– Tribute to Barrister Paul Omotosho, Ekiti State , APC Chairman .
Sometimes late last year, a breaking news popped up on my phone 📱.. APC Chairman kidnapped.
This aroused immediate curiosity, as I and I bet many others across the nation wanted to find out who , how , APC Chairman ke , I think Senator Abdullahi Adamu was the Chairman then, and I was like how can? Impossible, Chairman APC? Hell no!
So I quickly dived into the body of the breaking news to ascertain who, and it turned out to be the style adopted by the writer to get more people to click and read the post.
Alas , it was not the APC National Chairman as the title initially suggested,On the face of it, rather it was the Chairman of Ekiti State APC , Barrister Paul Omotosho.
By this time , confusion had taken over , some form of discomfiture had set in over the State, as to how? where and when ? All manner of answers kept coming as I worked the phones to know what was the real situation.
Well cut a long story short, the State Governor and Security agencies in the state swung to action and to the glory of God , I think his freedom was secured under a week or a little above that. That was the first conspiracy of fate.
As I reflect on this last twist and the morbid consequence of the Conspiracy of Fate this time, I.e the death of the Chairman , I could not but think about the man Barrister Paul Omotosho and my few interactions with him over a period i think spanning almost two decades now😢
As I often say, because it’s summer today with APC now in power at the Federal, also synonymously called the ruling party, a lot of the guys on top today and the many of the young ones have conveniently forgotten that we did not just get here, our history as the Progressives would compare to that of the biblical Israelites, who spent a lot of time under their task Masters in Egypt and eventually led out to Cannan, unlike the biblical situation, in our case there were many casualties in different ways, guises, human, physical, and other forms and manner, we laboured and was sustained only by one thing, conviction under our task Masters, who unfortunately, at least a good number of them are our masters even now in the so called Cannan of political destination.
Barrister Omotosho was one of us. He is from Imesi Ile, in the South of Ekiti and the lot fell on him as one of our leaders mandated to keep the party together around that area all through our years of travails, talking in particular between 2007-2010, in the struggle to get Dr Fayemi to power as Governor of Ekiti State, a struggle 😕 which we all appropriated, in which we became the blind soldiers and driven by conviction, we stayed the course in the face of uncertainties and temptations , but the likes of Barr. Paul Omotosho kept his fidelity with the people, their unflinching hope in the party and the struggle .
Barrister Omotosho was one of the safe conviction secured and driven ones. And I should know by reason of my position as the State Party Agent and the then Candidate Kayode Fayemi’s Collation centre agent during our re-run elections particularly, these were the giddy days when the demand call was on unquenchable,and unquestionable intergrity.
Barr Paul I can’t recall ever been found wanting. There were a number of snitches who sold us out though, not Omotosho.
This impeccable profile and reputation of Intergrity must have earned him twice, the nominations for positions in the cabinet of Dr Fayemi when he eventually made it to Oke Ayoba Government House.
Again cut long story short ,Barrister Paul became the worthy successor of Oloye Agba Jide Awe, the Chairman Emeritus, the Chairman during and of the Struggle.
I think he lasted in the position for almost 11 years until he went on political exile for trumped up political issues, and Chief Mrs kemi Olaleye served his term out , of course she came in as a replacement of the late warrior and indomitable Chief Dele Falusi, Falizan , the Vice Chairman who passed on too.
Barrister Omotosho had learnt a lot from the days of being in the State Exco under Baa Atiba, Oloye Agba Jide Awe, suffice to say it was almost like a plug and play when he assumed the leadership of the party as Chairman.
Now enter the twists and turns of life.
First, the very first out of Ado Ekiti, State Capital duty of Barrister Paul Omotosho as State Chairman, APC, Ekiti State, was when I invited him to come to Ire Ekiti, my home town, to receive a harvest of decampees from our main rival party. The People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
I, worked with others to have such a huge net breaking catch of 320 human beings,erstwhile arch members , die hard members PDP echelon, they were not only regular members but some had been Local Government or State officers , that i got to decamp to the APC at the market square.
The lot fell on Barrister Omotosho to receive them and he did in company of Honourable Ade Ajayi from Ayede , who was the PRO of the party then. He was very elated , at the huge and unprecedented hurl and gleefully welcomed them into the ranks of the APC.
And nine to fourteen years later, when I was faced with the aggregate of unfortunate man instigated circumstances, the twists and turns of life in my political career as enabled by the leviathan in power, and I had no choice but to take the option of protecting and defending my mental health and sanity, in 2022.
As I got haunted on all sides in the party that we all slaved for with everything at our disposal, when the future was so bleak and dreary, he obviously,as the Chairman of the Party could not do anything about it, he dumurred and deffered to the Master, but in his helplessness he had good recollections that offered me some comfort because I knew he was limited and I accepted his limitations in good faith.
And in 2023, June, the twist and turn of life sprang unto its feet again, when well meaning personalities kept on saying ” you cannot abandon the house we built together” and that the Leviathan had completed his dance on the floor, and it was time for a cleaner air to go into the nostrils of many asyphixiating hitherto party loyalists all of whom have been either expelled or suspended under directives for all sorts of reasons from the mundane to the jejune, the common denominator was unjust reasons occasioned by high handed posturing of the power monger, well guess what? The lot again fell on Barrister Paul Omotosho to welcome me and my teeming supporters back to the APC.
I thought the twists and turns had turned full circle after this and i was looking forward to reliving our old times. Little did I know that fate was conspiring somewhere and somehow in a morbid way that would truncate the prospective new lease of life in our reunion and newly baked relationship.
Barrister Omotosho as State Chairman could not hide his joy, when I said my will had buckled to superior reasons and reasoning, occasioned by the respect I have for relationships, and I will be coming back to a party I left for a year.
On the appointed date, he had directed all existing party structures to fall in and attend, he came one hour ahead of time , stayed with me in the country home and when it was time we took a walk of hope together in what would be my come back.
The people were exultant, many came from across the State , not just my people of Oye and Ikole, the atmosphere was electrifying and emotional, many had tears welled up in their eyes as they saw in pictures the journey to this day, i was touched too, as we came to the climax of the event where Barrister Paul Omotosho raised my hand and announced my return.
With that act by Barrister Omotosho, I thought that the season of negative twists and turns, and conspiracy of fate had ended, opening us up to a brighter future where justice and fairness would be the irreducible minimum requirement of our co- existence as a political family, as we bid welcome joy and happiness, little did I know that before that event would turn a year plus, fate would conspire against that envisioned blissful future between us.
He spoke with emotions about my political journey, he was affectionate and effusive in his kind outpourings, he granted interviews and said so many nice things, most graciously about me and my journey and all that, and he directed that all my supporters should immediately be reintegrated. It was such an emotional day.
I later learnt that some of the people stuck in their play-god plot did not like his choice of words, as he used to capture my return as reported by the media , he said he stood by every word he uttered because Congressman is one of the pillars of our party and that “omo ale lo n ri inu ti kii bii, and Omo Ale na mbe ti kii gbo” meaning, “only a bastard is cheated, and would not react , and its only a bastard that would disdain a reconcilliatory appeal after getting annoyed.
After the return to the party, our flame of love had been restored and was aglow, we talked a few times, I asked him to let me host him on his next trip to Abuja, he agreed but I am afraid, we can’t both keep our outing date on this side of the great divide , and I had reason to stop by the Party secretariat to see him thereafter also, but he was not around, his deputy, Mr Sola Elesin however got me to speak with him on the phone.
A very calm and seasoned party man with good history behind him , a diligent public servant when he served as a commissioner, a very warm and affectionate, soft spoken personality.
It was therefore a rude and devastating shock to hear that he died..
I am heartbroken 💔 because this is a case of another warm spirited personality forcefully yanked off at the prime of his life within a space of just three months..painful indeed😪 😪 ..
First it was His Excellency Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu.SAN CON, while we are still grieving , then the grim reaper stretched its Icy cold hands to snuff life out of Herbert Wigwe, in far away country , taking alongside , his wife and son, unfazed, unfettered and undeterred now came home to our “Palace and removed the “Agbada Etu” reserved for the nobles in person of Barrister Paul Omotosho.
It is indeed a dark day for everyone who met this man of few words while here .
In moments like this, it surely is the case of unfair triumph of the Conspiracy of Fate due to our helplessness as mere mortals.
My profound condolences to his immediate and extended, biological and political families , the entire APC family in Ekiti State, the Governor, Government of Ekiti and the entire one family that we all are as Ekiti people.
Without doubts a Star just dropped from our firmament, depleting the stock of men of goodwill 😢
Now let thy servant depart in peace , as the toils and toilings of the labourer is over.
Rest in Peace , Alaga mi.. My own dear ” Chair ” Barrister Paul Omotosho.
You surely will be missed 😢 💔 😔
Congressman Bimbo Daramola.