The Osun 2022 Governorship Elections and the Crisis of Leadership and Governance in Nigeria – Toba Alabi | GOVERBMEND

By the middle of the 1990s, the era of the missianic and puritanical military coupists came to an end largely in many Third World countries, and Africa in particular. This was not unconnected with the collapse of the former USSR and the iron curtain in Eastern Europe. As of today, most of the countries of Eastern Europe have embraced liberal democracy, perhaps except Russia that has remained under the Jackboot of the oppressive rule of Vladimir Putin. This is one major reason while Russia is suffering growing isolation in Europe and perhaps in the whole world.
The impact of the global wave of democracy in Africa is that of deliberate transition to civil rule in most of the countries in the continent. I deliberately use civil rule as opposed to democratic rule as a result of the rule of impunity and assaults on democratic ethos that have been prevalent in the continent.
Within the precinct of the fields of politics and development economics, the concept of democracy and development emerged. Inter alia, its major submission is that there is a nexus between democracy and development and this is not without justification. This is so because this thesis is anchored on the belief that the in-built checks and balances in democracy would end misrule and promote social transformation and development. Even in the fields of peace and strategic studies, democratic peace theory gained tremendous currency. The main point here is that democracies hardly go to war with each other due to inherent checks and accountability. Maybe the senseless Ukraine war would have been averted if Russia were to be a democracy where the Duma could check the excesses of the President.
With specific reference to Nigeria, the connect between democracy and development has been a fleeting mirage. One might wish to submit that what Nigeria is witnessing today is ‘democracy curse’. Since the Fourth Republic commenced in 1999 arguably all development indicators have taken a flight and replaced by underdevelopment.
Dudley Seers, an eminent British economist once submitted that if you want to know if a country is developing three questions are pertinent: what is happening to poverty? What is happening to unemployment? And what is happening to inequality. Strictly within the realm of that objective analysis,could we argue with poverty, unemployment and inequality have reduced substantially in Nigeria in the past twenty three years? Obviously not.
The growing and deepening underdevelopment in the country has been presided over by the PDP and APC. In the past seven years these contradictions have grown in leaps and bounds. In 2018, the Brooklyn Institute declared Nigeria to be the global capital of poverty and within three years its economy entered into recession twice. In the same vein, in 2018, the Amnesty International reported that within three years the herdsmen killed about four thousand Nigerians with little or no prosecution.
Between June 2022 and February 2023 all the general elections in Nigeria should have been concluded. Ekiti State conducted its governorship elections in June 2022 and Osun State on16 July 2022. One trend that pervaded the two elections is massive vote buying that seriously compromised their credibility. Sadly, this will continue to be so as a result of weaponisation of ignorance and poverty. Poverty has variations – financial, mental, social and religious. Perhaps, of all these forms of poverty, religious and mental poverty are the most deadly. Religion is largely about beliefs that could hardly be subject to critical analysis. You simply believe what your pastor and imam have told you, uncritically though. A child of God does not protest government policies. He does not embark on public protests. Rather, he fasts and prays. Within the ecumenical and ecclesiastical regime, this would be widely applauded. And perhaps also within the realm of theoretical postulations that will always be at variance with pragmatism and praxis. If Nelson Mandela and the ANC had sought solely spiritual solution to the problems of apartheid in South Africa without taking to arms struggle, bombing installations and infrastructure, would South Africa have become free today? Highly probable. Could we then submit that positive action and spirituality are mutually compatible? You protest unpopular government policies on Monday and go to the mosque and church and worship God in the beauty of holiness? This might require further analysis.
The issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket has lately become an explosive national issue that is not borne out of deep spiritual conviction but out of sheer sentiments that could hardly advance the cause of development in the country. On Saturday you sell and buy votes and on Sunday you go to worship the God of Israel. Yet, it is this same God that says that without holiness no one shall see him. The whole situation is indeed amazing.
It has been widely reported that over twelve million kids of school age are out of school in Nigeria. Does this not collaborate the siege of mental poverty in Nigeria! Could we submit that the bulk of the analysis that goes on on most of the academic platforms one finds himself today are within precinct and nuanced intellectual engagements? This is doubtful. With regards to the Osun governorship elections, balanced intellectual analyses are largely lacking. The contest is mainly between the incumbent Governor, Gboyega Oyetola and Senator Ademola Adeleke, the younger brother of the former Governor of the state. In these elections, Oyetola had to contend with the highly polarising and non-performing government of Rauf Aregbesola and the negative performance of the APC at the federal level in the past seven years. If performance and good governance are the bases of electing Nigerian leaders, it is doubtful if the APC could win any elections in the country. Does this mean that the PDP is a better alternative? Certainly not. Its sixteen year rule in the country was a catastrophe. Even the background of Ademola Adeleke the Governor elect is such that should be concerning to the thoughtful Osun citizens. His comical and funny dances and his questionable academic backgrounds are serious issues that should be disturbing to objective analysts of Osun politics. This point might not currently resonate with many folks when emotions are high over the defeat of the APC candidate.
Two points are germane here. The first is the Peter Obi factor in the 2023 presidential elections. Since he pulled out of the PDP presidential contest a few weeks ago, there has been the deliberate efforts of the Igbo and his fans to market him to win the 2023 presidential elections so that the Igbo who have not produced a president since 1966 should be given the opportunity to do so. Into the bargain is the argument of his supporters that he carries lesser moral and ethical baggage than Tinubu and Atiku. This is in spite of the fact that he has been alleged of investing the money belonging to the people of Anambra in a family/private business. But a fundamental question here is : in view of the deep ethnic and religious divide, how many states could he win outside his five Igbo states in the south east? Kano, Lagos, Adamawa, Osun or Niger? This might be extremely difficult to forecast. Maybe this is an auspicious moment for the Igbo to support the Labour Party overwhelmingly both at the presidential and governorship levels so that they could have bargaining label towards the Presidency. But could Labour Party win the governorship elections in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyin? This might be an uphill task.
The second point here is the negative role of the Southern governors in the struggle for rotational presidency, restructuring and true federalism in Nigeria. At a point in 2021, they were swearing and cursing that power must go down south and that without restructuring there should be no elections in 2023. But within a few months they started justling to become Atiku’s running mate. Indeed, these characters are very funny. This reveals how unreliable the Nigerian politicians are.
By the way, who is the Governor-elect of Osun State?
Adeleke was born on March 6, 1960, to the family of Ayoola Adeleke and Esther in Enugu, South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
His family hails from Ede in Ede Local Government Area. Adeleke began his elementary education at Methodist Primary School in Surulere, Lagos State, and later transferred to Nawarudeen Primary School in Ikire. He also attended Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, completing his secondary education before moving to the US to join his two elder brothers.
He enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice in 2021.

7 Things To Know About Adeleke, Osun Governor-Elect

By
Abdulyassar Abdulhamid. Daily Trust.
Sun, 17 Jul 2022 Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke is the governor-elect of Osun State. Adeleke who lost election four years ago bounced back to unseat an incumbent governor. The governor-elect was a private businessman until a couple of years back when circumstances brought him into politics.
He represented Osun West at the Senate from 2017 to 2019.
Below are seven things to know about the PDP governorship candidate in the election.
Education
Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State; he then relocated to Old Oyo State and attended Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire.
He progressed to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede in the then Old Oyo State and later moved to Ede Muslim Grammar School, where he finished his secondary school education before relocating to the United States.
High Education
Adeleke started his higher studies at Jacksonville State University, Alabama in the United States where he majored in criminal justice and with minor in political science.
He later enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2021.
Private sector
Adeleke is a businessman and administrator; between 2001 to 2016 he was the group executive director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited. Prior to joining Pacific Holdings Limited, Ademola had worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor.
Multi-million dollar business
Adeleke established his own Company , Origin International Limited. The company was co-founded with one of his friends; and it produces of fragrance and flavour for food and beauty industry.
Politics
As a philanthropist, Adeleke started his political career in 2001 alongside his late brother Senator Isiaka Adeleke who died in April 2017. He contested at the Osun west 2017 by-election after the death of his brother and emerged the winner under the People’s Democratic Party.
In 2018, defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes in a primary election, Adeleke emerged the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State.
Certificate forgery
Adeleke was accused and charged before an Osogbo high court for allegedly forging his secondary school testimonial and WAEC result to cancel his governorship candidacy.
The testimonial he submitted to INEC dated 20 July 1988, as its Heading Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State, as at that year Osun state was not in existence.
Also the SSCE results indicated in the testimonial shows that the mode of examination wasn’t existing in the year 1981.
Another testimonial with the Heading Ede Muslim High school dated 2018, indicates that the principal which signed the 1988 testimonial also signed the 2018 testimonial, this led to the arrest of the principal.
Governorship Race in 2018
Adeleke contested for governorship position in Osun state under the platform of the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018.
The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and a rerun slated in seven local government on 27 September 2018. After the supplementary election INE declared Oyetola winner.

Source: Toba Alabi

A Professor of Political Science and Defence Studies.