AS ALIMOSHO MAKES A TURN OF LEAF TO THE BEAUTY IN INTERNAL DEMOCRACY

By Hakeeb Omotoyosi

Just about couple of days past, the third leg of the Alimosho Progressives' tripod leadership stand, Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo, pressed ahead with his resolve to drag the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Direct Primaries proferred as the first option by the 2026 Electoral Act. He made this statement through his solo version of the Federal Constituence Meeting where he showcased a drone-driven sea of heads for the mamoth crowd of followers he commands.

This followed the consolidated embrace of consensus by his two other counterparts -- the GAC visage and global icon of Alimosho politics, Her Excellence, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (OFR) and the Apex leadership visage, Prince Bisi Yusuf. Just the penultimate Monday, the duo's camp revealed their aligning interest to go with consensus for those to emerge as the APC candidates for available elective offices in the Federal Constituency. This consequently returned all the incumbent serving for the expiring term. The three are Hon Ganiyu Ayuba, member of the House of Representatives; Hon Lukmon Orelope, member of the Lagos Assembly (Alimosho 01); and Hon Kehinde Olaide Joseph, member of the Lagos Assembly (Alimosho 02).

Earlier, Enilolobo had convened a gathering of his camp of The Mandate Movement Group (TMMG) to unveil their own endorsed aspirants for the race. He paraded no less experienced politicians too, whose qualification for the vacant offices could hardly be dismissed as 'accidental politicians' incapable of the right knowledge to run the offices if elected. They included Hon Bisi Adebajo (ABISCO) for the House of Reps; Hon Shakirudeen for Constituency 01 and Nojimdeen Adegoke. for Constituency 02 of Alimosho seats in the State Assembly.

What is to be understood is that neither the pushers for consensus is wrong nor Enilolobo pushing for direct primaries is politically righteous either in pushing for what may appear to many as a vote for political equal right. The Alimosho people are only seeing a reversal of an epic road they have once travelled or conversant with as a trademark. For about two decades when Enilolobo called the shots as the Apex Leader, Enilolobo was implacable about holding consensus as the sacrosanct creed of the progressives. It was with hubric and imposing order that he once told Bisi Yusuf that he would not be going for a third a term until, first, the immediate intervention of Hon Kehinde Joseph before the eventual seal of the grandmaster Aregbe reversed it. He could have allowed Bisi Yusuf, like many others, to test their popularity through direct primaries even though it was always a shambolic stuff of a trade in violence where such were to be symbolically inescapable. Such was the case of direct primaries his leadership was forced to honour and convened for Surulere stadium in 2018 for the local government elections.

Even then and almost in all cases, he would always ride on the state party leadership's compromising leaning to his interest, concurring with whatever he could be willing to produce as the outcome of candidates' selection in Alimosho. Those conversant with that epic would only wonder why Enilolobo would not deem the national leadership of the party (as it were in this dispensation) right in upholding consensus as the party's first line option in producing its party candidates.

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It meets the eyes to say that the choice of consensus by the duo of Joke Orelope and Bisi Yusuf could not be a case of their self-discretion, but a loyal alignment with the direction of national order in matters of the primary. And it is one reason those who may see Enilolobo's push for direct primaries as a de-alignment with party directives, which many might want to see as his disrespect for party supremacy -- albeit wrongly anyway.

With the fact surrounding the evolution of Presidential Monitoring Team for the conduct of APC primaries, there should be no illusion about consensus as the primary idea of Mr. President himself. It was discovered that the stability of this first term administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was largely due to the cooperation of the National Assembly. Besides the fact that the cohesion bond that breeds this should not be upset, there should be no doubt that pressing danger in every party primaries is the fracture that always trail it inevitably. The APC would have possibly sought to avert this with the option of consensus, especially given the tension that had begun to brew among the state governors and Senators from the respective states. Discernible mind would see it as the best option to take going into the 2027 General Elections in which the opposition camps continue to strengthen their resolve to unseat the ruling party with coalition of their varieties into formidable alliance.

Not withstanding this either, the letters of the 2026 Electoral Act that gives opportunity of open field run of the primaries must as well be seen as a "Renewed Hope" for those willing to express their dissension freely and without fear of intimidation. This is the light in which the Enilolobo in Alimosho and Ajose's recalcitrance on govership aspiration should be viewed. And it is good that it is starting at all as a significant reform of the political space by this administration of President Tinubu. Therefore, it is a turn of new leaf to a page of beauty in internal democracy.

The first tangible value to be seen about this reform is the now recognition of individual party members as stakeholders in their political clan as empowered with respective right to make a choice of to whom his/her interest should align. The departure from the delegate system which hitherto treat members as robotic participants in the party primaries is a significant statement to read conspicuously in the new page.

This starting may not offer the full benefit of the reform, it will surely impart its values if sustained. For truth, consensus may appear coercive, no doubt about it.But the courage an individual aspirant may put to oppose it with a demand for open primaries is by itself the foremost substance to see about the reform.