By Seyi Akinsola
When I opened the blue app this morning, the first image I saw was that of Otunba Iyiola Omisore, a political titan from the South West of Nigeria. I began to ruminate over his political career. This was a man who had a bright future politically. He had always had an aura of a leader about him right from when he used to visit my front door Neighbours in Ijebu Jesa in the early 90s.
This trails of thoughts quickly led me to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar whose political career followed a similar sad trajectory. I concluded that if either had been a bit more loyal, they may have achieved their ultimate political ambition.
Politics is replete with stories of ambition, betrayal, and irony.
In 2003, Omisore was widely perceived to have turned against his principal, Governor Bisi Akande. All he needed to do was to be loyal for another four years and he would have been crowned with the highest office in the state. Rather than working to consolidate the administration that brought him to power, he became embroiled in political battles that weakened the government from within. His ambition to become governor overshadowed loyalty to the man under whom he served. The death of Chief Bola Ige allegedly hovers over him till today. He has never been convicted for that however.
At roughly the same period, Atiku Abubakar found himself on a collision course with President Olusegun Obasanjo. Having risen to national prominence as Obasanjo’s deputy, Atiku’s presidential ambitions soon placed him in direct opposition to his principal.
The relationship deteriorated into one of the fiercest political rivalries in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. It must be recollected that Baba Atiku had won the governorship election in Adamawa before accepting nomination as the running mate to Obasanjo. Everyone knew it was a question of time before he became president, but he was in a hurry and thought he could upstage the man we sometimes referred to as Ebora Owu (I don’t think anyone has called him that to his face before). But I digress.
More than two decades later, the irony is striking.
Omisore succeeded in undermining Akande’s administration, but he never achieved his ultimate goal of becoming Governor of Osun State. Despite contesting multiple elections and remaining politically relevant, the governorship has remained elusive.
Atiku’s story follows a strikingly similar path. His disagreements with OBJ became very public and bitter, but the presidency he sought has remained elusive. Election after election, party after party, coalition after coalition, the highest office in the land has continued to evade him.
Twenty-three years later, both men remain examples consequences of disloyalty: ambition without loyalty can be a costly gamble.
In my little experience, politics often rewards strategic thinking and calculated risks. History mostly punishes those who seek to climb by cutting down the ladder that elevated them.
Of course, neither Atiku nor Omisore would accept my seemingly simplistic interpretation of their careers. Both are likely to argue that principle, not disloyalty, guided their actions. For me and perhaps many, their political journeys serve as a reminder that victory gained against a benefactor does not always translate into the prize that was originally sought.
In my opinion, history has delivered its own verdict. Baba Akande became an elder statesman and kingmaker within his party. Baba Obasanjo remains one of Africa’s most influential political figures.
Meanwhile, the ambitions that drove Omisore and Atiku to challenge their ogas remain unfulfilled after 23 years.
Aregbesola on my mind too