Ko si ìdárí jì f’àwon tó bá dalè

Ko si ìdárí jì f’àwon tó bá dalè

Ko si ìdárí ajì f’àwon tó bá dalè

Àyà fi tó bá lè lo

The above lyrics were originally discovered by me on Saturday, January 19, 2022, not long after the APC gubernatorial primary results began to come in. The person who first shared it on his Facebook wall was an old classmate who now had to deal with someone who proclaimed, using a bishop’s authority, that “Aregbe did not betray anybody.” Believe me, my classmate quickly said, “but he (singer) did not mention Aregbe.” I chuckled. There’s a saying here that says that the only person who won’t know which proverb applies to him is the one who is scared of conflict.

The elders of my place will also say, “A nki, a nsa, iwo ni o mo baba eni to ku”—we are chanting the praise names and remembering his ancestry, yet you claim not to know whose father is dead—when clearly implied jabs are thrown and one pretends not to know which direction the stones are flying. Here at my place, we adore proverbs. Furthermore, you cannot hold us responsible. The Aregbe camp recently suffered a terrible loss in a primary election. By the way, “Aregbe” refers to Ogbeni Raufu Aregbesola, the current Minister of Internal Affairs and the most recent governor of Osun State, or State of Osun, if you’re at home with his creative aberration. Shortly after the politician from Ilesa faced the reality of a crushing defeat, someone asserted that “but he did not mention Tinubu.” You don’t start describing a dangling thing (a ki ri oni gege lorun ka tu ma soro ohun to nji gbongan gbongan) when you encounter a woman with a large goiter.

Going back to the lyrics above, there is a very clear message. The songwriter asserts that the betrayer cannot be pardoned. He has to give it his all. Virtually all Bola Ahmed Tinubu, BAT’s men spread the video of the song and many others, which are as scathing as the one above. The kind of laughs I experienced over the weekend would have happened if my neighbors had not been too familiar with me. Aregbe, a Muslim, would have been buried by now if mockery is lethal. On Sunday, his neighbors in Alimosho, Lagos, went above and above. They constructed a makeshift coffin, printed T-shirts bearing an embossed picture of the minister, and pretended to be in mourning while they danced through the neighborhood. All of this resulted from Aregbe and his men’s defeat in what was meant to be a family-friendly party primary.

However, it makes sense. Aregbe did not simply lose the Osun APC primary on Saturday. It was not an ordinary setback. It has enormous implications for every aspect of existence, including the political, social, and maybe economic. I therefore grant him and his followers that they are entitled to an avalanche of pebbles, and perhaps even stones, in return for any former recipient of the political largesse of the BAT who then goes on to hurl trash (idaro) at the Bourdillon glass house. The Osun State APC and BAT field boys succeeded in drowning Aregbe in an avalanche of deadly pebbles on Saturday.

My purpose in writing this is not to elevate BAT or worsen Aregbe’s wounds, which in my opinion might become a political gangrene if left untreated. .. Upon meeting with his supporters in Ijebu-Jesa on Thursday, 76 hours before the primary, and hearing all that Aregbe had to say about BAT, I believed he had what it took to emulate the historical achievements of Ogedengbe Agbogungboro. However, occasionally, some people are unaware of their own lightness until the world’s storm sweeps them away. Even though I found the songs that quickly became popular hilarious, I also gave the consequences for Yoruba politics some thought. My mind was filled with many wild questions, and I was both deeply concerned and deeply saddened.

For example, why is there always a willing hand in the Yoruba camp whenever a guy is being prepped for the slaughter slab? Anyone who has followed Aregbe and BAT’s political career and is unfazed by their abrupt change of direction can likewise sell Jesus Christ and have supper with the Master on the same day. I had an almost betrayal-like experience that kept me out of party politics. Our older distant relative defeated my older brother in the councillorship race. The way we lost the election was the problem, not the fact that we lost. On election eve, the individual who made the difference that resulted in our narrow loss stayed at our family home till 11.48 pm. To amuse my brother, we murdered his largest cock to amuse him. The next morning, he was the one who organized against us, and we lost the election—only in his polling place. We knew who he had organized to work against us during the Option A4 timeframe. Any hopes I had of getting involved in party politics again were dashed by that one act of betrayal.

The other year, when Aregbe took a seat at his own birthday celebration and permitted Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to talk negatively on BAT, there were clear indications that he would oppose BAT. Subsequently, there had been constant attacks, culminating in the final Thursday Ijebu-Ijesa outburst. After giving the Aregbe and BAT situation some more thought, I almost agree with the Facebook user who said, “Aregbe did not betray anybody,” in a comment on a classmate’s post. He might be correct if we accept the sage advice that states that a youngster doesn’t understand the meaning of an oath until he takes it, not until he violates it (ojo ti omode ba mu’le lo nmo, kii mo ojo to ba dale). That is knowledge.

Betrayals dot the Yoruba landscape like maize plantations, starting with BAT himself, who, after becoming the governor of Lagos State in 1999, was given the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ticket by Afenifere, despite coming in third in the primary. His first action was to destroy the Afenifere group. Afenifere is currently having difficulty becoming relevant once more, and the BAT camp is continuing to tighten the rope around the group’s neck. It is understandable that the vast majority of individuals who gained prominence due to their affiliation with BAT are currently absent from his defense. If nothing else, BAT has to be concerned. It’s not about making a big show of telling a young person that he could become president after he’s had his chance. I think the problem is deeper. “Esan kii gbe”: justice is served.

A general’s greatest attribute is not how many wars he wins, but rather how many of his soldiers stick by him through those victories. To brag of a general defeating his lieutenant in combat is hardly an accomplishment. Yes, it is necessary to punish subordinates for their transgressions, but elevating them to the level of an exceptional triumph reveals a lot about the boss. I believe that BAT need to be worried about how someone like Aregbe would confront him in public. All the names in the book can be applied to Aregbe. We can label him a “odale” (betrayer) and use every foul word in the book. He is even more deserving. However, we should inquire as to the number of silent Aregbes who are observing and subtly working against the interests of the family in the BAT camp. I’m taking a big risk: there are a ton of mischievous rats that are currently hibernating in the BAT camp. They bite and blow air. While Aregbe may have shown courage by coming out in public or may have been foolish to accept an open challenge, what about the others who are still following BAT around in danger but remain silent? Do we also wish away the people who were on board Aregbe’s ship but changed their minds at the last minute and are now posing as BAT fans everywhere they go? Are they reliable? And is the APC situation in Osun State over, if I may ask? Have we forgotten the rat’s assertion that it can waste the millet if it is unable to consume it?

And may I ask, is this the proper way to conduct a presidential contest in the South-West? This detached house? Before we try to remove those who believe they are born presidents, can not we just get ten honorable men to stand together? Will the remarks made by Lagos State Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu and Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila work their magic? Can a Gbajabiamila win Surulere on his own structure, if he has any, if, as we say, today we release the dog and the red monkey? Our elders should be concerned about Ekiti’s quiet, Ondo’s “I don’t care” attitude, Ogun’s “it’s not my business,” and Oyo’s “keep on dancing” mentality. What does it say us if a BAT is vying for president in 2023 and Raji Fashola, with his “may our loyalty not be tested” mindset, is not in the running at this point? What about Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President? Is his ambivalent disposition, “ko se, ko je ni wu o se,” something we can live with? Are there enough paddles to steady the Yoruba political canoe drifting in the wake of the North wind, the South-East breeze, and the Niger Delta’s contaminated creek water directed towards the sailing ship?