erelu Olusola Obada once sounded Owa Obokun of Ijesa out on the need to support Oyinlola’s reelection and the monarch responded with drama, when he brought the then deputy governor to his new jeep and showed her its spare tyre before saying that Ijesa was tired of being spared tyre, that his people wanted a driver’s seat.
Yes, APC is fortunate to parade eminently qualified aspirants this time, as usual and i do not see reason why an aspirant should be demonized for any political reason. In fact, all aspirants should be lauded for coming out to exercise their fundamental right to vote and be voted for, irrespective of zone or camp.
However, i have come to realize as a reporter who witnessed and partook in the years of the struggle of APC and as a student of Philosophy, that politics is a game of emotion and it takes people with emotional intelligence to know the skew of narrative that can win election.
As it stands, the electorate in all zones are facing and sympathizing with Osun West, but some influential gladiators in the ruling party are playing ding dong game. It appears to me as if trenches is inviting the governing party again.
Left to me, i will settle for the best man who can govern with big table. Being a governor is not the big issue, the big picture is for him to assemble people with good heads who can help him with his big ideas that can make a huge difference in the life of people and such men of substance can be sourced from any zone. If that is the case, why is it difficult to source for a credible one in Osun west and have the challenges of electoral battle solved by half before the general election?
Let it be known that emotion rules the game of politics and reason prevails after election. So, any mistake made while the electioneering emotion is prevailing will shake and break the power table and the majority may become minority.
In my personal opinion, let the stakeholders of the APC apply emotional intelligence if they desire to stay in power, those who have made money and fame today will be too ordinary tomorrow. If power Changes hand and the men of today will become yesterday men. For instance, who is inviting former governor of Ondo state, the once upon a time Iroko himself, Segun Mimiko to any meeting again? He has become ordinary man in search of relevance. It becomes a philosophical law of THESIS, ANTITHESIS AND SYNTHESIS. “Saa laa ni, enikan ko laye.”

Strictly my personal opinion.