Why there might be a crisis in Oyo ahead of the 2023 government elections, by Olopoeyan

Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan is one of the key political pillars of the coalition that facilitated Governor Seyi Makinde's victory in the gubernatorial elections in Oyo State in 2019. He spoke with SEYE OLUMIDE (Head of South West Office) at the recent inauguration of the Oyo State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Abuja and the likely danger it portends to the approaching 2023 gubernatorial elections, among other issues.

Do you foresee a crisis in the upcoming 2023 gubernatorial elections in Oyo State given the recent inauguration of the state chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Abuja?There is a possibility of a crisis in the upcoming gubernatorial election with the recent inauguration of the Oyo State chapter of NURTW by the national body of the union. This is so because the union is still banned in Oyo. The motive for the inauguration, I don't know and who is behind it, I don't want to know, but the fact is that NURTW is prohibited by law in Oyo.

Nobody knows if the union will now force itself to start operating against the law. All we know is that the Oyo State Park Management Services (PMS) headed by Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi aka Auxiliary is the legally recognized body to manage all motor parks in Oyo State. So what is likely to happen, no one knows.

Something similar had happened in the past. This is not the first time that the Oyo State government will implement PMS. Former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala did something similar in 2009. In my view, the type of crisis that led to the death of many before and during the 2011 gubernatorial election is gradually manifesting.< /p>

Alao-Akala in 2009 outlawed the NURTW led by Alhaji Tokyo and later appointed that same Auxiliary and Alhaji Lateef Salako alias Eleweomo as head of the then PMS. Salako was the chief while the auxiliary was his deputy. After the banning of the union and the establishment of the PMS by Alao-Akala, NURTW went to court and obtained a judgment through an Ejiogbe, to resume normal activities. At the time, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola aka Tokyo and Ejiogbe were together. The situation led to the 2011 crisis and the horrific murder of Eleweomo. The only difference now is that Salako is dead and Tokyo no longer interferes in union activities. So you were right to envision that what happened in 2011 towards the gubernatorial election is unfolding gradually now and unless serious steps are taken to curb it there is a danger ahead .

When the then NURTW got a judgment it returned to its office in Olomi and since the NURTW Oyo Chapter was inaugurated in Abuja last week despite being outlawed in Oyo State , we have to start asking questions about what the agenda is.

I noticed that the Syndicate members went back to their office in the Ojoo area. It was the same Auxiliary who was there then. It is right for every citizen of Oyo to sound the alarm that the crisis of 2011 is gradually unfolding now.

Of course, the government of Oyo State is interested in the Auxiliary and that is why Governor Seyi Makinde will not see anything wrong with what the Auxiliary is doing, despite the many complaints against him (the auxiliary). The federal government must wade through the situation before it spirals out of control. I'm sure PMS and union members must have prepared their minds as the campaigns are about to begin. It was this union versus PMS issue that snowballed into the chaos in which Salako died.

So what is your advice since no one wants the crisis of 2011 to repeat itself in 2023? If Makinde were a listening governor, he should know that security must be the government's first priority. Although since the inauguration of the Oyo chapter of NURTW, he has not gone to car parks because he is still prohibited in Oyo. The members went to their office in Ojoo. I also don't think PMS has the right to go and hire them as long as the union doesn't come into the garages to do anything. To date, the NURTW Oyo Chapter has no legal right to go to car parks for any activity, as it has been prohibited by law. What I fear is that the two corps are threatening each other and the possibility that they are looking for any opportunity to engage is imminent. This is why the government must be proactive and set up intelligence services to monitor its activities. If there is a crisis in the next election, like what we witnessed in 2011, Governor Makinde should be questioned first.

Could APC be behind the recent inauguration of NURTW's Oyo Chapter in Abuja in an effort to balance strength with strength as the campaigns draw closer? No one can substantiate the claim that APC was behind the recent inauguration because Folarin is not the president of the union. But Makinde is the Governor and he has appointed Auxiliary as PMS President. This ...