Hottestgistnaija.com
REPLY TO THE COMMUNIQUE OF THE SEGUN ONI CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION (SOCO) HELD ON JUNE 27, 2018
Judging by the discomfiture that members of the State Chapter, Southwest leaders, the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), concerned bystanders, and most especially Dr. John Kayode Fayemi and his John Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council (JKFCO) are still reeling from as a result of the lawsuit issued from the legal unit of the Segun Oni Campaign Organization (SOCO) about a week ago, party faithful would have prayed (if they had the foreknowledge) to avert another scathing communique that emanated from this same campaign organization. Since SOCO has admonished us to see their relentless dart throwing and firings from all cylinders as not much of a big deal (because it’s a family affair) that the entire family would—-sooner or later—-have cause to thank them for as they suggested that we would all be stronger, no matter if some darts hit us in the chest and/or the intense heat from the cylinders defaces us, it is meet to once again interrogate this communique.
Sometimes, life plays cruel games on families where some members either became possessed, turned renegades, or became delusional that it becomes inexplicably difficult for them to have a good grasp of objective reality. While we continue to hazard possible guesses as to why they turned bad as a result of some of their bizarre actions and the surprises they oftentimes pull, we must also interrogate these actions in the hope that we can either find meaning in our unavoidable interactions with them, or that we would stumble into some sort of formula with which they can be exorcised of the demons in them or appeal to their reasoning faculty. Rather than dissipate energy and other resources on the needless squabbles with the party’s candidate that has become peculiar to SOCO even before the conclusion of the primary election, one would have preferred to focus energy on the opposition political party. But since it is said that as long as the head lice continues to make our heads their home, our fingernails will continue to have blood stains on them.
While the Segun Oni Campaign Organization (SOCO)—-by their preamble—-inundated their readers with litany of reasons why they’re seriously bitter with Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his political group after several meetings that eventually cascaded into several resolutions, one cannot but wonder why so many of these reasons are devoid of proofs and with no basis in facts. These lack of facts and evidences, in case they’re unaware, automatically rendered the resolutions fairly worthless, thereby putting their primordial intention into great suspicion, as we shall see presently. Since what Dr. Ife Arowosoge, DG, signed for was referred to as “a passionate review of the political situation since after the primary election” was the template on which their preamble was based, one will also attempt to interrogate each of their 12-point allegations on its merit to see if they can pass the integrity test. Therefore, in responding to the ‘crimes’ of Dr. Fayemi and/or his campaign organization against SOCO, I submit:
That since SOCO “has since been making tremendous efforts at ensuring victory for [the] party and its candidate at (sic) the July 14 election” which was instigated by Segun Oni who “directed all members of his political family to work for the success of [the] party and its candidate” they should be commended. But it should also be noted that it is only someone with a fuzzy political antenna who would not only doubt the sincerity of this directive, but wouldn’t be suspicious, at worst, about these “tremendous efforts” considering the several missiles that were thrown, and are still being thrown at the candidate, some of which are lethal and potentially injurious to his political health and well-being.
That the assertion that “the John Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organization (JKFCO) has since from onset adopted the attitude of non-inclusiveness, ostracization, marginalization, and demonstration of open hatred for Segun Oni and his group” may be described, at best, group hallucination. One would have expected SOCO to have given specific instances of these non-inclusiveness, ostracization, and marginalization. This was no doubt a demonstration of unguarded disdain for Dr. Fayemi and his campaign group. The “insinuation” that “Dr. Fayemi joined the race…to prevent a “stranger” like Segun Oni from taking over the APC” is, to use SOCO’s own word, “ridiculous.” For their principal, whose political trajectory took its source from the Southwest progressive elements, and who also became the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the first nation-wide political party in a short spate of time to have been given that unedifying tag, then the joke is on them.
That one should be curious in SOCO’s postulation that “all efforts…to make Fayemi and his group treat us as one united political family has proved abortive” by not to have given specific instances of efforts made and why they “proved abortive.” This position can be described as an attempt to give the dog a bad name in order to roast it by those who revels its flesh. SOCO’s instance that one of their members was “recently seriously beaten and macheted at Ikole…for being at the rally” that was tendered as evidence to drive home their “marginalization, maltreatment, harassment and intimidation” and their members was quite unfortunate. Aside their inability, if not the unwillingness to name the macheted member, could it not have been possible that the violent act was committed by members of the opposition party?
That “Segun Oni group has the highest concentration of former political office holders in Ekiti State…yet, they are not recognized by the Fayemi group” cannot be any farther from the truth. While it is perfectly understood that it may not be in SOCO’s strategic interest to remind the public about the existence of a 77-member Campaign Council, which was inaugurated by Dr. Fayemi immediately after his primary victory that has virtually all the aspirants, including Segun Oni and other former members of PDP, it is also instructive that the Director of Mobilization of JKFCO, Mr. Femi Bamisile was a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly in the Oni PDP administration. Also Mr. Wale Ojo-Lanre, an aide in Segun Oni’s government, is currently the Director (Print) of the JKF 2018 Campaign Media Committee, to give just two examples.
That SOCO has “it on good authority that all the incoming elective positions have been shared or allocated exclusively to the Fayemi group and the new PDP joiners” cannot be anything but cheap blackmail and red herring that needs not be dignified with a response about an election that is yet to take place, let alone a pronunciation of victory for Dr. Fayemi by INEC. Pray, who has been gifted with what position?
That the SOCO non-inclusion of “any of the Segun Oni group members” in “the 15-member Apex Election Committee of JKFCO headed by Chief Alaba Abejide” may also be indicative of their inordinate ambition to establish their presence everywhere at the detriment of other groups in a campaign organization that can only accommodate so many people.
That it is the height of false sense of importance for SOCO to have asserted that “Segun Oni and the leaders of his group should have had the right of discussion and agreement on the nomination of the Deputy Governorship candidate of the party.” With this position, they are inadvertently suggesting that they also should be given the first right of refusal should Fayemi’s choice of a running mate not in their strategic interest. This, it seems to me, is whining and arrogance taken too far.
That it is another insidious attempt at blackmail, most especially when SOCO failed to mention specific instances that despite their efforts to intimate “leaders at both the Southwest and National levels of the party [of their] harrowing and tormenting experiences…abuses [and] other form of recriminations and further maltreatment” continued from the JKFCO camp. Pray, who are the people perpetrating all these psycho-emotional and physical tortures on SOCO members for and on behalf of Dr. Fayemi? Are they ghosts?
That they even believe that they’re being perceived “as if Segun Oni was in the opposition party during the primary” suggests that SOCO may have deceitfully clothed themselves with brooms all along whereas their souls are shaped like an umbrella, considering all the onslaughts from their camp that one would be forgiven to think that they’re coming from the Fayose/Eleka camp.
That “JKFCO has been nursing the fleeting illusion that they could do it without the Segun Oni and his group” in their quest “for a resounding victory [for] APC in the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti” was, again, nothing but arrogance, if not another false sense of importance. With or without SOCO’s active participation in this governorship election, victory shall be Fayemi’s. While it is unnecessary as to who scored the most in building APC in the state “since the unfortunate defeat of 2014” between Kayode Fayemi and Segun Oni as was inadvertently being suggested that Segun Oni owns the trophy, one can only leave that judgement to both the leadership and general members of the party in the state.
That in case of another outing of this kind in the near future, it is advised that SOCO should obtain and present to the public a letter of appointment as the mouthpiece of other APC groups in the state that are also “suffering marginalization and maltreatment in the hands of the [APC] candidate” as they tried to make us believe since “it is not Segun Oni group alone” that is being led to the slaughter slab of persecution from JKFCO.
That it is another baseless, porous and unintelligible red herring aimed at re-enforcing the negative perception against Dr. Fayemi for SOCO to have been unequivocal that it has “on good authority that the party executives at all levels of the party in the state are completely sidelined.” One wonders if they’re concerned about integrity by their failure to give instances, backed by facts.
While it is pointless to comment on their 7-point resolutions “after [their] exhaustive deliberation on all the above,” it should be clear even to the blind that the overarching strategy by which everything and anything are being thrown at Dr. Fayemi with the hope that some would stick, is to surreptitiously stop the party’s candidate. There’s the eerie feeling that SOCO’s inordinate quest for a significant share of major positions both in the run-up to the election and when Dr. Fayemi finally forms his government may be informed by the fact that some people may have heavily bankrolled Segun Oni’s aspiration to the extent that they never imagined him not being the party’s candidate.
But there must come a time in our lives when the volume of our political intervention must reflect a cause greater than ourselves rather than being measured by the spoils we stand to gain or lose—-as the case may be. With this communique, SOCO has exhibited their pecuniary interests and crass opportunism over and above a higher political ideal which is solely needed at this particular juncture in the state’s history. One hopes that they will retrace their steps if they’re desirous of history to be kind to them.
Femi Odere
Member
JKF 2018 Campaign Media Committee
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
