The essential currency of a politician is trustworthiness! Gov Seyi Makinde works hard at creating the image for the public that he is trustworthy, that he keeps his promises, that he can be trusted. Alas, this is nothing but a front and a prentention, the political class discovered too late, the good people of Oyo State should not suffer the same.
When a man who pretended to be humble and trustworthy, to obtain the platform of a political party, PDP from her custodians and the support of a Coalition to come to power, turns his back on the Coalition immediately he assumes power and turned against those who welcomed him to the party, telling lies against them to the public, the good people of Oyo State should take note, lest they be fooled. The writing is on the wall. The arrogance and impunity being visited on the political class today will be visited on them beyond 2023 if they fail to read the writing on the wall.
The lie against the political class is that they are demanding access to the coffers of the state. This was calculated to stir the public against them – the very people God used to uplift him – deny them of their reward and deceive the public that he is a saint who is protecting their interest.
The enlightened people of Oyo State however knows that political rewards does not have to be stealing and embezzlement of public funds. It means being allowed to participate in partisan politics and governance. It means every party member being allowed to test his or her popularity for every elective position available, from councilors through local government chairmen, all the way to the state and federal offices. This was the hallmark of the PDP before Gov Seyi Makinde was allowed in. The slogan of the PDP is ‘Power to the People’, the logo, an umbrella signifying that everyone is welcome under the cover and a robust culture of internal democracy characterized by primaries to get the party’s numerous tickets. This is the culture that allowed Gov Makinde to aspire and actualize his aspirations. This is the culture he betrayed when he arrogated the powers of the people to himself alone, buying nomination forms for his preferred candidates and rejected primaries. In doing this, he not only betrayed his political benefactors, he betrayed the democractic culture that allowed for his emergence.
Erstwhile political benefactors, those who opened the door for Gov Seyi Makinde into the PDP are being chased out of the PDP, hounded by the power and the office they facilitated him to assume. Suddenly, the umbrella is no longer big enough for all of them. These are the same people who trusted him with their stake, space and structure in the party. Today, they have been betrayed as the governor plans on a hyped up performance and media blitz to sway the public to his side, harvest their votes, claim a second term and validate his wickedness and ingratitude towards those that God used to uplift him.
The measure of a good man is not in how he treats those who have the power to checkmate him, it is in how he treats those who have surrendered to him their power to do so. This has been shown in Gov Makinde’s treatment of the political class with arrogance and impunity. In 2023, the good people of Oyo State will decide if they want the same treatment or perish his second term bid. They will have their chance to checkmate the pretender or surrender their power to do so.
