An untold story about Osun's poll

As Nigerians assess the conduct of the July 16, 2022 poll in Osun State, particularly on the immediate and long-term implications for the 2023 general elections, KUNLE ODEREMI reports on a certain whim behind the scenes in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a few hours before the ballot.

DATE: Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, and the date was July 14, 2022. Best shots of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), in a last-minute move to forge a front united ahead of the gubernatorial ballot, called a crucial meeting. It was the latest in a series of “family” reconciliation efforts to cement all the cracks to secure a resounding victory. Hours earlier, incumbent and former governors also met in the state capitol to resolve the protracted feud threatening the PDP's chances in the final election of the season ahead of the 2023 general election. that the frantic efforts had begun to bear fruit became apparent when the leaders told our correspondent that in a few hours victory was certain on the ballot.

This was the scenario of the PDP in the Osun State chapter at the zero hour of elections held amid heightened tension and a backstop thrown over the state. Some untold details of the final interventions that ensured the victory of the PDP candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke indicated that the trio; a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Governor of Bayelsa State and Chairman of the Campaign Council of the PDP Government 2022 Osun, Senator Duoye Diri and Governor of Do State, Godwin Obaseki were indeed the arrowheads of the movements that opened the way to his victory.

The Adelekes inherited the political legacy of the late Patriarch and Asiwaju of Edeland, who was also a Second Republic Senator, Ayoola Adeleke. They deployed the mechanisms to rally support for Senator Ademola Adeleke in his bid to become governor of the state. It is recalled that the 2018 gubernatorial ballot in the state was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Adeleke had won the first round of voting and in the controversial rerun led by the commission, the PDP candidate lost by 200 votes. Within PDP, there were concerns that a similar scenario could play out again if key stakeholders let their guard down and paid little heed to eternal vigilance; that nothing should be taken for granted. Therefore, all hands had to be on deck implementing the best strategies. The achievement informed what some inside sources described as the PDP's decision to select some of its most experienced strategists for the National Campaign Council. According to some of the insiders, three of the members devoted more time and resources to campaigns, especially in the final days of the election and afterwards. Among them were a former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki; Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Duoye Diri, and his counterpart from Edo, Governor Godwin Obaseki. While Diri was Chairman of the National Campaign Council, Obaseki, who knows the PDP candidate's older brother, Deji Adeleke from their days in the financial sector in Lagos, also deployed his knowledge and experience during his second candidacy in 2020. Then he had to face certain forces in the All Progressives Congress (APC) determined to frustrate his ambition. Thus, his winning strategy was considered relevant. He agreed to pass the experience on to the PDP and similarly the party helped him defeat the APC forces led by APC National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a political ally loyal to Senator Bola Tinubu, now the APC presidential candidate for 2023. .

According to the sources, a number of factors informed Saraki's decision to be neck-deep in the Adeleke project, one of which is the congruence of Osun State with his home state , Kwara State. Saraki believes that as a party leader, he needs Osun State to protect against possible PDP sabotage in Kwara State in the 2023 elections. A PDP victory in Osun will guide against any semblance of a threat to the party's chances of rebounding to power in Kwara in 2023. The other reason in the camp of the former Senate president is based on his position as chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation and Strategic Committee (NRSC). He knew how to solve the crisis of the party in the state and as such knowing all the stakes, bigwigs. He also published the imperative of peace, stability and cohesion in Osun's DPP to humiliate other parties in the July 16 poll. Therefore, Saraki teamed up with others to help the Adelekes rally all the forces and people behind the PDP candidate at the last minute to secure victory against a "divided APC".

Of course, there was another salient factor going back to the Second Republic. The late Kwara political strongman, Oloye Olusola Saraki was a colleague of the Ad...