Exemplary Characteristics Of Leaders In APC, Emulate Senator Ajibola Basiru By Sarafadeen Ojo

This season of Ileya festival is characterised by felicitation to each other, most especially our Muslim brethren that are most concerned in the Ileya celebration. It is also a season of gift to individuals as well as corporate entities, most especially among the political groups. It is, therefore, worthwhile to felicitate with our Muslim brethren in APC, wishing all a prosperous celebration and divine reward from sacrifices made during the season.

An evaluation of gift sharing in APC during this ongoing Ileya festival from some of our leaders does not portray exemplary characteristics of leaders in politics. Leadership in politics is shaped by opportunity and acceptance. Leaders are favoured by circumstances that serve as opportunities, which individuals exploit to access political gains. Since not all members of the political group have such opportunities, those favoured must extend rewards to those who do not have. Simply put, political leaders must be inclusive in their reward system and ensure that no matter how little, everybody feels rewarded for their membership of their party. However, it may not be possible for everybody to have equal chances of being rewarded. Whatever is received must be taken within the mindset of stewardship and a clean mind of giving.

Unfortunately, in the ongoing season of the Ileya festival, some political leaders in Osun APC have failed to show inclusiveness and broad grassroot patronage in their distribution of Ileya gifts. As the party is preparing for the selection of its governorship candidacy to represent the party in 2026 governorship election in Osun state, aspirants have started showing interests and the party seems to have built up different political camps representing each of the aspirants. Thus, camping has been used, to date, in the distribution of gifts during the Ileya celebration in the party.

Among the aspirants for the governorship election in APC, at today, the Ileya day, only Senator Dr. Ajibola Surajudeen Basiru has shown widespread distribution of gifts across the state irrespective of political alignment. He distributed rice to all members of his party across all the 332 wards in the state, using the party strutures in its gift distributions. He also selected stakeholders to give special gifts, including rams, rice, and cash, in the party without consideration for their political alignments in the party. Honestly, I was surprised to receive a bank alert from the Alubarikah movement,the campaign organisation for the governorship bid of Dr. Ajibola Basiru, despite the fact that i do not belong to his group . I also read from social media that many political gladiators who are not supporting his ambition attested and thanked him for his gifts, extended to them. Senator Iyiola Omisore also distributed rewards across the party structures. This character is a demonstration of the exemplary character of a political leader endowed in Dr Ajibola Surajudeen Basiru. This character singled him out among the APC governorship aspirants in the forthcoming 2026 election. It shows that he is man of the party with inclusive mind and ability to share rewards to all.

Unfortunately, other aspirants have limited their gifts to their supporters and some critical stakeholders. Some of them have also abandoned the party structure in sharing their rewards in the party. They carefully identified their supporters and singled them out for Ileya gifts. It should be noted that our sentiment should not shape the reward system in politics. This l inimical character undermines the support base of the party and strengthens enmity in the party. What was caused at the present allocation of office on federal appointments in Osun state is already taking its tolls on the party. Once a member of the party, everybody is expected to have access to the reward system. Not all can be governors or in political offices at the same time. It is, therefore, the responsibility of those that are favoured to distribute rewards to those that are less favoured. Sharing of political offices and other rewards in politics must not be done within one’s supporters. It has to be all-inclusive.

Hon Sarafadeen Ojo
Ward 4
Ogo Oluwa LGA
Osun state.

Disclaimer: This piece represents the opinion of the writer not that of CityMirrorNews