Date: 2015-09-15

Generally, we wish our departed fellows should be allowed to rest after eventful sojourn on earth which accounts for the reason they are traditionally deposited beneath the earth, so as to hide them from human activities. The graveyard is characteristically silent and such silence is not expected any where again, not even in the court rooms. The silence banner in court rooms does not prevent the lawyers from arguing and the judge from reading judgements.

Silence of the graveyard is deafening and frightening! How I wish people are not requested or intimidated to keep silent in the face of injustice, inequality and suppression of human dignity? What if the differences are resolved where would you belong? Where two leaders are quarreling should the followers fan the ember of discord? Those are the good statements we are confronted with each passing day by peacemakers and our admirers.

Let's check the root:

There is a rich background in community service working for some of us but it may be noteworthy setting the record straight here, that as for me, my involvement in active politics started in 1998 as the ward secretary of the Alliance for Democracy. Our captains were Mohammed Awobimpe a.k.a Shilo (now Alhaji), Pharm. Fatah Sadiq (now Alhaji) and Engr. Kamaldeen Amuda (deceased) -he contested and won the councilorship post to represent us at the Ifelodun local government legislative council in 1999. They were just 3 on the platform of AD as at that time in an APP controlled house (up and down).

Arc. Olu Abogunrin, a former chairman of Ifelodun local government was our chairmanship candidate and my brother - Pharm. Fatah Sadiq who had a similar aspiration was requested to run with Arc. Abogunrin to raise a formidable and sellable pair, so he agreed to be his running mate for the local government election held in December 1998. Shilo as we called another brother, was the rallying point and he later chaired our party at the local government level.

As we moved past year 2000 political activities became very interesting and we worked more on how to displace those we used to describe as the feudal lords. It was fulfilling to be part of a political party that request us to donate for her day to day running, when cash was shared amongst members of another political party in our neighborhood. I recall that N800 was given to my ward by our party to prosecute the local government election, while our Ward leaders contribute to make up for the short fall.

And Lai Mohammed bore the risk:

Our belief was that we had the acceptability and will to rule the state because AD was in full control of atleast 2 local governments in Kwara State and sizeable number of Councilors across the state and 5 members in the state house of assembly. That was the last time an opposition party reached that ceiling in my state. We were looking beyond for help from Kwarans in Diaspora.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed yielded the call when he sacrificed his plum position as the chief of staff to his friend and governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinibu to run for the gubernatorial slot of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2002. May the Almighty bless the family of the late Baba Jamiu from Ajase, he played a key role in the process at great personal cost among other prominent citizens of Kwara resident in Lagos as at that time.

LM would have served out his tenure as the chief of staff to Tinubu and work with him until 2007, when he completed his term as the governor of Lagos State. He handed over to the immediate past governor of the state, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). Rauf Aregbesola served 2 complete terms before coming to run for the office of the governor in his native state of Osun. LM answered our call and brought glamour to our campaign. He ran a super campaign!

2003 election as you will recall was massively rigged and we lost to the forces of military, compromised electoral umpire and others. Our campaign slogan was "Restoration 2003...restoring dignity and pride to the good people of Kwara State."

KUF became our vehicle:

We agreed to re-align forces from across the various divides in our state and further engender our restoration agenda. LM pointedly told us that the AD may not be a veritable tool for winning election in 2007. We tried many names before we agreed on Kwara Unity Forum (KUF). We assembled activists, academics, artisans and politicians to drive the new forum. Comrade Adefila (now a permanent secretary) was our chairman and myself was the secretary. We run the forum under leadership of Alhaji Lai Mohammed. My brother and soulmate, Williams Adeleye though personal assistant to LM was equally the liaison officer of the forum and later became the state coordinator of the forum. I was the youngest at the topmost echelon of the forum and Adefila apparently admired my style of record taking of the proceeding of our meetings.

Prof. Adekeye, Prof. Lawal, Alhaji ARJ Idera and Hon. Adesina were some of the prominent faces in the forum. KUF since after that time has permeated all levels of political participation in Kwara State. That is the vehicle driving the Annual Ramadan Lecture series in honour of the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Aseto Ilu of Lagos, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

LM criss-crossing Nigeria for a new party:

The mantle fell on LM after he lost the 2003 election to galvanize forces across the southern and norther hemispheres of the country for a political party that can challenge the domination of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He consistently reported to us that a party of people from different political leanings would emerge before the 2007. From MRD, MRDD, ACD, AC and later ACN he was the spokesman and we journeyed together.

2007 election brought many of the rightists and leftists together. The marriage didn't last in Kwara before we went to our old tents. Our gubernatorial candidate didn't wait 3 months after his election before he returned to PDP. That was the time the Aregbesolas, Fayemis, Mimikos and Oshiomholes were rocking the courts in this land as if they were looking for passes into the paradise. When I had the opportunity of meeting the senator penultimate 2014, I reminded him that man should be consistent in his dealings. He agreed!

I will not discuss or examine the process that led to 2011 outing by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), that itself is enough for a thesis. What about events leading to 2015? That again may distract us but definitely failure to dissect that period of our political life makes this work incomplete. For the purpose of this writing we may not need it.

Have we been silent?

For the neophytes, you should by now appreciate that we have come a long way in trying to intervene for the common good of everyone. While we were doing those things, some people thought we were idle and unambitious. It is heartwarming that our patience eventually paid-off. It will interest you in my future dissection to read on how marginally the other side had contributed to our success in either Nigeria or Kwara State. APC is baby of a very long gestation period.

Me, never thought in my wildest imagination that I will work with people loyal to Saraki for one hour, LM persuaded us into the marriage. I pity LM when the marriage was to be consummated for degrees of assault he assimilated from both within and outside. What about the Oro Ward 11 congress stalemate? What about the Ilorin Airport assault? The aftermath of the mandate meeting when he said my leader...? The eve to the state congress among others?

We can't kill history, no what how hard we try to do so. We invested heavily not only in the process leading to the formation of the party but also in nurturing to maturity of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Interestingly, we have never lost our vision that dignity and pride be restored to the good people of Kwara State.

Should anyone requests for silence now, it is like a good midfielder advancing to the goal post and decides to force the ball into the net with his two hands. How would you describe that? We are not trained to be silent, and a student of progressive politics is trained to think and be creative. We can't be silent because we don't know how to be silent. Run an inclusive party there shall be progress; a party that encourages Ward and local government meetings anytime apart from election period.

Perhaps, we should encourage the state government under Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to come out with clear policies that will define the direction of his government and do that with alacrity. Mr. Governor, time is ticking! History will be written against your name, as it is done for your predecessors. Act well your part!

Kayode Oyin-Zubair, Caucus for Progressive Change, Ilorin