By Bashir Banjoko
What Political Leaders Can Learn from Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo
As we prepare for the primaries for the forthcoming local government and local council development area election in Lagos State, I would like to use this installment to draw from the lessons that the late sage and Baale of the Ijebus, Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo taught us about one of the key pillars of democracy – the ability of the people to make a choice! Every election presents the opportunity for stakeholders to decide who the flagbearers of various political parties would be and for the general public to choose among them who the eventual office holders would be.
It is general knowledge that the political process of selecting candidates of the parties are in full swing. At least the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has commenced the screening process for its chairmanship aspirants, at least in Ikorodu Division. There have been dramas recorded by some party leaders who are attempting to clear the way for their anointed candidates by staging “shadow” primaries that have not been purportedly sanctioned by the party hierarchy. This brings me to today’s discourse – is there anything we can learn from the late Awolowo on choosing party candidates?
I must admit that I wasn’t around when some of these events happened, but I have read enough books, seen documentaries, and learned from elders who witnessed those events. After all, when we learn about history, no one is required to be a living witness before becoming a subject matter expert.
“Oko Idowu” – Idowu’s husband (I like referring to this alias of Obafemi Awolowo because I am also married to an Idowu) formed the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1978 after the military government lifted the ban on political activities as part of the plan to return to democratic rule. The event in focus here is the primary by the UPN to elect the flagbearer for the party in the governorship election for the Old Oyo State – which is now split into Oyo State as we presently know it and Osun State. There were two major contenders in the primary election: Pa Emmanuel Oladipupo Alayande and the late cicero, Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige.
For context, Pa Alayande met Awolowo in 1937, and the two worked side-by-side to fight colonial rule before Nigeria gained independence, while Chief Bola Ige was a student in the school where Alayande was the principal – Ibadan Grammar School. From that relationship, you could guess who was Awo’s choice to be governor of old Oyo State. It was Pa Alayande. Bola Ige was the “GenZ rebel” of the time. He wasn’t going to let Awo’s anointing of Pa Alayande stop his ambition. He was known for his oratory prowess and knowledge of the laws of the land.
As entrenched in the party constitution, a primary election was conducted and Ige won! Somehow, the party found some irregularities in the conduct of the primaries and it was conducted again! Ige won the second time. The primary election was conducted three times, and Ige won on all three occasions! The rest, they say, is history!
Imagine that scenario playing out now – someone with a political ambition declares their intention, the party leader makes his implicit anointing. What usually follows is every party member falling in line like zombies. Anyone against the leader’s choice is seen as the rebel and may even be suspended for anti-party activities if not expelled!
My hope is APC does not become another Chinese Communist Party (CCP) where officers are selected by the leaders without input from members and any dissenting voice is dealt with ruthlessly. We hope that the democracy that the likes of Awolowo, Alayande, and Ige fought for actually becomes a model for other countries in Africa.
Some may say I am only being naive to expect things to actually work like other advanced democracies, but one thing I know for sure is that a real democracy ensures that anyone can aspire and become whatever they want as long as the people want them – and not just because “baba sope” (father has spoken)!
Bashir Banjoko writes from Ikorodu
