Segun Showunmi, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has called the choice of Solomon Adeola (Yayi) as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Ogun West “state capture” and said it must be stopped.
During a meeting of stakeholders on Monday, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun made the announcement.
At a strategic caucus meeting at the party’s secretariat on Abiola Way in Abeokuta, Adeola was chosen as the party’s candidate.
In a statement on Tuesday called “From Magbon to Now: We Will Not Be Conquered. Ogun’s Line in the Sand: Resistance to State Capture,” Showunmi warned that a crude tool of control is ruining the state’s long-standing reputation for independent thought.
Showunmi said that the history of Ogun State is defined by its ability to challenge entrenched systems, from the fall of the Oyo Empire to the present day. He was worried that the people who are currently trying to dictate the state’s direction don’t have a clear record of public service or private behavior.
He questioned the legitimacy of the APC political arrangement, saying that while consensus is a good way for a party to make decisions, it becomes an act of imposition when it is not based on honesty.
Showunmi said that the APC’s position was not just the arrogance of people trying to get their way, but also the determination or complicity of people who used to be known for their independence.
He said, “Yes, a political party can choose how it runs itself, even if that means using ‘consensus’ as its main way of doing things.” But in every serious political system where consensus is trusted, it is based on one thing: integrity. If that doesn’t happen, consensus turns into imposition.
“That’s exactly the problem we have. People who are now trying to force this deal on Ogun State have no proof of honesty in their private lives, public service, or any clear understanding of what it means to be a good governor. In these situations, what is being called consensus is really a rough tool for control.
“This is how the state gets taken over.” And it must be fought against. We are therefore faced with a defining test: not only of the arrogance of those who want to impose their will, but also of the resolve or complicity of a people who were once known for their independence.
“We can’t accept the status of a conquered people in this generation, especially in a democracy.”
“Political convenience, party loyalty, or made-up inevitability are not enough to force free people to go back to being slaves.”
