One of the biggest mistakes the leading opposition parties in Oyo state made in the early days of governor Seyi Makinde’s administration was to tag and brand it as an ‘audio government’. By audio government, they mean a government that makes noise with little substance. And truthfully, no government in the history of the state has tapped into the enormous power of the media like this current administration. Whether through the traditional or new media, the name of the governor is always been projected positively and glowingly. The result is the overwhelming support he got at the last election.
Of course, given that the government seems committed and passionate about completing the uncompleted projects of his predecessors, many within the fold of the opposition party assumed he had no plan to etch his name in the sand of time and definitely will be a one-time governor who will spend just four years at the helms of affairs.
Where the opposition was supposed to strategically woo voters, they were busy calling both the governor and his government many unprintable names. But when the government started to commission some of his projects, the usual politics of brickbat stopped. And people across the state length and breadth saw the efforts of the government and the strives of the governor. At the poll, they rewarded governor Seyi Makinde with another four years in office, becoming the second man after the late Abiola Ajimobi to win his re-election in the history of Oyo state.
“The myths that the administration of Engineer Seyi Makinde is an audio Government is crumbling” I submitted in my column of March 20th, 2021. “And that should unsettle oppositions in the state that perhaps, there is hard work to do and need to step up the game as the race for Agodi house takes an unpredictable twist and turn. Because within the space of two years, the ‘Omituntun’ brand of politics and policies thrusts continue to course through the state’s nook and cranny in breathtaking, unprecedented albeit imperfect ways”.
Perhaps, we can learn one or two things from the just concluded poll. Well, I know it is like politics to underrate one’s opponent. To assume they have lost it even before the election. To conclude that nothing will save them from the rabbit hole they have fallen into. Because ultimately, the way we interpret the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents play a big part in how we invest in our strength and downplay our weaknesses. As facts continued to emerge, the last election wasn’t even about two candidates but about the incredible power of the silent majority. In the build-up to the poll, I reminded my readers to endeavor to listen to the voices of the silent majority. But it seems the voices of the silent majority and those of social media guys are the same. More than any other candidate at the just concluded gubernatorial election, governor Seyi Makinde’s uncanny ability to harness and harvest the wisdom of the crowd is second to none.
He was everywhere people are. In the pub, restaurants, markets, and even in people’s bedrooms. A few days before the poll, his handlers went across all the nooks and crannies of the state to distribute pamphlets bearing some of the achievements of the governor in the last four years. I think the trick worked wellrurallareass where people saw the glistening bus terminal in Ojoo, remodeled Lekan Salami stadium in Adamasingba, primary health care centers across the 361 words of the state, and lots more. It was simply impossible to think people will not be hooked by such a display of creative and organic campaign methods. While that was going on, people like Mr. Oriyomi Hamzat were already deconstructing the religious bigotry leveled against the governor by the Muslim community. Even though many condemned him, his intervention also helped tipped the contest in favor of the governor.
I think it is difficult to pin down the electoral victory of the governor to one single factor: different forces worked tirelessly to ensure his triumph at the poll. But as powerful as those forces are, the governor himself understood the imperative of connecting with the people across social strata. He was almost everywhere telling people why they should vote for him. Until the last minute, nobody could predict the outcome of the poll with accurate precision. But the governor in his newsletter leading to the poll knew he was poised for victory. He confidently told his readers that victory is certain for him but that he’s uncertain as to the margin of his victory. Makindenomics appears to be an ideology that is rooted and grounded in the wisdom of the crowd. In the last election, the bulk of the votes emanated from those crowds who dominated virtually all the media spaces in the state.
Many had assumed the governor’s overreliance on the wisdom of the crowd would backfire, but with his ability to break the ranks of the opposition and the power brokers, the governor supremely matched to victory.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via @TheGMAKing on Twitter, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
