PRINCE FAMODUN:- THE OUTBURST OF A PRINCE WITHOUT TRAITS OF ROYALTY
On Saturday 15th January, the former chairman of APC in Osun, Prince Gboyega Famodun issued a statement to the public where he used uncouth and foul language unexpected of a true born Prince against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He went further to say that Ogbeni is selfish among his other thoughtless utterances.
Though, it is needless to join issues with a confused fellow under whose once upon a healthy party got to this situation and now battling for survival, but as a Prince, Famodun needs to be told on need for him to embrace maturity and avoid corporate hooliganism in situations like this.
To start with, It would be recalled that in 2014 when the leadership of Osun APC was handed over to Prince Famodun, party members were full of hope and high expectations that the new chairman’s tenure will continue to move the party forward because of his record as the immediate past secretary of the party during the administration of Elder Lowo Adebiyi. Nobody ever thought that the party was just handed over to a big man with no vision for the party.
For a party that fought hard and made it to become the ruling party in state, it was generally expected that the party will continue to toe the line of excellent performance as previously exhibited by the duo of Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and Elder Lowo Adebiyi. it is therefore very unfortunate that the party is now a house divided against itself due to very poor management, leadership failure, laziness, ineffectiveness and lack of will to continue to move the party forward by erratic Prince Famodun.
The problem with the party started shortly after Prince Famodun assumed the leadership of the party. Contrary to the practice that he met on ground, Prince Famodun shifted the secretariat of the party to his private house in Igbonna in Osogbo. Serious important party matters now became his bedroom affairs as no matter how serious an issue was, it must be brought to him in his house while the party secretariat became an annex. State party exco could not come together except on very rare occasions. This was the beginning of the party maladministration under the ineffectual chairman. In addition to this was his lack of transparency and accountability which led to him not being available always. Either in the early morning or late evening, the former party chairman will not be available for any party matter, a situation that made him not to be completely in charge of party affairs then.
Another injury he caused the party was his selective approach in managing party affairs by making himself available and listen to only those he preferred on any issue, no matter how it affects the progress of the party but for the fact that the party was healthy then, nobody felt the effect of his actions.
In political party affairs, it is known that regular meetings , interactions and consultations among party members at all levels are very essential but all these had no place during the 7 years of Prince Famodun’ s leadership. No state Exco meeting, no regular interactions with local government party chairmen, no positive feedback channel while transparency and honesty were dead. Prince Famodun turned the party to his private fiefdom.He is always found wanting in his duty post as a party chairman, eventually, he lost connections with the realities in the party which rendered the party directionless. This caused him to be suspended by some of his exco members in 2018.
And with all his known failures, the former chairman would still complain that he was not given a free hand to perform. No reasonable person or leader will leave the entire affairs of a party in the hand of such a vissionless person.
But now with Gov. Oyetola as the party leader who came with his own pre- determined intention to replace all the structures existing in the party, Prince Famodun, was asked by the Governor to start to recruit people to ileri- oluwa group. As someone who lacks coordination and proper management, the former chairman in turn, asked party officials in the local governments to use their positions to lead ileri-oluwa group, the decision didn’t go down well with the party members who kicked against it. Mr. Governor and Prince Famodun later turned those that were against their decision to disloyal party members and that was the beginning of the crack in the party.
To further achieve their ill motives, those who left the party IN ANNOYANCE BECAUSE OF GOV. OYETOLA IN 2018 were approached to return to the party and were made leaders of ileri-oluwa group (now the party according to them) across all the local governments.The decision caused uncontrollable anger among the genuine party members who concluded that the governor has betrayed their confidence. During those periods, Prince Famodun was silent as if all is well.
The ugly development was further heightened by their (Governor Oyetola and Famodun)decision to break the perceived strongholds of non ileri- oluwa group in places like Ejigbo, Iwo, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ede South, Egbedore, e.t.c in order to have a hold and this was the beginning of the break up of the party across the state.
The big question here is how did Ogbeni Rauf Aregbsola featured in all these?
Further to this was their decision to do away with anything and anybody that has something to do with Ogbeni in the government and the party. This came to the open during the screening of commissioner nominees by a team set up by the Governor where a particular nominee Dr.Rafiu Isamotu was categorically asked if he was ready to denounce Aregbsola if considered.
All these for what?
Their consolidated illegalities continued which angered genuine party members and people started moving out of the party in droves as was witnessed in Iragbiji, Osogbo, Ejigbo, Okuku, Ede North, Ede South, ila, Atakunmosa among others. On seeing this, some genuine party members came together to arrest the situation which led to the formation of The Osun Progressives ( TOP).
Can the erratic Prince Famodun deny all these? can he beat his chest that he has been managing the party well? When last did he sit down with his then secretary, Hon. Salinsile to discuss party matters? How many times did he call review meeting with the local governments party chairmen during his 7 years tenure? How did he get feedbacks on serious party matters? Was Ogbeni also responsible for their failure on the recent appointments to Local Government caretaker committees where persons who are not from a local government were offered appointment in another local government which further created problem among party members? It should be clear to any reasonable mind that the tenure of Famodun brought unquantifiable woes unto the party.
The final straw that sent the party to Intensive Care Unit under Famodun was his decision to remove names of non ileri-oluwa- Oluwa party stalwarts from the list party stakeholders at state, Local Government and Ward levels. Anybody known to have allegiance to Aregbsola were automatically excluded. In that situation, real party members were members of ileri-oluwa group and SDP decampees!!!
For Prince Famodun to start blaming Ogbeni Rauf Aregbsola for his lifetime failure is the worst form of dishonesty.
It is necessary for Prince Famodun (if he was a responsible party chairman then) to tell the public, the steps he took in averting the crisis before it got escalated to this stage, how many times people came to report the situation to him, how many people were sent to him by Ogbeni and what he told them.
Either he clears himself or not, Prince Famodun will go down in history and record of our party in Osun as someone who inherited a good party but decided to damage it.
May the progressive family in Osun never see the type of Famodun again and again.
