After scaling arguably the most potent threat to his political legacy in the form of the hoopla over the demolition of the Fresh FM Radio building, Governor Abiola Ajimobi would in the next few days be faced with even a more daunting challenge.

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Whereas the governor has since tried to settle the huge public relations disaster arising from the Fresh FM Radio affair, the choice of a successor which the governor is bound to unravel in the next few weeks could in one way or the other define his legacy. No sitting governor wants to handover to somebody that would dent him. Even more, as the case of his brother in-law that is Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano would show, not even a managed succession can guarantee cordiality between an incumbent governor and his predecessor.

*Gov Ajimobi

Incidentally, Ajimobi who became governor in 2011 and became the first governor of Oyo State to be re-elected has also by happenstance been faced with a tamed opposition. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has for years been faced with infighting that has caused majority of the party’s grandees to either retire from the political fray or in some cases, even defect to the ruling party, APC.

Though nearly prostrate, the PDP has intermittently risen from the ground. The sudden spurts of life, however, have not been due to any intentional effort by the party. Rather, the PDP has continued to thrive mainly on account of the divisions within the ruling APC.

As it is, the PDP lives not because of its efforts or initiatives, but more because of the increasing discord within the ruling APC. A sign of that was when the PDP won last June’s bye election to fill the seat formerly occupied by the dead former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo. Adeyemo had won the seat for the APC with a resounding victory in 2015.

Discord in the APC

The discord in the APC has been fueled mainly by the continuing war of rivalry between Governor Ajimobi and tendencies associated to the deceased party leader in the state Alhaji Lam Adesina, who was the first governor of the state in the Fourth Republic.

The faceoff was not helped by the discord between Governor Ajimobi and the minister of communications, Mr. Shittu. Ajimobi and Shittu were involved in a supremacy battle that was carried over from the failure of the APC to harmonise its component parts in the state; mainly the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN bloc where Ajimobi came from and the Congress for Progressives Change, CPC bloc where Shittu, a perennial crusader for Muhammadu Buhari came from.

Besides Shittu, another person who has harangued Ajimobi has been Prof. Adeolu Akande, a onetime resource person to Atiku Abubakar.

Remarkably, the PDP is not the only, and indeed, not the main beneficiary of the discord in the APC.

Indeed, the discord has seen many associated with the Lam group in the Unity Forum exit the APC to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

In the struggle for party positions during the recent congresses in the state two months ago, that bitterness was fully manifested with the emergence of parallel executives in the APC.

It is in the midst of the issues facing the party that Ajimobi and other party stakeholders are now being forced to pick a successor for the governor.

At least 22 members of the party are believed to be vying for the party’s ticket for the election with six of them presently serving one role or the other in the governor’s cabinet. Among those presently in government believed to be interested in the contest are the deputy governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, former Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr Isaac Omodewu, Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, Special Adviser on Political matters, Mr Morounkola Thomas, Commissioner for Finance, and Mr Bimbo Adekanmbi.

Though the governor has not come out to openly stop any of his appointees, it is, however, believed that his search for a successor is outside the present cabinet.

Among the few repeatedly mentioned as Ajimobi’s preference for a successor are former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Zaccheaus Adelabu, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, a former journalist and local government chairman, Niyi Akintola, SAN, who has handled high level litigations for Ajimobi and APC, and Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, a Senior Partner and Head of the Technology Advisory Services and Markets of KPMG Professional Services in Nigeria.

There are still many others believed to be outside Ajimobi’s radar in the contest, the most visible being the outgoing minister of communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, former commissioners, a serving senator, and many others.

Shittu had apparently framed his aspiration on getting control of the party structure but his failure to get that and the bad blood that followed that fight has made it almost an impossibility that Ajimobi would contemplate a peaceful transition to the minister. There are whispers here and there that Shittu’s determination to be governor could see him join the ADC, but that is still a prospect that is said in hush tones especially given the minister’s long association with President Muhammadu Buhari.

It is in the context of Ajimobi’s domination of the party structure has positioned him as the most influential person to determine his successor, a situation that has seen those mentioned as key associates regularly surveyed.

Mr. Adelabu’s claim to be Ajimobi’s favourite was thrown in the media after he resigned his position as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to throw his hat into the ring. However, critics were quick to point to the fact that his resignation happened within months of the end of his term in office.

Alhaji Olaosebikan’s aspiration has been canvassed through his linkages with strategic stakeholders and received a special boost after he was endorsed by his Oluyole Local Government Area for the governorship.

He has also been endorsed by student groups. His main challenge, however, is cash, a disadvantage that he has more than covered through endorsements from strategic stakeholders.

Mr. Akintola is perhaps one dark horse whose prospects have not been much analysed. His selling point is undoubtedly his long legal relationship not with Ajimobi but with the APC family. He was instrumental to the legal victory of such “progressives” candidates as Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State in 2009, Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti in 2010 and indeed, Ajimobi’s case against Rasheed Ladoja. With Oshiomhole who he helped to victory as national chairman and Ajimobi directly involved, all things being equal they are not likely to easily push him aside if he plays his own game well with other strategic stakeholders. His main challenge, however, is that besides his quiet legal support for the “progressives” that he had not been known to be a public politician until recently.

Another aspirant also being considered by the Ajimobi camp is Tegbe, a Senior Partner and Head of the Technology Advisory Services and Markets of KPMG Professional Services in Nigeria. The relationship between him and the governor is said to go far and indeed personal that if there is anyone that Ajimobi has trusted in the past that it is Tegbe. It is claimed that he is one that could cover whatever foibles of the outgoing governor. However, as things go in politics, his unique selling point of having a long personal relationship with the governor has attracted severe criticism from rivals with some even now putting claims as to his origin.

Indeed, the contest for Ajimobi’s endorsement is a continuing drama but it is one that the dramatis persona , that is Ajimobi is not likely to find funny.