By Yomi Obaditan

THE much-anticipated Osun gubernatorial election is due for Saturday, this weekend. The surprise that draws attention to the state are two fold.  One, for the first time in the history of Nigeria’s elections, 48 candidates are contesting for just one seat of the governor which the incumbent governor Rauf Aregbesola is about to vacate come November 27, 2018. Secondly, among the aspirants contesting for this seat, one can see the serious, the pretenders and the jesters. So, for political analysts, it will be an easy task to know who is the best man for the job.

It is good to know that the job of a governor is not just for anyone but for those who know the nitty-gritty of governance and is a sound technocrat.  In our nation anybody can become a commissioner but not for governor. This is due to the fact that the buck stops at the table of the governor.  In a democratic system of  government, the success and failure of an administration lies on the shoulder of the governor. So, itis a sorry tale for that state that has governor who does not know why he was voted into office or cannot think out of the box. If ever the said person has not given it a thought that the purpose of governance is to ensure the safety and  security of lives and properties and to hold the entire state together as his constituency, then such state is in trouble.

Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state

Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressive Congress, APC,  stands tall far above other candidates in term of experience in boardroom politics and private sector economic management.  Having spent 30 years in the banking, finance, insurance, real estate and oil business, none of his opponents come close.  Apart from this, he has enjoyed the privilege of working with one of the best governors in Nigeria and has been part of the catalyst that turned Osun into a modern state.

In terms of education, he is a learned fellow who studied both in Nigeria and abroad. He holds degrees including Masters  In Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Lagos.

Oyetola shares the vision of the outgoing governor as a encapsulated in the Six point Integral plan that has succeeded in wiping away hunger, poverty, ignorance and provided good and affordable healthcare. This also includes wealth creation through provision for the needs of the youths called Osun Youths Empowerment Schemes, OYES, a scheme that has been recommended by the World Bank to other states and currently been run by states and the Federal Government.

His articulation of facts and issue raised on Channels Television organised for the aspirants for the September 22 election was a signpost to the electoral victory that is up this weekend. His superlative performance during that debate gave him an edge over  and above other contestants.  It is not a matter of pride but popularly held view in the state that you cannot work with Aregbesola for eight years without his vision and sagacity rubbing off on you positively.

If under eight years, a man of Oyetola’s calibre could work with the governor without ‘spot or wrinkle’, then is good for the post of governor.

Indeed there are other candiates vying for the top mostly job, but they are not in the league of Oyetola. For only recently, January 2018 to be precise, he awarded the best Chief of Staff in Nigeria by the Guardian Newspapers.

One of the qualities of a good leader is to be  a good team-player. This  feature catapulted him to the top of the job he is seeking for. He has been a man who carries other executive members along.

On the ability to turn the economy around, he has the carriage and experience he has acquired both in the private and public sectors. Despite the economy downturn in Nigeria, Osun is rated next to Lagos in terms of economic growth.  It has the least poverty rate in Nigeria.

The campaign slogan of Oyetola is Continuity.  He is capable of continuing the good works of Rauf Aregbesola in the revolution brought to Osun education. These can be seen in the provision of  Opon Imo, an e-learning device for imparting and enhancing knowledge and other innovation. He has also vowed to continue with the free feeding programme for children in elementary schools

Continuity in infrastructures and rural development; continuity in the health sector with the construction of new hospitals and renovation of old existing ones in all the local government areas.

Oyetola understands the challenge of paucity of funds in the state and has promised to use his experience to improve the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, without placing undue harshship on the people.

And he has been called names, particularly  derogatory ones such as “ajele” to describe Osun indigenes who have returned home to help the state. They will soon realise that their kite cannot fly, as the various groups and interest now back him for the job, knowing  that the change Aregbesola brought to the state is too good to be lost.  The Osun people would not want to return to Egypt after eight years of good governance in which Oyetola was part of.

Fortunately, Oyetola hails from Iragbiji in Osun Central that has the highest number of voters in the state. Not only that, it is one of the Senatorial Districts that enjoyed highest numbers of projects in terms of infrastructural development and high number of newly constructed schools and hospitals. This is likely to be a positive payback time in term of votes for the administration of Rauf Aregbesola who has changed the face and scape of Osogbo, the state capital.