Tunde Sanni And Jaiyeola Andrews
23 November 2008
opinion
Lagos — The wedding has been controversial even before it was conducted in the Ogbomoso country home of the new couple. Subulade Olamide Alao, the daughter of Oyo governor and her heartthrob, Jacob Olayode Alabi had got married at the First Baptist Church, Okelerin, Ogbomoso where the crème de la crème in the political landscape of the South West, most especially had been present though there were representations from both Rivers and Delta states where the deputy governor of the latter and the Chief of Staff of the former graced the wedding.
But there is hardly any doubt that it would remain a spectacle in the memory of Ogbomoso residents for many years to come. It was an event of the decade. The government waved aside public resentment and went ahead to organise a 'state of the art' wedding where four key musicians and four other governors joined the joyous bride's father, Akala, to celebrate the event.
Pomp
As for the musical renditions, they were provided by an array of the best artistes available in the land. Gospel pop musician, Yinka Ayefele was on the band stand; King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall on stage severally while both ageless King Sunny Ade and hip hop rave musician, 9ice were on duty on the final day.
Right from the time of the engagement penultimate Thursday, many indices suggested state sponsorship of the ceremony as the paraphernalia of the state were deployed to the occasion with the Governor's security taking over the security aside from the compliments of the security agencies in the state led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police {ACP}. Other security outfits involved in the maintenance of security for the wedding were the Civil Defence, Man O' War, Fire Brigade and others.
Ahead of the wedding, security agencies in the state were drafted to the venues of the wedding to assess the security network on ground. Twice during the week preceding the wedding, the security agencies made a show of their powers by patrolling the ancient town amidst blaring of assorted tones of siren. Beginning from Wednesday last week, the officers drafted their subordinates to the town to keep vigil and ensure that the ceremony was devoid of any security stress. The security agents only left the town on Sunday.
Profligacy
Some days to the wedding, a socio-political group in the state, the Oyo Quintessential Professionals, had raised an alarm over huge financial resources allegedly being committed to the wedding by the state government and demanded for official explanation on such an amount at a time the government was still fidgeting with governance and administration.
The group alleged that an amount above N100million has been committed to the marriage with local councils, cabinet members and contractors of the government being mobilised to contribute to the occasion.
A painful aspect, according to the group, was the system collapse in the state especially power supply. Electricity supply has been at a dismal level with residents staying weeks without power supply. The awaited Independent Power Project {IPP) is expected to take off in 12 months, according to officials.
Oyo Politics
The Oyo State government's responses to the allegations followed expected trend as Dotun Oyelade, Special Adviser to Governor Akala on Public Communications and Hosea Agboola, Commissioner for Local Government debunked the claims stating in separate media chats that no local council was forced to contribute to the marriage coffers while they insisted that the expenses for the wedding were from private purse and not from government till as claimed.
Another intriguing drama associated with the wedding ceremony was the renewed altercations between the ANPP governorship candidate in the last election, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the Oyo State government it refreshed. The ANPP candidate in his reaction to media reports on the huge amount allegedly spent on the marriage rites expressed shock at the regime of profligacy in the state and observed that such money could be diverted such money to service collapsing utilities in the state.
The state government through the Special Adviser on Public Communications, Dotun Oyelade had picked quarrel with Ajimobi position, converting the marital event into another political verbal slugfest. Oyelade had stated, "it is unsavoury for Ajimobi to direct personal attack on the governor when he could not sustain the loyalty of the masses and men of means. Senator Ajimobi is on his own so also is the ANPP that has not held any ward meeting anywhere this year, a clear signal of its extinction, Oyelade said.
The government spokesman accused the ANPP candidate of picking quarrel with all his benefactors including Alhaji Lam Adesina who nominated him as a senatorial candidate in 2003 and former governor Rasidi Ladoja.
Angered by Oyelade's caustic retort against Ajimobi over the latter's criticism of the wedding expenditure, the ANPP scribe in Oyo State, Sola Osotoye, joined issues with the governor's aide as he described him as a political opportunist and a flirt. "Dotun Oyelade was Governor Lam Adesina private secretary while in power and immediately after Lam's exit, Oyelade in his characteristic, parasitic mode of living, led a motley crowd in the name of AD stakeholders' forum to Senator Ajimobi's house to secure his support in waging war against Lam Adesina which Ajimobi bluntly refused. At the end of the day, Oyelade dumped Adesina for a mess of porridge in PDP," Osotoye claimed.
The ANPP scribe insisted that the people of the state deserved the right to know how much of the tax payers' money was expended on the Akala's daughter's wedding and advised the governor's aide to answer the posers rather than trivializing the issue.
Not a man to be boxed into a corner, Oyelade responded maintaining that the opposition party had lost completely the essence of the battle and therefore resorted to loose propaganda. He stated that a popular government receives goodwill from all quarters and that it does not need to fleece the state to celebrate parental success, clarifying that the SSG and commissioners remained on their seats until the last moment while the weekly executive council meeting duly held, "so it is another naivety on the part of the ANPP to say government grounded to a halt just as it is wicked and unfeeling to rope the graduation of the daughter of the governor into a farcical debate".
Daniel-Iyabo Brush and the Undercurrents
Governor Gbenga Daniel's administration has been tagged by critics as the most controversial of all the governments in the state since its creation. Thanks to the bitter rows the Governor has had with personalities like former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, former Minister of Mines and Solid Mineral development, Chief Sarafa Tunji Isola, Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon.Dimeji Bankole, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, and host of others. Most of the face-offs have to do with sectional politics and clash of ambitions in Ogun State.
The bitter political rows with the perceived foes of the Governor, has often times heated the polity of the state and has polarised the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
Before becoming a Senator, Obasanjo-Bello had served as Health Commissioner in Daniel's cabinet. Even while serving as Commissioner, the relationship between the Governor and his Commissioner, was said to be far from cordial. The sour relationship between the duo then, THISDAY checks indicated, was not expressed publicly largely because, Chief Obasanjo was in office as the president of the nation, and Daniel was said to have handled his relationship with the president's daughter with utmost caution.
The crisis of confidence between Daniel and Obasanjo-Bello, according to findings, though fragile, was managed by the Governor until the former president's daughter left his cabinet to vie for Ogun Central Senatorial seat which she eventually clinched at the polls.
The bitter rows between the duo, became obvious during Obasanjo-Bello's ordeals in the hands of operatives of Economics and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], over financial scam linked to the Senate committee on Health which she chairs.
Obasanjo-Bello, was said to have complained bitterly to her father, including close associates, on Daniel's negative roles in the matter, alleging that the Governor was sponsoring negative stories against her on the pages of some newspapers. Recently, the Senator was to be conferred the traditional title of Iyaniwura of Egbaland by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo. But the ceremony was halted allegedly on the orders of Governor Daniel.
Before the Senator finally withdrew her acceptance of the title, she hinted that the conditions attached to the conferment of the title on her by Alake, was rather too ridiculous for her to accept.
It was alleged that one of the conditions was that she must apologise to Daniel for alleged insubordination before she could be conferred the title of Iyaniwura of Egbaland.
It was learnt that Obasanjo-Bello refused to heed the condition attached to the title, because she could not fathom any offence committed that would have warranted her apologising to Daniel.
As this scenario was playing itself out at home in Ogun State mostly beneath the surface, the rivalry between the duo reverberated openly in the neighbouring state of Oyo, precisely in Ogbomosho at the Alao-Akala's daughter's church thanksgiving service.
The Dance Drama
A major dramatic angle to the wedding whose ripple effects are still expanding across the nation was that sordid brush was seen by many as an extension of local politics in the Gateway State. The politics has an indirect bearing with the 2011 governorship race in the state in which Daniel, an Ijebu is said to favour a Yewa as his successor rather than an Egba. There are three major political blocs in the state namely Egba, Ijebu and Yewa. The latter is yet to produce an elected for the state, although it is numerically less than the other two areas. Daniel's predecessor, Olusegun Osoba is an Egba just like Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. Besides, the relationship between Daniel and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo's father has not been smooth of late.
However, investigations by THISDAY on the latest Obasanjo-Bello/OGD face-off revealed that it started during the thanksgiving dance shortly before the wedding ceremony was concluded. Trouble started right inside the sacred chambers of the church as the dignitaries joined Akala for a thanksgiving jig after the couple's marital solemnization. The governors were already on the dancing floor when Senator Obasanjo-Bello, who sat directly behind her home governor, Daniel at the church sprang up and started gyrating to the alluring lyrics. As she danced towards the altar apparently to drop her offering, she got a shove from one of the top security aides of Daniel.
The Ogun governor's security officials had formed a ring round His Excellency to fence off their principal from having body contact with the dancing senator. The distinguished senator received a shock as she was purportedly shoved violently. That was after she had drawn close enough to the extent that her cloth was in contact with that of the governor. The senator who staggered to regain balance allegedly chest slapped one of the security official while the affected Governor and other dignitaries watched the drama.
Still dazed by the development, the former first daughter was still looking distressed when Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola in a bid to calm frayed nerves invited her to his side. That measure however, did not stop the incident from polluting the hitherto hilarious church thanksgiving as further church proceedings were soon called off by the officiating ministers on the orders of the host governor, Akala. The gesture notwithstanding, the Ogun Central senator wore a long face through out the occasion.
The Widening Ripples
Perhaps due to the nature of the Daniel/Obasanjo Bello political feud, the ugly experience at the church ceremony has refused to die down as the former first daughter appeared embattled at her home, Ogun. The Elders Council of the Peoples Democratic Party {PDP), Central Senatorial District, in her home state has joined the fray by accusing the senator of exhibiting disrespect to the person of the governor while the elders catalogued her previous insubordinating acts to the governor in the past.
In an advertorial in a national daily on their position on the feud, the elders' condemned the 'despicable act in its entirety as it is totally unbecoming of a distinguished member of the Senate. The elders stated that they felt embarrassed "by Senator Iyabo Obasanjo Bello's action and wished to call her to order as we Egbas are known to be distinguished and well cultured." The PDP stalwarts declared that if the former first daughter would not retrace her step, "we may find no other option than to commence the process of her recall unless she tenders an apology to the governor and the leaders of the party.
The Daniel/ Obasanjo-Bello face-off is now before the Upper legislative chamber as the two combatants have differently petitioned the chamber reporting the skirmish to the senators.
While Obasanjo-Bello narrated her alleged ordeal in the hands of one of Daniel's security aides on the floor of the Senate, the Ogun State Government forwarded a petition in which it described the senator's action as "provocative" to the upper arm of the National Assembly. The Senate, after listening to one of them and contributions from some other senators, mandated its committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, National Security and Intelligence to investigate cases of brutalisation of civilians by security agents.
Obasanjo-Bello had, shortly after the plenary began, raised Order 15 of the Senate Standing Orders 2007 as amended and gave details of the face-off between her and Daniel's security aide during the wedding of the daughter of Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala at the First Baptist Church, Ogbomoso.
She explained further, "On Saturday sir, I was invited and duly attended a wedding in which I sat behind the governor of my state (Daniel). When the thanksgiving was going on sir, I got up to praise the Lord as is usual in such ceremonies. The security agent attached to the governor was standing by my side and the governor was sitting in front of me and I was jubilating with the celebrant (raising her hand a little above shoulder length), this was as much as how my hand was up and I was dancing and praising the Lord and the next thing I knew was the security agent pulled my hand and twisted it back, saying that I was about to touch the governor's head. What I did was to push him and I said what kind of nonsense is this? He came and stood in front of me. I stood up and went to another seat.
"And, sir, given the fact that recently, a young female was beaten up on the streets of Lagos mercilessly, I think we need to caution our security agents because that issue became an international debacle and if they continue like this sir, we don't know where it will end. All that the man (Daniel's Security aide) needed to do was say, 'ma, please be careful, the governor's head is in front of you."
She claimed that an edited version of the video clip of the incident was currently being aired on some television stations in Ogun State. According to her, what was being shown does not contain where the security aide twisted her hand.
But the Ogun State Government claimed in the petition it sent to the Senate claimed that Obasanjo-Bello had ridiculed the office of the governor and caused him serious embarrassment. The petition by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Gbemi Onakoya, which was addressed to the President of the Senate, accused the Senator of "throwing caution and protocol to the wind by assaulting a security detail who had tried to stop her from further assaulting the governor."
Onakoya attached the video clip and newspaper cutting of the incident, which he said "properly captured and articulated the show of shame exhibited by the lawmaker at the event."
He added, "the embattled Senator was watched by all freely throwing caution and protocol to the wind by directly assaulting a security detail who tried to prevail on her not to assault His Excellency. A situation where the person of His Excellency will be subjected to such provocative acts and ridicule to the consternation of the congregation in that church by any individual or group would not augur well for genuine political discipline, and would, therefore, not be acceptable."
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