By Gbemisola Saliu
Steve Oliyide, the loutish and vainglorious buffoon who launched series of vile attacks on Prince Dapo Abiodun and his Government in the failed bid to turn the tide against him ahead of the March 18 governorship election, is at his familiar game again. This time, he is once again on the online platforms and social media, the space where he is understandably most comfortable, cooking up allegations and casting aspersions on the Governor and the Government of Ogun State.
Canvassing illogic and throwing innuendos about, Oliyide is apparently trying his level best to mobilize a mob against the people’s Governor by re-writing the story of his service to the Ogun people and the March elections. He and his paymasters failed woefully only two weeks ago, but the devil in them is never tired of mischief. There is no need to soil this piece by quoting the imprecations he heaped on Governor Abiodun. As our people say, he who points a finger at an innocent person, the remaining four fingers will be for him.
In a brazen display of stupidity, Oliyide claims that Prince Abiodun didn’t win the March 18 election and couldn’t have won. Pray, is this fellow INEC? From where did he derive the competence to declare election winners and losers? What is his pedigree in determining electoral victors? Bad blood is indeed a disease.
Oliyide launched endless attacks on Governor Abiodun before March 18, thinking that the mischief prepared by his paymasters would consume the Governor. He got some money from Ex Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his principal, Gbenga Daniel, and he is desperately trying to justify his pay by publishing fake news. But there is one good thing about his latest cant: whereas his former epistles represented the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau, this latest piece has been unmistakable in exposing his sponsors. He has cast off his cloak of pretence and the big masquerade behind his mischief has been unveiled. How interesting that it is a media aide to Gbenga Daniel, a notorious politician, that is being used to manipulate public opinion after the gubernatorial election in Ogun State has been won and lost!
Oliyide apparently thinks that people have forgotten history so soon. He thinks that they cannot recall the inglorious circumstances that surrounded his boss’ exit from power. As a sitting governor, Daniel had to form a political party outside his political party in order to install a crony as governor, but failed woefully. His government was riddled with scandals. He was continually at loggerheads with lawmakers, some of whom were caught stark-naked carrying sacrifices. Under him, Ogun became a theatre of scandals and even political assassinations. Are we talking of the same Daniel that desecrated Government House but only got a facelift in APC? Does Oliyide think that he can put an undeserved garment of honour on him?
Daniel, to set the records straight, betrayed his party during the gubernatorial election. He was the South-West coordinator of the Atiku Presidential Campaign in 2019 but he joined APC after the presidential polls to better his lot. Sensing that his political future in PDP would be in ruins, he quickly aligned with APC and was extremely happy that Governor Dapo Abiodun won. Governor Abiodun’s win meant that he could now walk as a free man in the state after the eight warlord years of Amosun during which he was persona non grata; the years during which his big hotel in Abeokuta was marked for demolition and during which he had been a regular guest of the EFCC.
Ahead of the 2023 polls, Prince Abiodun went out of his way to get Daniel the Ogun East senatorial ticket following the intervention of the Awujale of Ijebuland but what did he (Abiodun) get in return? Perfidy. Having won election as senator, Daniel turned traitor very quickly. He started instigating the people against the governor, asking them if he had done well and such like. Pray, why did Daniel not play his Judas Iscariot card before the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections? Where was Oliyide then?
Inded, who is this guy and where is he coming from? He has no stake in Ogun affairs. He is a tramp who writes for a bottle of Henessey. In one breath, he said he was working for Amosun in order for Biyi Otegbeye of the ADC to win the gubernatorial election. Yet in another breath, he claimed to be working to actualize the failed electoral bid of PDP’s Ladi Adebutu. He is the kind of felon who according to the Yoruba dines at the house of oro, and yet also dines in egungun’s house, a bag of contradictions whose dead conscience knows no loyalty. Well, he is working to justify the N4bn his boss allegedly collected from Baba Ijebu; tarnishing an innocent man’s image is nothing to him. Let him continue; he and his boss will cry many more tears in vain.
Saliu is of Psychology Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State
