Politics
Ogun: Endorsements, emotional intelligence and oppositional defiant disorder
Ogun: Endorsements, emotional intelligence and oppositional defiant disorder
By Kunle Somorin
Many may wonder what has attracted a groundswell of goodwill, endorsement and accolades to Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun lately. He is lucky to have a good upbringing and a mien uncommon in the pantheon of successful politicians and businessmen.
There is no gainsaying that the gale of endorsement for his second term ambition by traditional rulers, professional bodies, market men and women, artisan, transporters, youths, elder statesmen and the business community has more to do with aversion for the oppositional defiance disorder (ODD) inherent in his predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun, than anything else.
But the governor does not take the goodwill for granted. He has been a major promoter of accountable, open, just, fair, equitable, inclusive governance which he believs is fundamental to the building our future together agenda that would equally engender economic growth of the state and individual prosperity of the citizens.
Nothing reveals this more tellingly than the decampment of Amosun’s core loyalists and switching of allegiance to the poster boy for the 21st Ogun State. Ahead of the 2023, the rank of the former loyalists of Senator Amosun, who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ill-fated vehicle, Allied Progressives Movement (APM) used as vehicles to undermine the ruling party, are back in the mainstream APC led by Gov. Abiodun.
They include the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Olalekan Mustapha, Amosun’s two-term commissioner for health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, his counterpart in the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs, Chief Olajide Ojuko. Others are one-time Party chairman in the State, Alhaji Tajudeen Lemboye and other chieftains like Chief Olu Odeyemi, Gbenga Adekanbi and Hon. Dotun Fasanya among other influential leaders across the three senatorial districts.
Before then, Governor Dapo Abiodun had used emotional intelligence couched in his inclusive approach to governance to deplete opposition elements by getting to his side former governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), won the heart of Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, who ran on the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against him and a horder of other influential political giants in the state like the late Buruji Kashamu who not only collapsed his dominant group in the PDP into the APC.
Most of the decampees love Abiodun’s approach of spreading projects to all sections of the state at the expense of no other, in contrast to his predecessor’s style. Abiodun even-handedness in various projects seems to have eclipsed whatever differences they had against his emergence as governor.
Not sensing that he was swimming against the tide, former governor, Ibikunle Amosun while speaking after receiving an award from Abeokuta Club to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the club said the 2019 governorship election in the state was rigged to favour the incumbent, calling on his supporters – who are already on the other side – to be on the lookout for the next line of action.
“You know clearly my stand on this matter, just wait very soon, you will hear from us, my stand is where I stand, I am not in support of this administration, he must be removed”, Amosun said, passing “fatwa” on his successor’s second term bid.
Many found this apostasy distasteful. They recalled Governor Abiodun’s style of governance and how he has related with the leaders of the party and acquitted himself creditably as an administrator. One rhetorically asked: “How did we miss Governor Dapo Abiodun’s emotional intelligence?”
He cited the event, penultimate month, at the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where the national leader and the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Party (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, referred to Gov. Abiodun as “Eleyi” ((This one)!
While President Buhari was not physically present and also might require the help of a translator to make sense of what Asiwaju Tinubu said on that day, Governor Abiodun was right at the event and understands Yoruba very well – the language through which Asiwaju made those comments. The comments even managed to get a reaction from the Presidency and the APC leadership; to demonstrate how weighty they are.
“But the response of Governor Abiodun, was cool, calm and calculated. His (Abiodun’s) emotional intelligence practically saved the day. Amosun, the man said, would never take it. He would have unleashed mayhem like he did in February 2019 when his boys pelted party apparatchiks, including a sitting President Muhammadu Buhari with sachet water, not to talk of a would-be President,” the party man enthused
For the reflective politicians, while Asiwaju’s riposte can be explained away on the ground of being an elder and avuncular godfather and benefactor to the governor, what transpired at the Abeokuta Club and beyond with mobilization of sinister groups to oust the governor – fair or foul – would have set the state on fire if the shoe had been in the other foot. It is the the worst form of presumptuous rudeness, infra dignitatem and anti-partyism, they surmised.
It should be noted that Abiodun’s graceful node of emotional intelligence contrast to Amosun’s oppositional defiance disorder (ODD). For the uninitiated, ODD is generally associated with children. Patients afflicted by it exhibit signs and characteristics of belligerence, manifesting in hostile behavior to elders and antagonistic reactions to authority figures. Like an ODD patient, Abiodun’s predecessor has, in an attempt to control, engaged in negative mannerisms: defiant, disrespectful and conducted himself in acts designed to make the authority figure lose his temper.
With emotional intelligence, Abiodun has through a well-thought out action plan and careful monitoring, clipped the senator’s wings. The key element employed is not to get caught up in playing the person’s game, because with their rules it was meant to make him act equally rascally and irritably. Like a trained psychotherapist, Abiodun takes control of the situation and make the delinquent adult accountable for his shenanigans. Any keen observer or dye-in-the wool pundit and realist would have seen how his successor, Governor Dapo Abiodun is holding his own against the apparently irritable behavior of the outgoing senator dancing his last political dance in the market place, after failing in 2019.
As prescribed by doctors, dealing with an ODD requires making a list of specific instances where the adult exhibited oppositional defiance. An adult with oppositional defiance needs concrete examples of inappropriate behaviour rather than a general observation that can be dismissed. Amosun’s cup has overflown. The records are there. Instances abound of Amosun trespassing into the home of the leader of the party in the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba with drone, undermining him and keeping his former friend and predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel in limbo for the eight years he held sway as the Gateway’s Number One Citizen.
The Omoluabi disposition and performance, however, set Abiodun apart from his predecessor. Across the state and different groups: professional class, youths, market women and men, elder statesmen and women, traditional rulers and workers, the gale of endorsement has been exciting. They all premised their endorsement on Dapo Abiodun’s people-oriented and inclusive leadership, love for the citizens, altruism and performance.
Indeed, Abiodun won the hearts of the people with his practise of politics without bitterness and by bringing down political tension and heat in Ogun State. He also located and spread projects across the three senatorial districts, unlike the lopsidedness of the immediate past.
At the height of Amosun’s open hosititilty, Abeokuta became a no-go area for his living predecessors. His shenanigans gave rise to Egbe Matagba mole (Society that frowns at disrespect for elders) and ouster of the Akinrogun Egba who unleashed the accountant as the candidate of APC on the party in 2011. Long story short, 2019 was Amosun’s albatross as he was shamelessly suspended by the party for working against its interest and the Ogun electorate resounding rejected his nominee who ran on the ticket of the Allied People’s Movement (APM).
Like the chameleon that would not keep changing his colours, 2023 has come and the exuberance remains unabated in the man who could not decipher that who the gods will kill, they first make made. Interestingly, sometimes it’s difficult to recognize the difference between a strong-willed or emotional child and one with oppositional defiant disorder. It’s normal to exhibit oppositional behaviour but with proper grooming and psychological maturity the symptoms can wane. Not for Amsoun.
Conversely, even in the face of provocation, Gov Abiodun ability to perceive, use, understand, manage and handle emotions is commendable. People with high emotional intelligence can recognise their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.
Emotional intelligence is a core leadership quality and Prince Abiodun’s display of it throughout this season of pre-election madness tells a lot about his character and substance.
The last time a similar quality was displayed was during the 2015 presidential election, when then INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega handled Peter Godsday Orubebe’s outburst at the INEC headquarters with such calmness that it earned him national and international commendation.
In the case of Prince Abiodun, those who know him very well would attest to the fact that, either as a leader or as an individual, emotional intelligence has never been in short supply in his dealings with people.
The governor will never deny the good people do to him. As attested to by many when they reeled out their endorsement criteria, he remains grateful to people whose contributions have taken him thus far in life and believes that mentorship often succeeds where ‘godfatherism’ fails.
Abiodun has mentioned many times that the position of governor he holds is in trust for the people of Ogun State and that his social contract with the people is to be fair, just and equitable. He owes God, the good people of Ogun and himself the fulfillment of that solemn agreement.
Since power in a democracy belongs ultimately to the people through the ballot, Abiodun’s hope for a renewal of his mandate come 2023 – and the hope for a much better delivery of dividends of democracy – is rooted in his faith in God, the support of the people of Ogun and the numerous achievements his administration has recorded since he was first entrusted with the mandate in 2015.
Prince Dapo Abiodun’s investment, development and empowerment priorities, strategically embedded in his administration’s ISEYA mantra, have endeared him in the hearts of both critical stakeholders and ordinary people alike. Apart from being Yoruba for ‘Time to roll up the sleeves’, ISEYA is also Abiodun’s acronym for his administration’s developmental blueprint, which is: I – Infrastructure; S – Social Development and Wellbeing; E – Education; Y – Youth Development, and; A – Agriculture and Food Security.
His a vision to give Ogun State focused and qualitative governance and to create the enabling environment for a public private sector partnership, which is fundamental to the creation of an enduring economic development and individual prosperity of the people of Ogun has transformed the state within three years. His “Building Our Future Together” agenda has been diligently and dutifully pursued so much that even old adversaries have closed ranks and keyed into his vision
Not taking the decampees for granted, Gov. Abiodun reminisced: “You have got it right by taking this bold step in the sense that one cannot say because of sympathy you continue to stay with somebody and become useless. You should know what you want, where to get it and how to get it.
“I am one governor who is passionate about inclusiveness, just and fair. You can see that even if you join the party today, I take and recognize you as people who had been with the party from the inception. Politics is parochial; it is how to better your life and that of others. You cannot do politics with emotions. I want to welcome you back to the larger family and since you are not strangers, you will be promptly integrated”, during one of the harvest of returnee party stalwarts.
Somorin is chief press secretary to Gov. Dapo Abiodun
Kogi’s Quiet Shift: Reviewing Governor Ododo’s First 24 Months in Office
By Rowland Olonishuwa
On Tuesday, Kogi State paused to mark two years since Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo took the oath as Executive Governor. Across government circles, community halls, and everyday conversations, the anniversary was more than a date on the calendar; it was a milestone that invites both reflection and renewed optimism. A moment to look back at how far the state has travelled in just twenty-four months, and where it is heading next.
Since assuming office in January 2024, Ododo has steered the state through a period of measured consolidation, delivering strategic interventions across security, infrastructure, human capital, and economic revitalisation that are beginning to translate into real improvements for residents.
Governor Ododo stepped into office at a time when expectations were high, and confidence in public institutions needed rebuilding.
His response to these was not loud declarations, but steady consolidation, strengthening structures, restoring order in governance, and setting a clear direction. Over time, that calm approach has become his signature: leadership that listens first, plans carefully, and moves with purpose.
Security has remained the most urgent concern for Nigerians, and Kogi residents are no exceptions; the Ododo-led administration has treated it as such. From deploying surveillance drones to support intelligence operations to recruiting and integrating local hunters and vigilante personnel into formal security frameworks, the government has built a layered safety net.
For farmers returning to their fields, travellers moving along highways, and families in rural communities, the impact is simple and deeply personal: fewer fears, quicker response, and growing confidence that the government is present and concerned about the ordinary people.
Infrastructural development has followed the same practical logic. Roads have been rehabilitated, easing movement for traders and commuters. Budget priorities have shifted toward capital projects and human development, while revived facilities like the Confluence Rice Mill now provide farmers with real economic opportunity. For many households, this means better income prospects, stronger local trade, and renewed belief that development is no longer a distant promise.
Health and education are not left out; the Ododo-led administration has expanded free healthcare services and supported students through examination funding and institutional improvements.
Parents who once struggled with medical bills and school fees have felt relief. Young people preparing for their futures now see government investment not as abstract policy but as something that touches their daily lives.
Governance reforms, from civil service strengthening to new legislative frameworks, have quietly improved how government functions. Salaries are more predictable, public offices are more responsive, and local government structures are more coordinated. These may not always make headlines, but they shape how citizens experience leadership every day.
As the second year anniversary celebrations fade into routine today and Governor Ododo enters his third year in office, the true meaning of the anniversary will continue to linger on.
Two years may not have solved every challenge in the Confluence State -no government ever does, by the way- but they have set a tone of stability, responsiveness, and direction. The next phase will demand deeper impact, broader reach, and sustained security gains.
But for many in Kogi State, the story of the past twenty-four months is already clear: steady hands on the wheel, and a journey that is firmly underway.
Olonishuwa is the Editor-in-Chief of Newshubmag.com. He writes from Ilorin
Lagos Assembly Debunks Abuja House Rumour, Warns Against Election Season Propaganda
The Lagos State House of Assembly has described as misleading and mischievous the widespread misinformation that it budgeted for the purchase of houses in Abuja for its members in the 2026 Appropriation Law.
This rebuttal is contained in a statement jointly signed by Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, and Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh, Chairman, House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget.
Describing the report as a deliberate and disturbing falsehood being peddled by patently ignorant people, the statement reads, “There is no provision whatsoever in the 2026 Budget for the purchase of houses in Abuja or anywhere else for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The report is a complete fabrication and a product of political mischief intended to misinform the public.
“The Lagos State House of Assembly does not operate in Abuja. Our constitutional responsibilities, constituencies, and legislative duties are entirely within Lagos State. It is, therefore, illogical, irrational, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest that legislators would appropriate public funds for personal housing outside their jurisdiction.”
The statement emphasised that the budget is already in the public domain and accessible for scrutiny by discerning Lagosians and Nigerians alike. It reiterated that the Lagos State Government operates a transparent budget that speaks to the needs of the people and the demands of a megalopolis.
“We view this rumour as part of a wider attempt at election-season propaganda, designed to erode public trust, sow discord, and malign democratic institutions.”
The chairmen further clarified that the 2026 capital expenditure of the House of Assembly is less than 0.04% of the total CAPEX of the state, which clearly demonstrates the culture of prudence, accountability, and fiscal responsibility that guides the legislature. However, they noted, “Historically, the House does not even access up to its approved budget in many fiscal years.”
They stressed that the Assembly remains fully committed to excellence, transparency, good governance, and the collective welfare of the people of Lagos State, in line with the objectives of the 2026 Budget of Shared Prosperity.
“We therefore challenge those behind this harebrained allegation to produce credible evidence or retract their statements forthwith. Failure to do so may attract appropriate legal actions.
“We urge Lagosians and the general public to disregard this baseless rumour and always verify information from official and credible sources.”
Politics
Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Nigeria’s Ruling APC Weaponises Power and Silences Dissent
Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Nigeria’s Ruling APC Weaponises Power and Silences Dissent.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“Tinubu’s Government, the EFCC and the Strategic Undermining of Opposition Governors”.
In a striking indictment of Nigeria’s current political reality, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State declared that “you cannot speak truth to power in this dispensation”, directly accusing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of intolerance for dissent and an erosion of democratic norms.
Makinde’s remarks (made during a public event in Ibadan on January 25, 2026) were more than a local governor’s lament. They crystallised a mounting national frustration: that Nigeria’s political landscape has tilted dangerously toward executive overreach, institutional capture and political engineering.
This narrative is not isolated. Across Nigeria, governors from opposition parties have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in numbers unprecedented in the nation’s democratic history. Critics argue that these defections are not merely voluntary political choices, but part of a strategic pressure campaign leveraging federal power and institutions to fracture opposition influence.
At its centre lies Nigeria’s principal anti-graft agency – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC: Anti-Graft Agency or Political Instrument? Founded to combat corruption, the EFCC’s constitutional mandate is to investigate and prosecute financial and economic crimes across public and private sectors. Its legal independence is enshrined in statute and it has historically pursued high-profile cases, including recovery of nearly $500 million in illicit assets in a single year, demonstrating its capacity for tackling corruption.
However, critics now claim that under the Tinubu administration, the EFCC’s prosecutorial power is being perceived (if not deployed) as a political instrument.
Opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and coalition parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have publicly accused the federal government of using anti-corruption agencies to intimidate opposition figures and governors, effectively pressuring them into aligning with the APC.
In a statement released in December 2025, opposition figures alleged that institutions such as the EFCC, the Nigerian Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission were being selectively wielded to weaken political competitors rather than combat financial crime impartially.
This is not merely rhetorical noise. The opposition’s grievances centre on several observable patterns:
Reopened or New Investigations Against Opposition Figures: The ADC pointed to recent abnormal reactivation of long-dormant cases or new inquiries into financial activities involving senior opposition politicians. These, they argue, often arise shortly before critical elections or political realignments.
Alleged Differential Treatment: According to opponents of the current administration, individuals who have defected to the APC appear less likely to face sustained legal scrutiny or prosecution in EFCC proceedings, even in cases of credible allegations of mismanagement.
Timing of Actions: The timing of certain high-profile investigations, emerging ahead of the 2027 general elections, reinforces perceptions that anti-graft measures are tailored to political cycles rather than legal merit.
The EFCC and Presidency have publicly denied these allegations, insisting that the commission operates independently and pursues corruption irrespective of political affiliation and that Nigeria’s democratic freedoms (including party choice and mobility) remain intact.
Yet the perception of bias, once systemic, is hard to erase, especially when political actors deploy powerful state machinery with strategic timing and selective intensity.
Defections and Power Realignment: A Democracy at Risk? Since 2023 and particularly through 2025, a remarkable number of state governors and senior political leaders have crossed over from opposition parties (notably the Peoples Democratic Party – PDP) to the APC. Though defections are normal in Nigeria’s fluid political system, the scale and speed in recent years are historically noteworthy, raising critical questions about underlying incentives.
The SaharaWeeklyNG reported Makinde’s comments within the broader context of a political climate where dissenting voices face greater obstacles than at any time in recent democratic memory.
Governors who remain in opposition find themselves squeezed between growing federal assertiveness and dwindling political capital. Some analysts argue that the combination of federal resource control, political appointments and influence over public agencies exerts tangible pressure on subnational leaders to align with the ruling party for political survival. This dynamic, they contend, undermines competitive party politics and weakens Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
Speaking Truth to Power: What Makinde’s Critique Exposes. Governor Makinde’s core grievance (that it is increasingly difficult, perhaps perilous, to speak truth to power) resonates widely among civil society actors, political analysts and democratic advocates:
“YOU CANNOT SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER IN THIS DISPENSATION,” Makinde declared, specifically citing the government’s handling of contentious tax reform bills as an example where dissent was neither welcomed nor transparently debated.
Makinde’s critique reflects deeper structural concerns:
Exclusion of Key Stakeholders: Opposition leaders and state executives report being marginalised from meaningful consultation on national policies affecting federal-state relations, revenue sharing and fiscal reforms.
Institutional Intimidation: The perception that state politicians become targets of federal legal scrutiny after taking firm oppositional stances (real or perceived) discourages robust democratic debate.
Erosion of Opposition Space: A symbiotic effect of party defections and institutional pressure is a shrinking viable space for genuine political opposition, weakening checks and balances essential to democratic governance.
A respected political scientist, Dr. Aisha Bello of the University of Lagos, recently argued that “when opposition becomes fraught with state leverage instead of ideological competition, the very foundation of democratic contestation collapses,” adding that “a government that shies away from criticism risks inversion into autocracy.”
Another expert, Prof. Chinedu Eze, former dean of political studies at Ahmadu Bello University, warned that “selective use of anti-corruption agencies as political tools corrodes public trust and ultimately delegates justice into the hands of incumbents rather than independent courts.” These observations echo growing public skepticism.
The Way Forward: Strengthening Democracy and Institutions. Nigeria’s path forward depends on restoring confidence in democratic norms and institutional independence.
Transparent EFCC Processes: Civil society groups and legal scholars are advocating for enhanced transparency in anti-graft investigations, including clear prosecutorial thresholds and independent audits of case initiation and closures.
Judicial Oversight: Strengthening the judiciary’s capacity and independence is critical to ensuring that allegations of political weaponisation do not go unchecked. Courts must remain the ultimate arbiters of evidence and guilt.
Political Reforms: Advocates demand reforms to party financing, federal-state fiscal relations, and consultation mechanisms to reduce incentives for defections driven by federal resource leverage.
Public Engagement: A more informed and engaged civil society, anchored by independent media and civic education, must hold both government and opposition accountable for adherence to democratic principles.
Beyond The Present Moment.
Governor Makinde’s assertion that it is no longer tenable to “speak truth to power” under the current administration reflects unsettling trends in Nigeria’s evolving democratic landscape. While the EFCC and the Presidency maintain that anti-corruption efforts are independent and constitutionally grounded, opposition leaders (backed by political data and patterns of defections) argue that state power is being used to consolidate one-party dominance and undermine political pluralism.
At this critical juncture, Nigeria must choose between entrenching competitive democracy or sliding toward a political monopoly where dissent is subdued, institutions compromised, and power concentrated.
For Nigeria’s democratic ideals to survive (and thrive) its leaders and citizens must ensure that speaking truth to power remains not a perilous act of defiance but an honoured pillar of national life.
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