Saturday 28th of June, 2025, Governor Seyi Makinde was in Eruwa for the final stage of an illegal process he initiated some months ago.
He went to Coronate Samuel Adebayo Adegbola as the Eleruwa of Eruwa in disregard of the judgments of the Oyo state High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme court of Nigeria.
The different layers of Courts had ruled that it was the turn of the Olaribikusi Ruling House to present the next Eleruwa and listed the names of Princes Rashid Oyedepo Ajao, Lamidi of Omoni Ruling Quarter and Ojelade of Sabi Ruling Quarter as the validly nominated candidates from which the Kingmakers must chose the next Eleruwa of Eruwa.
However, Governor Makinde would take no directives from anyone, not even from the Apex Court of Nigeria.
He illegally set aside the judgments of Courts and abused the powers of his office to retain Adegbola who had been validly removed by the Courts and declared not to be from the Olaribikusi Ruling House as the Eleruwa.
When I heard on the radio some days ago that he would be personally present at the show of shame tagged ‘ Coronation ‘ of Adegbola, I quickly wrote a piece wherein I raised questions on certain areas I would like him to provide answers and areas I would wish he visited when he got to Eruwa.
As a result of that, even though, I have no interest in the futile exercise called ‘ Coronation ‘, yet, I was eagerly awaiting the Governor’s response to my posers.
I was shocked to see what I have never seen in Governor Seyi Makinde at Eruwa on Saturday.
Watching him and listening to him, I asked, where is the swag? Where goes the cocksuredness? Where is the steam and fire? The kind with which he threatened the Princes of Ogbomosho and Oyo towns?
I saw a Governor drenched in shame and lacking in confidence.
Very unlike Governor Seyi Makinde.
Wait a minute. Why wouldn’t he be ashamed?
Through the Ido/Eruwa road and even inside the Eleruwa Stadium where the program held, didn’t his lack of action speak loud?
I had warned the Governor that his coming to Eruwa would be tamtam to a celebration of shamelessness but he ignored my warning.
Sometimes, I get confused about why Governor Seyi Makinde has decided to treat Eruwa like a piece of rag.
His ascendancy in politics was birthed in Eruwa when he led the opposition to defeat the APC during the rerun election to fill the vacuum created by the unfortunate demise of the late Speaker, Segun Adeyemo in the Oyo state House of Assembly.
He built on the momentum gathered from that victory.
So, you would expect him to be fair to Eruwa in his Government but the opposite is the case.
I agree that the Speaker and his appointees from Ibarapa must share in the blame. I will come to that but let us look at Governor Makinde’s excuses for failures in Ibarapa.
He apologized for the terrible state of the just 48 kilometers Ido/Eruwa road and admitted that the trip from Ido to Eruwa should ordinarily take less than an hour but he spent about two hours because of the state of the road.
He now said that the road is different from the Moniya/Iseyin and Oyo/Ogbomosho roads which have been completed years ago.
Note that the Oyo/Ogbomosho road was a virgin road which was awarded after the Ido/Eruwa road.
Governor Makinde must think that all of us are gullible.
What is the special difficulty in the terrains of the Ido/Eruwa road that it should be more difficult to do compared with the Moniya/Iseyin and Oyo/Ogbomosho roads?
A good liar must have a good memory. So they say.
When he flagged off the Ido/Eruwa road from both ends shortly before the 2023 general election and promised that work would be completed on the road by December of that year, did he tell us that at the time, just 12 kilometers of 48 was awarded and that limited funds were made available for the contractors?
Was it not last year, after both himself and Debo Ogundoyin were embarrassed when some vehicles in their convoy got stuck around Ido that he came out to tell us that he approved just 12 kilometers out of the 48 kilometer stretch?
Even though he promised that he would make available the sum of 2 billion Naira last year for the completion of the 12 kilometers awarded, has the 12 kilometers been delivered as at the time he was apologizing on Saturday?
The totality of the statements of Governor Makinde is not only an indictment of himself, it is also a terrible indictment of Debo Ogundoyin, his Commissioners from Ibarapa and those who called themselves the ‘ Eruwa Council of Elders’.
They are being portrayed as self serving individuals who does not prioritize the development of their Community.
Only the gullible would still attach any importance to Governor Makinde’s promises.
If he likes, he can complete the road. If he likes, he can abandon it. We will survive.
I am surprised that he spoke about the Ido/Eruwa road but refused to talk about the abandoned roads within Eruwa and even the puppet king and the ‘ Elders ‘ also refused or neglected to call his attention to the New garage/ Oke-ola junction and Alayande junction to Isaba junction roads which were allegedly awarded to the simbling of the Speaker.
Even the Speaker didn’t talk about it.
Why would they?
Six years after. Governor Makinde has not commissioned any project in the whole of Ibarapa East!
The Governor’s explanations about the Eruwa Farm Settlement is laughable.
When you knew that documentations are yet to be finalized, why performing a handover ceremony?
I don’t seem to get it. How could people who called themselves Elders of our Community allowed themselves to be used for schemes like this?
Governor Makinde said he knows the importance of the road between Eruwa and Ido, yet, he left the road undone for six years.
He went to Eruwa to do a handover of the Eruwa Farm Settlement under an agreement that is shrouded in mysteries and yet, he claimed that documentations are yet to be finalized!
Oh! That man must think that we really gullible.
I think those who used to attack me when I raised issues about the Ido/Eruwa road and infrastructures within Eruwa will now be men enough to apologize just as their idol has done by admitting to his failures?
I hope Olanrewaju will now see that I am not Belzebub?
I laughed when the Governor said he was presenting Adegbola as a newly minted Eleruwa and went further to say ” I think they say he is Ajobo-Olurin now”?
His explanations about due process and consultations after receiving the judgment of the Supreme court also amused me.
Those who do not take advice due to their ego always do their personalities great damage.
What is the business of Governor Makinde with Eruwa to the extent that he had to be consulting around on how Adegbola would remain the Eleruwa after the Supreme court said he could not?
Was Governor Makinde so idle?
It does appear like Governor Makinde loves ‘ consultations ‘ so much.
The other time, at Oyo, he said he consulted Ifa but in Eruwa, he consulted ‘ a judge’ who allegedly told him that Adegbola is a Prince but not from the Olaribikusi Ruling House and as a result, Governor Makinde overruled the Supreme court and took away the right of the Olaribikusi Ruling House to present the next Eleruwa according to the Laws, Custom and judgments of Courts.
I believe both the Governor and Adegbola would have the opportunity to tell their ‘ Ajobo’ stories to the same Courts which Judgments they have been disregarding.
I must admit that I was extremely happy to see Governor Makinde’s ego completely deflated.
Sola Abegunde.
