The South West Governors’ Forum on Monday filled the void left by the former governor of Ondo State, late Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), by electing Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as its new Chairman. In this report, Daily Trust Sunday examines Sanwo-Olu’s selection and the challenges confronting the region.

There is a consensus that the late Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, as leader of the South West Governors’ Forum, was independent, audacious, and fearless in advocating for the region’s agenda. After he succumbed to prostate cancer in December 2023, the region yearned for a replacement who could embody his spirit. For six months, a vacuum existed amid there was a silent scheming for a new chairman.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State was tipped at various points as Akeredolu’s replacement. Being the oldest of the second-term governors from the dominant political party in the region, the odds were in his favour. Abiodun led the South West governors on a condolence visit to the Ibadan residence of the late Ondo governor shortly after his demise.

Addressing newsmen after signing the condolence register, Abiodun hinted that the governors would collectively be involved in Akeredolu’s funeral ceremony because he “truly deserved it.” He recalled that Akeredolu was the chairman of both the South West Governors’ Forum and the Southern Governors’ Forum, leading courageously and fearlessly until his death.

Daily Trust Sunday also recalls that on January 19, after a deadly blast killed two people and injured 77 others in Ibadan, Abiodun spoke as if representing the South West Governors’ Forum. “The governments of South West states would not be deterred by the explosion,” he declared, adding that they would “Jointly intensify security across our states to ensure that our people are safe and secure.”

Pundits believed that Abiodun had some odds in his favour as chairman against Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Sanwo-Olu. Makinde is a member of the opposition party, PDP, while Sanwo-Olu hails from the same state as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These were some of the reasons considered.

But they were wrong.

On Monday, all the governors – Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Abiodun (Ogun), Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and Sanwo-Olu – met at the Lagos House, Ikeja, and “Unanimously nominated and adopted” Sanwo-Olu as the new Chairman of the forum.

Akeredolu’s leadership impact in the region

As the leader of the forum, the legal luminary popularly called Aketi was vocal and daring on matters concerning the South West, not minding whose ox was gored.

The formation of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) code-named Amotekun was a major achievement by Akeredolu as Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum. Established in 2020 in response to security breaches across the South West, the security agencies could not control. Akeredolu, despite being a leading member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), confronted the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government, which opposed the formation of the outfit.

He had also stepped on the toes of the Miyetti Allah leadership when he gave a quit notice to herders in his state. Under his leadership, the state passed the anti-open grazing law, which barred open grazing by herders, and ensured other states in the region replicated same.

Of the six states, only Lagos under Sanwo-Olu’s watch has not established the Amotekun, instead relying on its Neighbourhood Safety Corps.

Apart from the formation of Amotekun, Akeredolu vociferously called for the presidency to be ceded to the South in the lead-up to the 2023 general elections. He was also courageous enough to dismiss those agitating for a Yoruba nation.

At the launch of the Emblem Appeal to flag off the 2022 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebrations in Akure, Akeredolu stated that Yoruba Nation agitators should not sacrifice the tribe’s chance to produce the next president in the name of agitating for a Yoruba nation. “Those clamouring for Oodua Nation will not succeed. People have not laid down their lives for this country for unscrupulous individuals to scuttle it. This country is very important to some of us,” Akeredolu had said.

Mixed reactions as Sanwolu-Olu hopes to fill the void

Sanwo-Olu’s choice as the new leader immediately sparked mixed reactions in the South West. Some believe that Sanwo-Olu, as the godson of the president, will cage the forum, while others feel he will use his relationship with Tinubu to attract more support for his colleagues and the region.

Those opposed to his choice assert that Sanwo-Olu is not independent and lacks Akeredolu’s courage to stand up for the region when necessary. They wonder if Akeredolu’s shoes are not too big for Sanwo-Olu to fill.

A former National Secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Yinka Folarin, told Daily Trust Sunday that “Obviously, Sanwo-Olu cannot be compared with Akeredolu in that way. Maybe for the purpose of navigation and negotiation with the president, that was why the other governors decided to allow him to be the chairman.”

An APC chieftain In Oyo State and former House of Representatives member, Bosun Oladele, opined that Sanwo-Olu would not need to ‘fight’ the president or federal government while advocating for the South West because having a president is already an advantage to the region.

Oladele, a lawyer and former Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Oyo State, told Daily Trust Sunday that “I believe there won’t be the need for him to do that. I believe things will work. We have a president of South West origin, so things should move smoothly. The South West already has ears at the seat of power. We already have a father at the seat of power. So, he (Sanwo-Olu) should be able to tap into that to the advantage of the region. That’s one.

“Two, if there’s any need to disagree, which will be on principle, if Sanwo-Olu is not doing it, don’t forget he is not the only governor in the South West zone, others will do the same if they can speak. I must recognise the fact that Aketi was fearless in his outburst, admonition and perception of the Amotekun, he was very fearless. Those are the stuff that governors of South West should be made of. But I believe having the president coming from this region is to our own advantage. There won’t be any need for such a disagreement that cannot be settled.”

A political scientist at the University of Ibadan, Professor Emmanuel Remi Ayede, submitted that with Sanwo-Olu’s emergence, Lagos will drop its ‘big boy’ toga and play better roles in the growth and development of the South West.

“I think it’s a positive development. What we expect is that for him not to be what we called a stabilising factor to prevent the governors from the South West from raising issues before the president, but rather he should be a facilitator of bringing projects to the South West given his relationship with the president.

“So, I think it should be something positive except if it is the president who has planted him there in order to control what goes on within the South West, that’s when I will think there’s something wrong with it. But I do not have any data or information to that effect yet,” Ayede told Daily Trust Sunday.

Agenda for new chair of S/West governors forum

Oladele, Ayede, and Folarin also set an agenda for Sanwo-Olu and his colleagues on the need for a stronger collaboration to build road networks across the region to enhance commerce and economic activities. According to them, the South West is in dire need of rail links to boost infrastructure and ease the movement of people and traders in the region. “Nothing stops someone from living in Osogbo and working in Lagos,” Oladele said.

They called for greater collaboration to fight insecurity, revive the Odu’a Group, and enhance food security and agriculture in the region. Folarin succinctly put it, saying, “Much is expected of him in the development of the region. Akeredolu was fearless and courageous in bringing about the Amotekun and fighting insecurity to a standstill. I think Sanwo-Olu, whichever method he applies, needs to be courageous and ready to win for the region.”

No two person are the same – Sanwolu-Olu’s aide

Speaking with our correspondent, Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, said the governor brings an agenda of economic development, security, and peace to the South West. Akosile, however, noted that Sanwo-Olu’s approach will differ from Akeredolu’s because “No two persons are the same.”

He said, “The governor In his conversation believes so much in disagreement and agreement. In the end, he will achieve his desired objective. You know, no two men can be the same. His style is different, definitely. But his style is working for him as the governor of Lagos State, and that’s why we have development and progress in Lagos State. So, with all these achievements we have in Lagos State, he will replicate them across the South West region of Nigeria.

“He will speak the truth as and when due. He will speak up as and when necessary, but that’s not to say that you would expect him to do like the late Akeredolu. The late Governor Akeredolu was a different person; Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu is clearly a different person. No two persons can be the same. But the most important thing is, will his leadership be based on justice? On equity? On a vision well-articulated for the total emancipation of the people of the South West? Yes.” (Daily Trust)

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