Former Whip of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the House of Representatives, Hon. Babatunde Oduyoye, has declared that the alleged withdrawal of his associate and chairman of Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, Engr. Jubril Dotun Sanusi, from the 2027 governorship race, cannot hold water because he never declared to contest in the first place.
Oduyoye, in an interview published by the Nigerian Tribune, maintained that the businessman and Jagun Olubadan of Ibadanland has not officially declared for the governorship contest, hence his withdrawal from the race is untenable.
According to the former two-term House of Representatives member, Oyo State needs an individual with the best interest of the state at heart in 2027, adding that such an individual should, however, be within a productive age bracket.
Oduyoye, who is a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, added that though he has always been a believer in generational shift in governance, residents of the state are free to support the candidate they believe has their interest at heart in 2027.
Responding to a question on the implications of Jubril Dotun Sanusi’s withdrawal from the governorship race, Oduyoye said:
“Engineer Jubril Dotun Sanusi is a brother, friend and compatriot but, as far as I am concerned, he has not publicly declared interest in running for the 2027 governorship. “Nobody is in the 2027 race in Oyo State as we speak. So, it is preposterous to say someone is withdrawing from a race that has not started.
“I read more about forums, groups, and all that. But that does not translate to a declaration.
“Some Support Groups have been making waves, but that is not the same thing as public declaration for governorship. Until someone publicly makes a declaration that he wants to contest for governor, usually at the NUJ Secretariat or his political party headquarters, or somewhere else, such a person cannot be considered as an aspirant.
“As far as I am concerned, I do not think Chief Sanusi has publicly declared that he wants to contest for the governorship seat of Oyo State. And if he has not done that, which race did he withdraw from?
“If you have not declared to contest for a race, you cannot withdraw from that race. That is what I am saying. I have neither seen anything in the newspaper or anywhere else where Chief Sanusi declared to contest the next election nor have I seen anything emphatic.
“Contesting elections is a public thing. It is not done within the confines of an office. That is what I understand, as somebody who has contested in three election cycles in Oyo State.
“Some people are even of the opinion that it is too early to start propagating the 2027 election in 2024. By the first quarter of 2025, we should have a feeling of those who are interested in contesting.
“By that time, we would have known the contenders and the pretenders and it is only then that we can assess them and know those who have the genuine interest of the people of Oyo State at heart.”
The former lawmaker noted that he would recommend to the people of Oyo State to support an individual who can effectively improve on what Governor Seyi Makinde has achieved as the next governor of the state.
“Such person must be somebody who has the genuine interest of the people at heart and must have distinguished himself. He must be someone who has the capability and confidence to lead the people of Oyo State, a person who is compassionate and passionate about the feelings of the people.
“He must be someone who can lead the state out of this unhealthy dependence on federal allocations, poor power supply, and inability to feed itself, even with thousands of hectares of arable land all around. Such a person must be prepared and ready.
“Governor Makinde launched the roadmap to accelerated development in 2019, and subsequently, in 2023, he launched the roadmap for sustainable development.
“Wherever he left things in 2027, we cannot afford to lower the standards.
“Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his team raised the bar of governance in the Western Region in the First Republic. They repeated the same in 1979-1980, when that team returned in the Second Republic.
“Subsequently, there has been a kind of lull in governance, especially at the sub-national level. We need to take governance in Yorubaland back to that plateau where Awo and his AG and UPN team left it. I don’t think Oyo State should return to a season where some people will say they want to contest without having a manifesto. Gone are those days that somebody will win an election before telling us what he will do. You cannot hold such people accountable. So, before anybody decides to contest, Oyo State people must know what the programmes are, and they would take an assessment of where we are and where we want to be. It is only then that someone like me and other people who are citizens of this state would be able to decide whether or not he deserves our support.”