PARTY NI KEKE, IGBOHO NI IBI TI A NLO": The Awakening of a New Political Consciousness

 
 

Gbogbo omo Igboho, E ro nu ooo, party ni keke; Igboho nibi ti a nlo

There is a profound political awakening sweeping across the landscape of Oyo State, and the proud, resilient people of Igboho must not be left behind. For generations, the sons and daughters of Oorelope Local Government Area have poured their sweat, their resources, and their unyielding loyalty into the ballot boxes. We have loved fiercely, and we have voted passionately. 

But as the dust settles on the political ledger of the current administration, every thinking son and daughter of Igboho must sit down, look at the balance sheet of our town, and ask themselves a bitter but necessary question: 'Are we playing the politics of emotion, or the politics of community interest?'

The Pain of Emotional Politics

To move forward, we must be brutally honest about where we stand. In the game of high-stakes politics, emotional loyalty without strategic negotiation often leads to heartbreak. We all felt the sting of our collective losses. Due to the high-profile political crossfires and the unfortunate fallout involving our own, the dividends we rightfully labored for were re-routed. 

We watched helplessly as the Education Zone slipped from our grasp and was relocated to Kisi. We saw the School of Science go the same way. We witnessed the Deputy Governorship seat—a crown of our regional influence—leave our borders. These are undeniable infrastructural and political losses that have set our town back. It is a painful reminder that when a community allows internal divisions and blind party loyalty to overshadow its unified agenda, the community starves while others feast.

The Generational Bureaucratic Victory

However, the story of Igboho under the Makinde administration is not entirely a tale of loss. While we may have lost out on certain physical infrastructures, we must loudly celebrate a massive, often misunderstood victory: the elevation of our indigenous technocrats. 

Securing  five Permanent Secretaries—including the likes of Alhaja Atere, Mr. Adedigba, Alhaji Bello,Rev. Adesola and Bar Bayo Titilola Sodo(Rtd)—is no small feat. It is a generational triumph. Politicians and Governors come and go every four or eight years, but Permanent Secretaries are the true engine room of the government. They are the custodians of the state’s bureaucracy. Having the sons and daughters of Igboho sitting at the absolute pinnacle of the civil service is a quiet, powerful testament to our intellectual capacity. We must recognize this as a critical piece on the chessboard of our development.

The Paradigm Shift: "Party Ni Keke"

As we look toward the next administrative cycle, the people of Igboho must undergo a radical paradigm shift. We must transition away from blind, generational party fanaticism and embrace strategic, transactional politics. 

There is a saying that must now become the daily anthem on our local radio stations, in our town hall meetings, and on the lips of our traditional and religious leaders: "Party ni Keke, Igboho ni Ibi ti a nlo" (The Political Party is merely the bicycle; Igboho is the actual destination).

A political party—whether it is the PDP, the APC, or any other—is simply a vehicle. It has no soul, no blood, and no ancestral ties to our land. If you board a vehicle and it continuously refuses to take you to your destination, a wise passenger does not die defending the driver; the passenger simply drops down and boards a vehicle that is heading toward progress. 

The Igboho Charter of Demands

We must stop fighting our brothers over the color of the umbrella or the broom. Our traditional institutions, led by the Alepata, alongside our Imams, Pastors, and elite class, must forge a singular, unbreakable "Igboho Agenda." When the politicians return to ask for our bloc votes, they must not meet a divided people bickering over party logos. They must meet a unified front armed with our demands: the actualization of our Federal Medical Center (FMC), the construction of our agro-allied processing hubs, and the rehabilitation of the roads that feed our local economy.

Whichever political vehicle is willing to sign that contract and drop those dividends on the soil of Igboho is the vehicle we will drive. We have spent decades working for political parties. It is finally time for political parties to start working for Igboho.

 

David Alani Ige (The Scribe)

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Ayekooto Media

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David Alani Ige (The Scribe)

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Ayekooto Media

David Alani Ige is a seasoned journalist, strategic analyst, and the visionary publisher of Ayekooto Media. With a relentless commitment to archiving Nigeria's political realities and delivering the unvarnished truth, he has built a formidable platform for deep-dive reportage and editorial excellence. He is widely known by his readers and peers as "The Scribe".