The August 16 by-election for Ibadan North Federal Constituency has predictably turned the political temperature in Oyo State up several degrees.
As campaigns intensify, so do accusations, counter-accusations, and the emotional appeals that are now familiar in Nigeria’s political season.
One of the most recent critiques came from Sola Abegunde, an APC-aligned commentator, who accused Governor Seyi Makinde of political desperation, moral collapse, and even “wickedness” for naming the newly developed Prince Olaide Akinremi Jagaban Government Reserved Area (GRA) after the late House of Representatives member just days before the polls.
The charge sheet is long: Makinde is “desperate,” his second term came from an “unholy alliance” with the APC, he fears competition, displaces traders, and exploits the memory of the dead for political gain.
But a closer, fact-based look shows that much of this is less about hard evidence and more about selective political framing. But then, you want to ask, is opposition politics all about the “pull him down syndrome”, does it mean that a man who the electorates have continued to celebrate and even nicknamed ‘God’s Sent Messiah’ (GSM) hasn’t done anything good in the eyes of these antagonists?
Let’s put the tribute into proper context, for clarity sake and easy comprehension. Prince Olaide Akinremi, fondly called “Jagaban,” passed away in July 2024 at the age of 51.
His death left a gap in Ibadan North’s representation at the national assembly. Governor Makinde’s decision to name the redeveloped GRA after him is not out of step with Nigeria’s long tradition of immortalizing late political figures, heroes, and distinguished individuals who have made impacts to the society through infrastructure naming in their memories.
The GRA in question, formerly the Trans Amusement Park, was earmarked for redevelopment in 2023 as part of Makinde’s urban renewal agenda. The government says the naming decision was made following consultations with the Akinremi family and local stakeholders. This is a verifiable fact since concerned parties are still alive.
From Lagos to Kano, and yes, in Oyo under both PDP and APC administrations, such gestures often happen close to elections. Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi of blessed memory, named projects after distinguished political leaders within election season timelines, and APC governors elsewhere have done the same. While the timing here may serve political purposes, it is misleading to present the gesture as uniquely immoral.
In politics, timing is almost never neutral so, announcing infrastructure projects, opening markets, or naming public assets shortly before elections is a practice that cuts across party lines. Voters in Ibadan North are not strangers to this, both PDP and APC candidates have used symbolic events to galvanize support.
Critics may fairly question why the GRA was not named earlier or left until after the election, but the suggestion that such timing is “wickedness” clearly ignores the reality that politics often blends governance with strategic positioning. What matters more or should matter more is whether the family and the constituency feel the tribute is deserved and respectful.
Abegunde’s article claims Makinde’s 2023 re-election was the product of a hidden deal with the APC. There is, however, no verifiable public evidence of such an arrangement.
INEC results for the 2023 governorship election evidently show that Makinde’s unprecedented electoral victory came largely from PDP dominance in Oyo South and Central, bolstered by his economic blueprints anchored on urban renewal, security, healthcare and education projects, even as APC led in the 2023 presidential vote in the state.
Similarly, accusations that Makinde avoids electoral competition ignore that OYSIEC conducted the 2024 local government elections with multi-party participation. APC leadership alleged bias and partially boycotted, an occurrence that is common in opposition politics across Nigeria, regardless of who controls the state.
His critique of Makinde’s land and market policies also deserves objective argument and balance. Yes, urban renewal displaces some landowners and traders, but state government records show compensations have been paid in multiple cases, most recently ₦400m to property owners affected by the Circular Road and Iseyin/Ogbomoso projects.
Whether compensation amounts are adequate based on experts valuation is a legitimate debate for another day, but presenting the projects as pure “anti-people” acts is incomplete without the development rationale.
While political theatre over memorial naming dominates headlines, voters in Ibadan North face bigger questions ahead of Saturday (August 16):
Which candidate can best deliver federal projects and influence legislation for the constituency, how will the winner address local priorities like market infrastructure, youth unemployment, and urban security?
Each if the candidates is running a different campaign style, Oyekunle relying on grassroots mobilization while Murphy is focusing on media visibility considering the controversies that engulfed his emergence as the APC flag bearer in the August 16 by-election.
Political memorials will always carry dual meanings; part genuine tribute, part electoral signal. In the end, Ibadan North’s voters will decide whether they see Makinde’s gesture as respect for Jagaban’s legacy or as calculated politics.
In Nigerian politics, symbolic acts often carry as much weight as policy debates. The opposition will naturally frame such gestures as manipulative, while incumbents frame them as acts of respect. The real question is whether the community sees the act as genuine.
That verdict, alongside their judgment of the candidates’ competence, will however, matter far more than partisan outrage.
Oyo politics, like Nigerian politics in general, thrives on symbolism but it is service delivery, policy clarity, and representation that truly shape a constituency’s future. On August 16, voters will get the opportunity to choose which matters more.
Having clarified the misrepresentation of information or ‘calculated political spite’ by Abegunde, let’s now make a critical analysis of Sola Abegunde’s article
Sola Abegunde’s piece is written from a clear partisan standpoint as an APC apologist not as an objective minded commentator. While his political commentary can be opinionated, the article suffers from heavy reliance on conjecture and personal inference.
Many claims, such as the “unholy alliance” between Makinde and the APC in 2023, or the “fear” of holding LG elections, are presented clearly as fact without evidence making the article appear more like a poorly executed paid job.
Secondly, loaded and emotive language
Words like “wickedness,” “dogmatic mind,” “feeding bottle candidate,” and “Dundee” are deliberately inflammatory, aiming to provoke rather than inform which defeats the spirit of constructive criticism.
Thirdly, selective presentation of history.
The article omits PDP’s policy positions, the legal and procedural context of certain actions such as naming infrastructure after public figures, and the norms around commemorations in Nigerian politics.
The piece also criticizes Makinde’s alleged use of late Akinremi’s name during an election season, but fails to acknowledge that both APC and PDP politicians across Nigeria have historically unveiled projects or tributes near elections, making the critique seem selectively moral.
Personal attacks over policy critique was another point that clearly flawed and defeats the objective of the article.
While the article mentions “white elephant projects” and “reckless borrowing,” it provides no data or objective economic analysis, focusing instead on political theatre.
Editor’s Dairy is a weekly public affairs column on westernmirror.com.ng.