Suliat Lawal
A prominent Egba chief and Chairman of the MAO Movement for Change, Chief Mustapha Abdulhakeem Owolabi, has cautioned political parties against imposing candidates ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, warning that such practices could undermine democracy and deny the electorate credible leadership.
Owolabi, the Akinfiwatolu of Egbaland and Chairman of the Egba Agenda Forum, made the call while reacting to remarks by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), who recently stressed that credible elections must begin with transparent political party primaries.
Falana had delivered the keynote address at the eighth annual lecture of Penpushing Media in Abeokuta, where he warned that flawed party primaries pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic process.
Drawing from the senior advocate’s position, Owolabi said Ogun residents, particularly the people of Egbaland, should treat the warning as a timely reminder as political activities gather momentum ahead of the next governorship election.
According to him, democracy loses its essence when candidates are imposed on party members rather than emerging through a transparent and competitive process.
“If Femi Falana says electoral integrity begins with transparent party primaries, then every democrat must pay attention. When candidates are imposed and the wishes of party members are ignored, democracy has already been defeated before the general election is held,” he said.
The Egba chief alleged that the process that produced Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as the preferred governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress had sidelined qualified indigenous Egba aspirants who could have competed on a level playing field.
He mentioned former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chief Tunde Lemo; former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; and former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo as accomplished Egba indigenes who deserved equal opportunity in a transparent contest.
Owolabi argued that the debate was not about individual political ambitions but about safeguarding justice, fairness and democratic principles.
“It is painful that accomplished indigenous Egba sons and daughters who have served Nigeria with distinction could be subtly pushed aside through a process that many believe did not provide a level playing field. Democracy is about competition, not coronation or imposition,” he said.
He, however, maintained that the MAO Movement for Change was not opposed to the agitation for Ogun West to produce the state’s next governor, insisting that the aspiration should be realised through a credible and transparent process.
“We acknowledge that our brothers and sisters from Egbado or Yewa deserve a genuine opportunity to occupy the governorship seat. That is not in dispute. However, such an opportunity must emerge through a transparent, democratic and credible process that reflects the will of party members and the people,” he added.
The Egba chief further said Ogun State deserved a governor whose identity, roots and commitment to the state were beyond dispute, warning against what he described as political imposition.
He called on traditional rulers, opinion leaders, professional bodies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in Egbaland to defend internal party democracy and resist any attempt to undermine the electoral process through candidate imposition.
According to him, Falana’s message should serve as a wake-up call to political parties across the country to strengthen internal democracy by conducting transparent and credible primaries.
“Our people must not overlook Falana’s message. Electoral integrity starts with credible party primaries. Once the foundation is compromised, governance itself becomes compromised. Right-thinking members of society must reject every form of imposition and insist that the people’s voice remains supreme,” he said.
Owolabi urged political actors to place the interests of Ogun State above personal ambitions, insisting that only a transparent and democratic process could produce leaders capable of earning public trust and delivering good governance.
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