OPINION - Senate Presidency: This is our chance in Kwara. By Kayode Oyin-Zubair

Date: 2015-04-19

In 1979, Providence presented to our dear state - Kwara the opportunity of leading the Senate of the second republic and the cap was hovering over the late Dr. Olusola Saraki of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Saraki eventually wore the cap and became the senate leader.

Senator Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, another son of the soil was a member of the senate at that time but rode on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) to the upper chamber of the legislative house. As the scramble for the exalted seat in the house started, C.O. Adebayo pitched his tent with his brother, Olusola Saraki even with their clear differential political leanings. Adebayo was proud of doing that and thanked God his brother made it.

You will recall that the former senate leader paid Adebayo back in the 1983 governorship election when he threw his weight behind him to become the governor of Kwara State.

Providence again beckons on Dr. Bukola Saraki to lead the 8th Senate, now as the senate president. Would any son or daughter of Kwara despise this cause?

The chief campaigner of Saraki senate presidency today is Lai Mohammed who holds that this is our chance in the state of harmony, he also believes this window will afford us the opportunity of contributing to nation building while our own is in the saddle.

Mohammed unlike Adebayo belongs to the same political party with Saraki. Mohammed unknown to many has a long standing relationship with the Saraki family. In 2003, before Senator Saraki joined the governorship race, political pundits held that the patriarch of the Saraki family was going to support Alhaji Lai Mohammed who was running on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). I was a coordinator of the Lai Mohammed Campaign Organization (LAMCO) in Ifelodun local government area.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State in 2002 and Lai Mohammed was his chief of staff (de facto deputy governor); when the late Oloye approached Asiwaju for an intervention on a Kwara matter. Lai Mohammed took it upon himself and honored the late pillar of Kwara politics. Little wonder through out his campaign in 2003 and later as the spokesman for MRD/MDD, ACD, AC, ACN and now, he never hurled attack on the Saraki family which many of the unreliable characters within us found unacceptable.

Lai Mohammed is urbane, humble and sincere. At the launch of his book - Witness to History, in Lagos in 2013, Asiwaju exclaimed that he would have protested should Lai Mohammed failed to allow him to present the book. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president-elect wrote the foreword to that book. Asiwaju didn't fail to expose the character of Lai Mohammed in his brief speech.

"Lai, you are intelligent, Lai you are smart, Lai you are an honest man. You are only being modest by saying you are a witness to history. You are the history. Lai is ACN, and ACN is Lai." It was about the time ACN was winding up and we had returned our certificate to INEC.

This is the man who believes in the socio-economic well being of his people and had pursued same with vigor over time. He is one man that believes in the Will of the Almighty God on every issue of life. He is a devout Muslim; some of his followers dare to address him as Alfa because he had on many occasions declined to behave like the average Nigeria politician.

As some may not know, Senator Saraki and Alhaji Lai Mohammed are on the same page on every issue as it affect our party since the merger was consummated. The senate presidency can't be an exemption. The cynics will be shocked to the marrow in the nearest future when Kwara finally carry the ace. To be concluded.

Kayode Oyin-Zubair, is the Head of Programs (Mandate 2015) and Secretary Kwara Unity Forum (KUF), political group of Lai Mohammed.

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Unilorin     Olabode George Towoju     Kayode Laro     Femi Oladiji     Babatunde Ajeigbe     Mutawali     Alimi Abdulrazaq     Omupo     Razaq Atunwa     Bola Sagaya     Coronavirus     Tafida     Computer Based Test     Lukman Adeloyin     Senior Ibrahim Suleiman     Olomu     Demola Banu     Olatomiwa Williams     Muazam Nayaya     Lawal Jimoh     Abdulrazaq Magaji     Musa Aibinu     Jumoke Monsura Gafar     PharmAccess Foundation     Okanlawon Musa     Funmilayo Isiaka Oniwa     Moshood Mustapha     Muhammadu Buhari     KwaraLearn     March 18     Oniwasi Agbaye     Olokoba Sulyman     NAWOJ     Yakub Lai Gobir     Umar Saro     Standard Organization Of Nigeria     Afonja Descendants Union     Kwara State Government     Local Government     Bello Oyedepo     Offorjama     Kwara State Printing And Publishing Corporation     Jumoke F. Ajao     Mashood Dauda     Ahman Pategi University     Babata     Yusuf Abubakar     Niyi Ogundiran     Hassan Oyeleke     Muslim Media Watch Group Of Nigeria     Naira Redesign     Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital     Idofin     Tescom.kwarastate.gov.ng     Turaki     Senior Special Assistant On Student Affairs     Mohammed Yisa     Isiaka Danmeromu     Mope Dasuki Belgore     Joseph Alex Offorjama     Law School Scholarship     Toyin Olayinka Tejidini     Sheriff Shagaya     Funmilayo Braithwaite     Jebba     Asa     Moronfoye     Saliu Mustapha     Emir Of Shonga     Aiyedun     Bareke     Oladimeji Thompson     KWASEIC     Kale Belgore     Mohammed Abduraheem     Rafiu Olasile     Kayode Oyin-Zubair    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Bola Sagaya     Amina Susa\'a De Ahmed     Mutawali Of Ilorin     Women Radio     Sa\'adatu Modibbo-Kawu     Olaiya Victor Mobolaji     Abubakar Ndakene     Dauda Adesola     NFAI     Aiyedun     Yunus Oniboki     Mohammed Halidu     Kwara Restoration Project     Kehinde Baale     Afolasade Opeyemi Kemi     Muhammad Yahya     Ahmad Fatima Bisola     Yahya Mohammed     Durbar Festival     TVC Female National Debate     SWAN     Hussein Oloyede     Kwara Metro Park     Ojuekun     Split Diamond Interchange     Emir Of Yashikira     Saadu Yusuf     Ope Saraki     Wahab Kunle Shittu     Egbejila     Oluwatoyin Lukman     Kwara State Football Association     Kannike     Sarkin Malamai     Al-Ilory     Okin Biscuit     Dagbalodo     Kabir Shagaya     Olusin Of Ijara Isin     Abdulmajeed Wahab     KwaraLearn     Salake     Wahab Isa     Diagnostic Centre     Gbenga Adebayo     Nigerian Army     Sabitiyu Grillo     AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem     ER-KANG Mining Nigeria Company Limited     All Peoples Party     Yoruba     Sobi Specialist Hospital     Abdulrazaq Akorede     Geri-Alimi Split Diamond Interchange     Ashiru     Okin Malt     Ilofa     Emmanuel Bello     Abdulrahman Abdulrasak     Hussein Olokooba     John Mayokun Dada     Just Event Online     Baba Idris     Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye     Yahaya Abdulkareem     GGDSS Pakata     Aisha Ahman Pategi     Shuaib Jawondo     Femi Agbaje     Akeem Olatunji     Gafaru Olayiwola Olorisade     Olaitan Adefila     Yusuf A. Usman     Oya State     Bola Shagaya     Christopher Odetunde     JAAC