KONGE IRE L’OYO O SE 2027″ARAPAJA FOR GOVERNOR…..
In many African traditions, governance is often likened to the tending of a communal farmland. The wise farmer does not abandon a thriving crop at harvest time, nor does he hand the hoe to a stranger with no knowledge of the soil. Instead, he looks for a steward who understands the seasons, respects the labour that has gone before, and has the patience to nourish both the main field and the smaller plots surrounding it. The main field feeds the entire community, but the outlying plots—the ones closest to individual households—determine whether the family eats every day. An aspiring local headman, therefore, proves his worth not merely by talking about the harvest, but by showing he can tend his own immediate plot with diligence and integrity, and by openly acknowledging which experienced hands should be trusted with the larger field when the current steward steps aside.
That illustration captures the layered message delivered by Hon. Oduola Olumide Sunday, popularly known as ALAYÀKÍ, as the Oyo State local government elections draw near. His public endorsement of Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja as Governor Seyi Makinde’s worthy successor for 2027, coupled with his own declaration for the Ona-Ara Local Government chairmanship, is essentially an argument about deliberate succession—both at the apex of the state and at the grassroots where daily life is governed.
ALAYÀKÍ’s position rests on three interlocking premises that mirror the logic of that communal farm. First, he frames continuity not as blind loyalty but as a strategic necessity. By foregrounding Arapaja’s administrative depth, calm disposition, and intimate understanding of the Makinde administration’s policy direction, he makes the case that a complex governance project cannot be sustained by a novice who would spend the first years simply learning the soil. Second, he casts the forthcoming local government election as more than a contest for a title; it becomes an opportunity to “deepen grassroots governance.” In his reading, Ona-Ara requires a chairman who is accessible, inclusive, and capable of domesticating state-level gains—infrastructure, education reforms, workers’ welfare—into tangible, localized impacts. The small plot, in his imagery, needs a caretaker who will mirror the diligence of the main farm.
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Political scientists often note that healthy democratic transitions depend on both elite coordination and credible local anchoring. ALAYÀKÍ’s double declaration illustrates this interplay. By publicly aligning his local ambition with a preferred gubernatorial successor, he signals to party stakeholders that his chairmanship would not be an island of personal aggrandizement but a connected layer of a coherent governance architecture. The message to Ona-Ara residents is equally clear: vote for me not because I can shout the loudest, but because I understand that my effectiveness hinges partly on the quality of leadership above me, and I have the discernment to identify and support it.
Now, with the 2027 succession conversation officially underway, the time has come to move beyond quiet calculations and into open, principled endorsement. Governor Seyi Makinde has cultivated a thriving state—a main farm that has yielded remarkable dividends in infrastructure, education financing, and workers’ welfare. These achievements are not accidental; they are the product of deliberate, people-centred policies. To sustain this harvest, the main farm must be handed only to a steward who knows the soil intimately, respects the labour already invested, and possesses the capacity to expand the yield. Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja is precisely that steward.
His tenure as Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party, his previous service as deputy governor, and his unblemished record of party loyalty and conflict resolution have equipped him with the temperament and institutional memory to protect and advance Makinde’s legacy. Arapaja has been a key insider and a bridge-builder across the party’s tendencies. His calm, consultative style is not a sign of weakness but a proven tool for fostering unity, strengthening party cohesion, and maintaining public confidence in government. Endorsing Arapaja today is not a vote for a mere candidate; it is a vote for the preservation of a legacy that has lifted many out of neglect. It is an affirmation that the fields ploughed by Governor Makinde must not be left to wither under a successor who would spend precious years learning the contours of the land. Arapaja knows the soil. He has tilled it alongside the current steward. He understands the seasons. And he carries no baggage that would distract from the urgent business of governance.
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This is why ALAYÀKÍ’s early alignment is both courageous and instructive. It calls on party delegates, elders, and every well-meaning son and daughter of Oyo State to begin the process of consensus-building around a proven hand. The communal farm analogy warns us: a single poor harvest on the main field can plunge the entire community into hunger, no matter how well the small plots are tended. For Ona-Ara to thrive, it needs a chairman who can localise state-level prosperity; for the chairman to succeed, the state must remain in capable hands. The two destinies are intertwined. Makinde’s continuity harvest plan requires both a worthy custodian of the main farm and diligent caretakers of the grassroots plots.
Therefore, let this be the moment of decision. Before the noise of the primaries drowns out wisdom, let party faithful, community leaders, and residents of Oyo State rally behind Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja as the consensus successor to Governor Seyi Makinde. Let the endorsement spread from ward meetings to state assemblies, from market women to student bodies, from the civil service to the traditional councils. The main farm needs a trusted steward who will not break the rhythm of progress. That steward is Arapaja. The small plot in Ona-Ara needs a hands-on caretaker who understands that local governance is the closest government to the people. That caretaker, ALAYÀKÍ, has already shown he knows which direction the whole farm must face.
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The harvest is ripe. Let continuity and competence carry the day. Endorse Arapaja for Governor 2027—and secure Makinde’s continuity harvest.
Credit:
Hon. Oduola Olumide Sunday, popularly known as ALAYÀKÍ
2026 Chairmanship Aspirant in Ona-Ara Local Government, Akanran.
