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CONGRESS: Oyetola’s Charge, Cautions and Lessons ( I ) Famodun’s Ultimate Burden... By ISAAC OLUSESI

https://www.kakakioodua.com/2021/10/congress-oyetolas-charge-cautions-and.html?m=1

Famodun, a factor on his own, could engender victory in any election. What? You would want to ask. He’s reputed to be a good strategist who does not resist any peace overtures being made to him and not one who wobbles in any controversies. Neither has he ever been sanctioned by any superior party authorities nor had understanding and support across party groupings denied to him. 

He satisfies major unwritten requirements: a graduate of North London Polytechnics in Purchasing & Supply, Famodun has remained a light, never hidden under a bushel as he crosses from one familiar landmark to another and sets the pace by  ‘Purchasing,' shopping for marketable party candidates for elective posts and ‘Supplying,’ garnering votes for their victory at elections.

From 1983 when he was Assistant Senatorial Secretary for the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Osun through his tenure as elected Chairman of Boripe Local Government Council (1990-1993); State Chairman, Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN,1994-1998); State Chairman, All Peoples Party (APP,1998-1999); State Chairman, Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD, 2006); State Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria 

(ACN, 2006-2011); State Secretary, ACN /All Progressives Congress (APC, 2011- 2014); and State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC 2014-2018) Famodun reportedly, in the different epochs,  served diligently. He’s reputed to be wise with his carriages; it is apt to assume he’s a force of utilitarian good. 

Over 3decades now, Famodun has singularly or co- supervised elections of numerous candidates into local governments, state and national parliaments as well as the election of Oyetola in 2018, and the election and re-election of his predecessor into Bola Ige House. 

Famodun, as the state ACN Secretary also had exceptional privilege that successfully co- supervised the transmutation of ACN to the magnificent APC, meaning, he co- -shouldered greater responsibility of unification and stability of the new and larger progressive APC. The transmutation as co- supervised, practically safeguarded the Osun APC‘s time tested culture of cohesion, unity, discipline, solidarity and interest articulation from diving into sheer political immaturity and anarchy, insensate hostility and mutual suspicion, and unbridled antagonism and incendiary.

Which explains that Famodun is not unfamiliar with the burden of party leadership. And part of his burden on hand as returned party chairman in the state, is the burden of objective appraisal of the decampees’ reactionary political values, loyalty for re- orientation; the burden of their integration, inculcation into the APC progressive ideology and operationalization; the burden of tilting positively their political attitudes and behaviour and generating in them popular disposition in terms of truth loyalty to the party; and the burden of spawning more effectively result oriented conflict management to bring  back our family members on the other side of our most unwholesome divide, flexing muscles, exhibiting clowns out there.

But Famodun is a wizard in the game of removing obstacles in the path of reconciliation like iconic father simplifies the unification of the extended families. The Osun APC looks up to him as integration medium to simplify the Oyetola “reconciliatory process” charge to the party executives. 

Now is the right time to ask Famodun, the state APC top banana, the boss, that the ‘Must Do’ be put on the front burner to further the irreversible growth and progress of party. The Oyetola charge is enough a good caution against any eruption of confusion, contradiction, tension and uncertainty.

Indeed, the charge is also a lesson on docility and acquiescence to manipulation by certain politicians who might want to make unilateral claim on the return of Famodun. No one or group of persons should try to build a wall around him, aimed at nothing but to decelerate or incapacitate him; it is blackmail, simple. It cannot be beneficial. No controversy. Allow the top dog, the party boss, to increase his landmarks; he has his kits of answers to issues confronting the party.

And let no one get teased. Politics is a game of number, not a game of space or venue. The greater the number of party people, the greater the visibility of the party; the greater the visibility, the greater the enthusiasm; the greater the enthusiasm, the greater the viability; the greater the viability, the greater the chances for electoral victory, and cumulatively, the greater the electoral victory, the greater the utilitarian waves of sustenance and consolidation of democracy, its dividends. That’s why the difference between the party survival and party  breakdown, split or breakdown is a question of political engineering beyond congress space or campaign venue. The engineering ingenuity, Famodun vastly possesses, and had displayed in the past. 

I celebrate the state party chairman, a celebration of party affairs provost, armed with all-important credentials. And I celebrate KMC, Igbajo, the crucible that moulded his personality and burnished his character of soul and mind.

Our shared burden is here. “To collectively work for the re-election of Oyetola during the next year governorship election,” said, Famodun at his return. 

I like that coming from the horse’s mouth. 

It is Famodun's ultimate burden.

Our joint burden.

 *(Concluded)* 

 

*OLUSESI writes at the Foot of  Most Gracious, Most Merciful, All-knowing*