By Dr. Tunde Faleye
Politics, as defined by Harold Lasswell, is who gets what, when and how. Political and democratic systems are naturally shaped by diverse interests and the alignment or misalignment of those interests among various political players. This dynamic is what often leads to agitations, which can take many forms: protests, advocacy, lobbying, and so forth.
Political agitation on its own refers to the active efforts by individuals or groups to raise awareness, mobilize public opinion, and prompt action or reform in response to political grievances or ideologies and it comes in different formats. It is a powerful tool for change, rooted in the fundamental right to dissent. While it can challenge unjust systems and promote democracy, its impact depends on the methods used and the responses it provokes. In any democratic society, the ability to agitate is not just a right but a vital mechanism for accountability and progress.
As expected in any political environment, interest and alignment of interest are already beginning to surface towards the next gubernatorial election coming up in Osun State in 2026. While some school of thought believe, in the spirit of fairness and equity, that the party ticket should be zoned to the west senatorial district of the state, other school of thought believe the contest should be made open to all.
The merit fact is that, all the aspirants that have indicated their interest in the race are duly qualified. They are miles extra qualified and exceptionally competent than the incumbent Governor of the state.
Party members that are advocating for the ticket to be zoned to the west senatorial district for fairness and inclusiveness and those that are of the opinion that zoning should be jettisoned, are all agitating. Facing the reality on ground and in my own personal opinion, both agitation are good but one is right and more justifiable than the other. Agitations, when based on valid concerns and justifiable grounds can not necessarily harm a party, but wrong decisions based on misguided policies can cause fractures within the party.
While it will be right to say that both East and Central senatorial district of the state have had their fair share of ruling the state under the progressive, the same cannot be said of west senatorial district.
*”A man that meets a well-prepared soup on the dining table may not know the level of challenges faced in the kitchen to get the soup to the table”*. The struggle that made the current progressive party an attractive and lovely bride today came with blood, sweat and tears and the contributions of people from the west senatorial district can never be overemphasized.
Despite its contribution to the advancement and sustenance of progressive struggles in Nigeria as a whole and Osun State in particular since 1999, the progressive party Governorship opportunity has never been extended to the people of Osun West Senatorial District.
It is not only that the west senatorial district has not been able to rule the state under the progressive, they have also not been able to enjoy a Ministerial position starting from the era of Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and All Progressives Congress (APC). And the zone has never failed to produce quality votes for the party in all elections. In 2022, for instance, when the falcons could not hear the falconers, Osun West delivered six ( 6) of the ten (10) local government in the area to our party. In Irewole, particularly, APC won in all the 11 wards just as the party won in Isokan, Ayeedaade, Iwo, Aiyedire and Olaoluwa.
If these committed people are now appealing to the leadership of the party, in the spirit of justice and equity, to zone the gubernatorial ticket to Osun West in the coming election, it will be unfair for anyone to try to criminalize such advocacy. The West Lokan advocates are not seeking the ticket based on sentiment or on the ground of mere entitlement, they are also presenting and parading some of the most qualified aspirants in the race. Their call is similar to the “Emi L’okan” “Yoruba L’okan”agitation of our esteemed leader and president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in 2023, a right agitation (which never divided APC in Nigeria) that was based on merit, competence and fairness.
The fact that many of the party members choose to throw their weight behind the right agitation from the west does not and should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness on the part of the major contenders from the district or that they are probably afraid of going through the normal party primaries, as the party may decide. In contrast, it will be a miracle for aspirants from the other two districts to match up with the main contenders from the west senatorial district, going by their level of competence, qualifications, preparation and wide acceptability.
With “West L’okan” in 2026, our party is sure of harvesting massive votes of the resilient Osun Westerners who have been loyal and committed to the progressive ideals over the years. Real democracy is about equity, justice and fairness. This is what West L’okan embodies. Our party needs to be fair and just to Osun West in 2026. After all, equals should be treated equally. An agitations from this zone based on all these valid concerns and justifiable grounds is meritorious and should form part of the party strategy to wrestle power from the incumbent.
A call for zoning of ticket, whether on the basis of population or equity and fairness, is healthy and should not be portrayed as an attempt to split the party. The right agitations don’t split political parties, wrong decisions do. If “EMILOKAN did not split APC in Nigeria, WEST-LOKAN cannot split it in Osun State. What is good for the goose, is equally good for the gander.
Osun 2026
West L’okan
Dr. Tunde Faleye
APC, Ilesa East LGA, Osun State.