A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Convener of the Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has urged Ogun state residents to reject what he termed “state capture” disguised as political consensus.
Recall that Governor Dapo Abiodun, alongside other leaders of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) on Monday, unanimously adopted the Senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Adeola (Yayi) as the consensus governorship candidate ahead of next election.
The decision was announced at the APC strategic caucus meeting held at the party secretariat in Abeokuta.
Showunmi on Tuesday, in a piece titled, “From Magbon to Now: We Will Not Be Conquered. Ogun’s Line in the Sand: Resistance to State Capture” warned that the state’s long-standing reputation for independent thought is being eroded by a crude instrument of control.
He challenged the legitimacy of the political arrangement, arguing that while “consensus” is a valid internal party mechanism, it becomes an act of imposition when it lacks the foundation of integrity.
Showunmi described the unfolding political process as a “humiliation” for the electorate, asserting that the arrogance of those seeking to impose their will must be met with a renewed resolve from the grassroots.
The Odofin Keesi expressed concern that those currently attempting to dictate the state’s direction lacked a demonstrable record of public service or private conduct.
He said, “Yes, a political party has the right to choose its internal mechanisms, even if that means adopting “consensus” as its preferred pathway. But across every serious political system where consensus has credibility, it rests on one indispensable foundation: integrity. Without that, consensus degenerates into imposition.
“That is precisely the issue before us. Those now attempting to foist this arrangement on Ogun State bring with them no demonstrable record of integrity neither in private conduct, nor in public service, nor in any coherent understanding of the responsibilities of governance. In such circumstances, what is being presented as consensus is, in reality, a crude instrument of control.
“This is how state capture begins. And it must be resisted. We are therefore confronted with a defining test: not just of the arrogance of those seeking to impose their will, but of the resolve or complicity of a people once known for their independence.”
The PDP chieftain maintained that the history of Ogun State is defined by its ability to challenge entrenched systems, from the fall of the Oyo Empire to the modern era.
“We cannot, in this generation, especially within the framework of a democracy, accept the status of a conquered people.
“No justification political convenience, party loyalty, or manufactured inevitability is sufficient to compel a free people to return to servitude,” he asserted.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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