Daily Trust
The 2022 governorship election in Osun State has come and gone but Nigerians would not forget it in a hurry. For various reasons, the election became a subject of interest. One should not expect less since it is the last off cycle governorship election before the 2023 general elections.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) wanted to retain its hold of the state, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was bent on extending its frontiers in the South West region. At the end of the day, the winner carried the day. However, some persons played key roles in the victory of Senator Ademola Adeleke.
We highlight some of these factors below:
DAVIDO
Award-winning singer has just shown that he is not just gifted on stage but he also has what it takes to deliver a world-class campaign. Davido’s support for his uncle did not start in this election. He was with the governor-elect through the thick and thin four years ago when their efforts did not yield the desired result.
After the 2018 loss, Davido went back to the drawing board and again they launched a new campaign. The artiste went after anything that he perceived stood in the way of his uncle. In January, Davido took his loyalty for his beloved uncle a step further when he squared off with his cousin, Bamidele Adeleke. Bamidele was the main agent of Senator Adeleke in 2018 when he spent the night at INEC Collation Center. Four years down the line, he had turned into a political foe of the governor-elect.
As the election got closer, Davido practically relocated to Osun State in solidarity with his uncle. One of their biggest test came when the APC decided to cut down the crowd at PDP rally with the invitation of Habeeb Okunola, music star known as Portable to Osogbo. The duo went about their business and two days later, Portable was seen on his way out of the state. Time up! But Davido stood back. On the day of the election, he used his social media strength to advance his uncle’s interest. He posted a video where he told people to protect their votes.
“See how red my eyes are, I haven’t slept. Please guide your territory. Monitor your votes,” he said as he shouted “Imole De”, one of the slogans of the campaign. A strong case can be made that Davido swayed many votes, especially from young persons who admire him, the way of Senator Adeleke.
REALIGNMENT OF PDP
A house divide against itself cannot stand goes a famous adage. If there is any sign that Nigeria’s main opposition party understands the meaning of this adage, the just concluded election is a case in point. The PDP has been moving from one crisis to the other. In Ekiti, lack of cohesion did not make the party put its house in order and as such, a mega rally did not hold to campaign for Bisi Kolawole, its candidate in the election won by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Something worse than Ekiti could have befallen PDP in Osun as the party was in the middle of the post presidential primaries crisis. 11 governors shunned the inauguration of Adeleke’s campaign council. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the party’s presidential candidate, and Senator Iyioricha Ayu, Chairman of the opposition party, were also absent. The APC might have been waiting to profit from the situation, but the PDP left little or nothing to chance as Atiku cut short his trip to Europe, Ayu created time and other big wigs were on ground to speak with Osun voters.
Although some key members of the party still stayed away, the mega rally had the touch it deserves as speaker after speaker warmed their way to the hearts of the people….
