CCII election: A clarion call for continuity.
On Friday April 4 2025, constituents clubs of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, CCII will be going to the poll.
As expected during electioneering campaigns,aspirants and those canvassing for them will be going round to convince the electorates that they are fit and proper to occupy the various positions.
Campaigns are characterized by propaganda and intriques with the sole aim of winning an election. For some weeks now, we have begun to witness claims and counter claims from the camps of the incumbent president,Barrister Sulaimon Ajeniyi Ajewole which named itself the consolidation team and another camp, New Era.
For me,the beauty of democracy is that it offers opportunity for people to express themselves. It is not possible for everyone in an organization as large as the CCII to see things the same way even if those in disagreement are in the minority.
If not,I wonder why anyone will take a risk to slug it out with the incumbent President General of the CCII, Barrister Sulaimon Ajeniyi Ajewole. I'm saying it is a risk because the achievements of Ajewole in less than two years are enough to discourage any reasonable Ibadan man from putting himself forward to contest against him.
Oh! You are asking me why I have to say it is unwise to contest against Ajewole when the constitution of the CCII gives room for it. You are right. Constitutionally, it is within the rights of anyone to contest against the incumbent. Moreso, Ajewole himself denied his predecessor the opportunity of a second term in office.
However, anyone that is against the re- election of Ajewole should prepare to answer questions from some of us that have witnessed the various achievements of the Ajewole led executive council. Do not get me wrong please. Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, the immediate past President General did his best. It is not my intention to denigrate him. The point I am making is that the achievements of Ajewole are so overwhelming that even the blind can see it.Do I need to even start mentioning the achievements of the Ajewole administration? Those achievements speak for themselves in such a manner that his opponents cannot deny him of the fact that he has done for Ibadan what others before him have dreamt of. What reason will anyone give to convince me I should not vote for a man that promised and delivered the completion of an ultra-modern palace for Olubadan within a year. Oh! Did I hear you say 'is it his money?' My response to that kind of question is going to be in yoruba' Ota eni o ki n pa odu oya? I agree any other person could have done it because the bulk of the money used in building the palace was facililated by the state governor and the 11 local governments in Ibadanland. Still I insist that no one else has given Ibadan a befitting palace before Ajewole came on board.
This feat alone motivated the Olubadan in Council led by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin to bestow on this worthy son of Ibadanland, the prestigious chieftaincy title of Aare Atunluse of Ibadanland. The last holder of that title was the enigmatic former governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Ajimobi got that title then when he transformed Ibadan to a clean city within a year of his assumption of office. Oba Samuel Odugade Odulana,the reigning Olubadan then saw the need to honour Ajimobi with a chieftaincy title first before the people of Oyo state appreciated him with another term.
Another sterling performance of the Ajewole team is the newly constructed Kola Daisi Vocational and Entrepreneurial center,Oke Aremo. As we speak, the CCII under Ajewole leadership has trained some young people Information Technology. This is Ajewole's pro active way of responding to youth restiveness and crime in Ibadanland. When last did you hear about the one million boys that had terrorized residents of Ibadanland in the past? Ajewole after holding a security summit had worked with the Mogajis and neighborhood vigilante group to confront the menace of hooligans and area boys. The results of the efforts of the Ajewole team are obvious as residents go about their duties without any disturbance.
I must not fail to put on record another achievement of the CCII under Ajewole. The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Senator Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja has before now commended on it. This has to do with the wise role Ajewole played after the demise of Oba Mohood Olalekan Balogun to resolve an impasse before the emergence of the current Olubadan. If not for Ajewole and some other Ibadan patriots, we will have been going from one court to the other. What that means is that our cherished,peaceful transmission of power from one Olubadan to the other.
Dear delegates, I urge you to avoid sentiment by voting for Ajewole and his team. It is certain his opponent has been unable to come up with tangible reasons on why he should not get a second term. I purposely attended an 'interactive ' session organized by the New Era camp. The captain of that team in his speech on that day could not convinced me on why Ajewole should not be re-elected. I listened to the New Era team leader throughout his speech. He could not fault Ajewole's achievements. The only thing he kept saying was that being an accountant he would be more transparent in managing the affairs of the CCII. Did anyone complain about money being stolen?
Meanwhile, I commend the New Era team for taking the risk to challenge the consolidation team in the forthcoming election. At least, they have made the race to be interesting.I wish some of them the very best next time. Of course, there are quite a few of them that I admire. They are our brothers and sisters we have to disagree with in other to reward a great achiever. You may not agree with me. I challenge anyone to disagree with facts and not innuendo on why Ajewole and his wonderful team should not be re-elected. If you are unable to do that,I hereby move that you remain silent till another two years. Oke badan a gbe wa o.
Ademola Solalu,a veteran journalist, is the General Secretary of Lagelu 16 club, one of the 3 affiliated clubs that established CCII.