The leadership of the kingdom of rats called a conference of rats, to seek lasting solution to the incessant harassment of her members by the bullies called cats.

A lot of their members had lost their lives to these crazy felines who seem sworn to deplete the kingdom of rats and possibly get them extinct. Something urgent had to be done, otherwise, the cats were going to succeed in their mission of exterminating all rats.

One brilliant rat rose in this conference and said, “I suggest we put a little bell around the neck of all cats around our kingdom, the sound of these bells will alert us when they make a move on us.” Brilliant suggestion, but faulty, considering the difficulty of execution.

Which of the rats could walk up to any cat and tie a bell around its neck? Who will bell the cat? Any rat that tries this will get viciously harassed and he will only be lucky to get out of the situation with his life.

So, who will bell the cat?

Like the rats, there are truths that need be said in Osun today, but no one is willing to say, for fear of attacks, victimization and termination of patronage, especially for those who have political ambitions.

One of these truths, is that there are men in Osun today, who should forget about contesting in any other Governorship election, starting from 2022. From age, to capacity, to acceptability, there are several reasons why these men should perish the idea of running for Governor ever again.

I am hoping to start off a chain of conversations, that will help Osun properly envision the kind of person it needs at the helm of affairs and dump rhetorics.

A quick caveat. The thoughts reflected here may not be acceptable to all persons; it is in fact not written to be accepted, but to ignite discussions that will help us make the right decisions.

Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi should perish the thought of contesting for Governor in 2022. At the mention of his candidacy, a lot of enmities spring, swearing to make sure a “mole” is given no chance to run on the ticket of the PDP.

While he has capacity to govern, given his track record as a successful private sector player, the ready-made enmity that his name attracts makes a Governorship project with his name on it, closer to failure than success. Again, while his enemies are not tired, he has also not appropriately ‘maintained’ his friends in the last 2-3 years. This ‘maintenance’ in political parlance is all the difference between success and failure.

Alh. Fatai Akinbade is a man I love and respect so much. I have no doubt about his capacity to deliver people-oriented leadership if given the chance to govern. But, he has contested enough and it’s time to take a deserved rest.

The politics of Nigeria has become heavily monetary, leaving the chances for victory open to only people who have very thick financial war chest and are willing to squander. With due respect to the fine Ogbaagbaa man, he does not have these resources and must not allow our present-day moneybag politics to empty his personal reserve.

Aside the above, Akinbade is tending toward 70 now and it will be a clear expression of disbelief in the capacity of younger men and women, if he chooses to run for Governor again. There are much younger men and women who share his vision and he can support for Governor.

Sen. Iyiola Omisore should please forget contesting again. Chrisore as he is fondly called, is a politician of great stature. Governor or not, his profile in Osun politics today cannot be underrated by anybody.

But, he has also contested enough. His ambition has caused division a number of times, particularly in his former party, the PDP. It is however time for him to rest that ambition, so that he can join hands with other political leaders to support a worthy candidate who will deliver the leadership Osun needs.

Alh. Moshood Adeoti is a good man and I can attest to it. Aside being kind and humane, I also know his grassroots-friendly kind of politics mean he will probably run a populist government. This is not bad, as it puts the people first.

But, Adeoti’s dilly-dallying in the past two years may have painted of him, the image of an unstable politician. Aside the image, his return to the APC also means he must now be willing to play by the selection method of the APC that he frowned at in 2018. This method will not make a Governor out of him, so he is better off perishing the idea from now.

Dr. Peter Babalola is another man who should stop adding to the number of aspirants. He runs all the time, only to end up not getting to the field of primaries. He is now older than this perpetual aspiration and should just be a stakeholder in 2022.

I believe there is a generation of younger politicians who have also made their mark in politics and industry, and are capable of governing a State like Osun.

Where the incumbent Governor is fully expected to fly the flag of the APC in 2022 for a second term, the aspiration of any other man or woman within the APC appear dead on arrival. It means that in addition to Adeoti who is now a full Member of the APC and Omisore who is bonded to the APC by a yet-to-be-understood coalition, every member of the APC who is interested in the Abere seat must wait beyond 2022, except there are plans to pull the rug from under the Governor’s feet.

I almost forgot Sen. Ademola Adeleke. He should ordinarily not be running for Governor. Aside the question marks on his capacity to provide true leadership, there is also the question of whether or not he is even familiar with the true State of affairs in Osun.

While he campaigned in 2018, he made no definitive policy statements that showed he understood the situation on ground. Yes, he danced and entertained Osun people, not forgetting to also use the “I won’t withhold salaries like Aregbesola” cliché, but that was all there was to it. Osun needs a man with a clear plan for our macro and micro economies. Except he has ‘grown’ into that description in the last two years, he should not really bore us with his campaigns.

I say again, there are men and women in the slightly younger generation, who have proven capacity in politics and industry, to drive the State forward. We should be looking in those directions.

The names we have been hearing in Governorship contests since democracy began 21 years ago and the names that strike the wrong chords in people, should let us breathe and listen to other people.

After all, life na soldier go, soldier come.

©AT Oderinu