As the year 2027 draws nigh, more are becoming evident as calculations and schemes by fresh politicians now triple in. For those who have kept their offices for no fewer than 4 years, the agenda to remain in power is evident and rife; the intention is continuity of the mandate that was donated in an atmosphere of electoral competition and ambition. For some, the ambition is neither serious nor desperate but geared by the passion for service, including party politics. Many who find themselves in this line are still learning the rope of politics and they are made to relax in the consciousness of the need to market themselves ahead of a later period in their lives when they shall be called upon and garbed with the leadership of the people.
For the serious politicians angling to take power from outside, the aim is to win and not lose. They are not only desperate, they also have their eyes fixed on the trophy. They want to crush opposition and its spirit, thereby moving directly into the actualisation of their visions for the people. If this is not achieved, they have not reached their destination and they will do everything possible, including subtly sponsoring and engineering divisive protests, weaving propaganda in the most ridiculous manners, pushing for the prompt actualisation of favourable congresses, downplaying efforts geared at making life easier for the people, willfully instigating libellous publications, all in a bid to brand themselves as the Messiah and true representatives of the people.
As for the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency in Ondo State, the situation is not distinct from what ordinarily obtains everywhere in the country. The Constituency also boasts of a coterie of smart politicians who are deeply connected to the grassroots; persons with the deep understanding of the fact that politics is not politics if it is not local, and that power is not served on the table a la carte except if it is grabbed and carted away with. This, however, is not a justification for criminal attempts by politicians to silence the people’s will by igniting violent power plays which either translate to deaths or ballot stuffing. No ambition is worth the lives and mandate of the people.
The Power Question
The popular question in Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency in the run-up to 2027 is the power question. It is not a debate that politicians from both towns: Idanre and Ifedore, are locked in a revolutionary scheme to grab this power and run away with it. But I am of the strong opinion that a winner in this race is that person who embodies the appeal and humility to tone down, particularly with respect to ambition. He is someone who is willing to work for that trophy by striking a deal with both towns in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. He must be humble, smart, calculative and capable of being trusted with power – most importantly by both communities. He must have a deep knowledge of the developments that led to the donation of powers to a Leviathan in a social contract. He is also not entitled in his submissions since the traditional rotation of power is both inconsequential and unconstitutional. The donation of that power must be willful and not forced and it must be to that individual whose defeat stands to affect the federal Constituency more, considering the work he has at hand.
While it has been easy for me to take a position on my preferred candidate, I have always been of the strong opinion that it does not stop others from making their independent decisions. I am of the strong opinion that the incumbent Member Representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Festus Akingbaso, has been doing so well. My position is predicated on salient grounds and limited in praise-singing. My points are not for self-glorification, they also don’t confer Sainthood or perfection on anyone. My writing is not concerned about the personal life of my preferred candidate but quite particular and strong on his leadership credentials and achievements.
I am convinced that Honourable Festus Akingbaso is meant to go places as a politician, looking at his smart moves, humility and restraint with respect to words. Since he came on board, he has committed himself to serving his people and coped with tantrums from opposition forces without attempting to gag any. He has been confronted by the most ridiculous allegations that would have warranted an action in libel or cyberstalking; interestingly, many of these allegations and half-truths are not what their purveyors can prove when confronted with the fire of litigation. But he has established himself as the father of all by overlooking these overzealous acts by young people, just like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a pro-democracy campaigner who has not personally committed to bringing any action against his critics.
In the stead of fighting his battles in court, he is committed to having a deep understanding of the needs of his people and spotting how best to proffer solutions. I am proud to tell you that Akingbaso’s first commitment as a lawmaker was churning out the best of bills that cater to the wellbeing and convenience of Nigerians.
Some of his latest sponsored bills as captured by Policy and Legal Advocacy Center’s BILLSTRACK are:
1. HB 2429: Federal College of Health and Dental Technology, Ifedore, Ondo State (Establishment) Bill, 2025 (already assigned to a Committee)
2. Federal Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Idanre, Ondo State (Establishment) Bill, 2025 (already assigned to a committee)
3. HB 2428: Cocoa Research Institute, Idanre, Ondo State (Establishment) Bill, 2025 (First Reading)
4. HB 2427: Administration of Criminal Justice Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (First Reading)
5. HB 2426: Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisi… (First Reading)
6. HB 2425: Matrimonial Causes Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (First Reading)
Though it is worthy of special note that his earlier status as an opposition lawmaker did not help his bills. His bold decision to decamp to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was also going to be whipped up by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as an avenue for his destruction. But if you still remember vividly, I was one of the courageous writers who categorically pronounced that the protest by the party is the last you will see of it since it had already been positioned in a hearse by Nyesom Wike, Samuel Anyanwu and others, in readiness for the cemetery. I tagged the televised meeting where Akingbaso was dressed down for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a meeting of condolences without consequences. Only time has proved me right.
It is not in doubt that only few people understand the history of the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency than Hon. Festus Akingbaso. I am wowed at his capacity to spot and revamp the agelong legacies in the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency; in fact, many of these legacies are already shrouded in decrepit structures and corrugated sheets. Some are no longer fit to be legacies due to their conditions and time – the Better Life Hall as a point of reference.
From his love for the markets and market women to his capacity to wake the fallen structures of agelong and historical halls where remarkable events have once echoed in time past. He has also oscillated to committing resources to renovate school structures in his bid to make education more accessible to his constituents, constructing connecting bridges between communities. He also installed state-of-the-art furniture facilities at L.A. Primary School, Atosin, Idanre.
Apart from schools, his attention has also been devoted to rescuing our abandoned health centers by putting resources into renovating and stocking them with needed equipment, Basic Health Center Idanre as point of reference.
Being an achiever, Akingbaso commenced the construction of a 2000 Capacity Community events Hall in the Idanre Local Government Area, the first of its kind in the history of the Local Government Area. The hall is billed to be delivered before the end of 2026, in the name and honour of Oba Frederick Adegunle Aroloye, the departed Owa of Idanre.
Recently, he solved an agelong problem by ensuring that the Idanre Local Government Area is connected with the other parts of the country by facilitating the extension of a federal agency, the Federal Fire Service, to the Idanre Local Government Area. Apart from doing this, he also championed its operation base through refurbishment of a building donated by the Local Government Area, committing to sponsor the operation of the agency in the Local Government Area for the first six months take-off period. Only few are aware that Akingbaso dared all odds to ensure that Idanre does not continue to be in the news for something bad, and that its buildings don’t continue to fall victim of fire outbreaks that warrant the doling out of palliatives and freebies by politicians and foundations who need such for the pictures. Otherwise, he would have stopped at the point of formally intimating the Minister of Interior with the need for a Federal Fire Service base in Idanre and such might not translate to action for years. Kudos to Akingbaso for promising to initiate a similar move in Ifedore.
For those who need to know, The Federal Fire Service (FFS) is the principal agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, established by an Act of Parliament mandated with the sole responsibility of mitigation, prevention and extinction of fire and other emergencies as well as perform other sundry duties as delegated by the Honorable Minister of Interior.
For Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, it is indeed an epochal moment of monumental developments and not media spectacles, crafted on the marble but with little or no media stunt as usual. This is not a mistake, it is just in the character of the architect of these monumental developments to do less of self-glorification while painstakingly considering avenues to affect his people, utilizing the instrumentality of State power. I am concerned that this conscious decision of his has conspired to assist the opposition in its sponsored agenda of dwarfing these legacies, after all, its relevance is tied to its capacity to demarket legacies that speak volume about the public spiritedness of the harbinger of change. But however hard they try, they have always failed. They have not achieved their inglorious aims and agendas. But they will always try.
For the good works to continue and the bills to thrive, the continuity of Festus Akingbaso is not a bad idea for Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency.
Tunde Akingbondere LL.B, BL (in view), writes from Kano.
