We were in a Celestial Church of Christ at Ijebu Jesa on the 20th of June, 2018, when Barr. Pelumi Olajengbesi called me privately into the car and told me that "the party has prevailed on me to step down for Hon. Wole Oke and take the House of Assembly ticket unopposed; know how to handle this when I relate it to our guys."
The reason why he called me was because he knew some of us would be very bitter with such development, but at the same time, he also knew that some of us had been with him more intimately long enough to understand the situation better; hence, he instructed me to make sure the team didn't feel too bad with the news.
Truly everyone felt bad when the news was broken, but we made sure the situation was rightly managed.
The party leaders at the local, state and federal levels told Pelumi that if the PDP had won the 2019 election, they would have selected Wole Oke for speakership.
They asked Pelumi if his ambition would mean Obokun Oriade should be denied the number 4 citizen position in Nigeria, and he said no; party superiority prevailed, and Pelumi allowed Oke to get the Rep ticket unopposed.
To mend the fence ahead of the general election, the two camps amalgamated and created the ITURA-BOO Movement to show oneness and unity in the party.
Hon. Wole Oke promised Pelumi heaven and earth, including huge financial assistance for his Assembly election. Oke even called him on a fateful day and requested his account number, but instead of receiving the promised support, the alert we had was from Pelumi's banker, who alerted us that Oke was trying to know how much Pelumi had in his account at the moment. That was a high level of political machination and manoeuvring.
The rumour later became truth that Wole Oke supported the APC candidate who was Pelumi's rival with a huge amount just to boost his capacity against Pelumi.
Pelumi did not lose the 2019 election in the first round to his rival; the election became inconclusive, and we decided not to partake in the second leg of the election because it was obvious that we were fighting two forces: Oyetola of the APC, who didn't want a vibrant PDP lawmaker in his government, and Wole Oke of PDP, who didn't want a promising politician to rise in his party and immediate constituency.
The inconclusiveness of the Oriade Assembly election of 2019 was directly a premeditated attack on Pelumi's ambition.
The plan was that if Pelumi had won in the first round, they would use the election in the inconclusive polling units to turn things around; otherwise, there was not any tangible reason to declare the election inconclusive.
Wole Oke's boys were directed not to work for Pelumi on his election day in spite of the fact that Pelumi's boys supported and promoted Oke to the high heavens during his election.
Wole Oke's boys refused to partake in the election but rather sabotaged Pelumi's efforts.
Would Oke have won if Pelumi did the same thing against him? That is open for debate, but I'm sure it would not have been an easy ride for Oke. Either way, Pelumi did not lose the 2019 election in Oriade to Desmond Ojo but to Wole Oke's conspiracy and Oyetola's machination.
The day after the 2019 election, Pelumi, with joy and confidence on his face, called us together at the hotel we usually lodge in Iwaraja.
I could remember the despair on the faces of my comrades; one of the inner house members, Khent, was weeping out his eyes, asking if the beautiful family we've built together would suddenly come to an end.
Most of us had actually built our lives around Pelumi's election, and the outcome became a shocker.
Pelumi confidently urged everyone to remain calm and hopeful; he promised that the family we've built would never be separated but would become stronger and prosperous, and so far, so good, the family has remained stronger than ever before.
In his usual style, Pelumi drove us from Ijebu to Abuja the day after we'd lost hope in the election.
While going, we were playing and dancing to his favourite music at the moment, "Igba mi laye Baba Odowo re, Asiko mi laye Baba lowo re lo wa oo," which is translated to My time and season on earth are in the hands of Almighty God.
Pelumi knows there is time for everything as echoed in Ecclesiastes 3:1, and he has learnt to move on regardless of any outcome.
We were about to get to Lokoja when Pelumi just parked by the roadside, and we increased the volume of the music and started dancing.
Coincidentally, the Wole Oke boys who were also coming from the election in an eighteen-passenger bus saw us, and they parked in front of us to come and greet us.
Behold, they couldn't imagine how a group that lost the election after spending a fortune would be so happy and undeterred.
The next thing we had after a few days was a petition against Pelumi from some of the Oke loyalists claiming Pelumi acted against his own election and sold the election to the APC.
Ai tete mu ole, Ole ti fe moloko. When invited by party leader over the allegation, they actually gave Pelumi an opportunity to express himself, and some of the party leaders who knew the game Oke played against Pelumi actually felt remorse.
The election ended, and Pelumi and his people moved on so fast beyond their comprehension; glory be to God, Pelumi's business and activities continued to flourish at an unprecedented pace that some of us even concluded that losing the Assembly election was part of God's plan for his life. The 2023 election was approaching.
Wole Oke and other party leaders called Pelumi again and told him not to even show interest for that election. Wole Oke painstakingly told Pelumi that the election would be his last and he would hand over to Pelumi in 2027.
As a show of commitment, Wole Oke informed his lieutenants to start working for Pelumi ahead of his 2027 election.
After a series of promises and agreements, I don't know what actually changed.
Wole Oke was warming up for another term after being in the same position since 2003, but this time around, Oke would not have the guts to call Pelumi again to step aside.
Oke has also released some of his key lieutenants to Pelumi, and those people have refused to leave Pelumi standing on their conscience, saying that Oke had directed them to do that and that they wouldn't renege on that agreement for any reason.
On the other side, Pelumi had maintained a cordial relationship with the PDP led state government and the party echelon at all levels, and they have openly come out saying that nobody would be giving automatic tickets this time around. Remember, Oke had enjoyed automatic tickets from the PDP since 2003, when he ventured into politics, but this time around, Wole Oke would need to struggle for the ticket with Pelumi Olajengbesi, who had been patient enough for 8 years and had strategically positioned himself to give the race whatever it takes.
This reality has given Wole Oke sleepless nights. While Pelumi saw Oke as a leader to collaborate with, Oke saw him as a long-term rival to be stopped; Oke actually saw a better version of himself in Pelumi and was scared of his political breakthrough, hence all the attempts to stop him from taking a giant leap.
It is no longer a rumour that Wole Oke is having an open romance with APC and severely criticising the PDP government of Governor Ademola Adeleke in Osun State; the self-acclaimed landlord of PDP in Ijesha North is becoming a stranger to his house because of his voracious appetite for power, and may unluckily become a tenant in another person's land sooner than imagined.
The same party leaders that told Pelumi not to contest against Oke in 2019 and 2023 are now saying Oke should not contest against Pelumi in 2027.
To people in Oke's camp, those leaders are betrayals without minding the fact that Oke rode on their back for more than 20 years. For saying Oke should step aside and allow a younger and promising Pelumi, who had sacrificed his ambition twice for Oke, they became enemies in the sight of Oke's followers.
Oke does not want to accept the reality that no king nor champion reigns forever; maybe he would get desired solace in the APC that he's reportedly heading – time shall tell.
Comr Ogunsamson
