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Muiz Banire |
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Fashola |
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Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon |
A war
of supremacy and domination appears to be brewing between two erstwhile friends
and with the way things are going, the battle line has been drawn.
Two of
the topmost gladiators in Mushin Local Government Area in the Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN), Dr. Muiz Banire, who happens to be the party's National Legal
Adviser and Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State
on Commerce and Industry, Hon. Seye Oladejo may be heading for a showdown ahead
2015 elections.
According
to a leader of the party in Mushin Area, Mr. Edward Longe, Banire and Seye were
part of the people that brought Mushin into the forefront in Lagos politics,
but with the way things are going, the two hitherto close friends have
polarized ACN in the area.
Longe
recalled that Banire and Seye were so close until now such that nobody knew
their secrets and that they were like Siamese twins.
Sources
close to the two gladiators revealed last week that Banire was actually
empowered by the National Leader of the ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to
counter Senator Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS), who is representing Lagos West
Senatorial District, when it appeared the latter was becoming too powerful in
the area.
On the
other hand, Seye Oladejo, who had been the Chairman of Mushin Local Government
and even served as Secretary to Local Government (SLG), when GOS was the
chairman of the council, is said to be close to GOS and is not disposed to what
Muiz Banire was allegedly perpetrating against the respected senator.
It was
alleged that Banire led a campaign of calumny against Seye Oladejo in the wake
of his appointment as Special Adviser and nearly got the Lagos State House of
Assembly not to clear him save for the intervention of GOS, who ensured he
convinced the Rt. (Hon.) Adeyemi Ikuforiji-led House to clear Dejo for the
coveted post in 2011.
Sources
told us that efforts made to reconcile the two politicians by GOS and others
failed and the two erstwhile friends have allegedly sworn to fight to finish
and this has reportedly divided Mushin politicians in ACN into two camps.
Elder
Longe confirmed in an interview that the fight between Muiz and Seye was
unexpected and that it might have been caused by their individual ambitions.
Longe,
who said that the duo have been part of the political development of Mushin,
wondered why they are at warpath, adding that they might have fell out over
issues that could have been easily resolved.
Longe,
who is seen as being close to Muiz Banire, and who co-ordinates Mushin
Empowerment Foundation (MEF) being financed by Banire and his political
associates, said that he decided to support the former commissioner because he
regarded him and spoke to him about the matter unlike Seye, who he said appears
not to regard him over the issue.
“I was
sitting down in front of my house one day and I saw a jeep and the next thing I
saw was Muiz Banire wearing an Ankara with 'Oranmiyan' inscription and he said
he was just coming from my home town and that he came to see me. I just locked
up the water I was selling in front of my house and went upstairs with him.
“Then
he said that he and Seye were having disagreement and that Senator Ganiyu
Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS) wanted to settle it for them. I couldn't believe that
the two of them could fight, and I just had to go with him. When we got there,
I came back home very sad because these were people that were too close in the
past. It was when we got to the meeting that the whole thing became clear to
me. Without taking sides, I can say Seye was having an upper hand. It seems he
had made up his mind that the end has come. As I was wondering why the two
gladiators should be at loggerheads, GOS said that I should leave them alone.
“It seems the battle line had been drawn. Seye even made a statement against me
that 'somebody said he is now a pastor, he should go and face his church work
now,' he was referring to me,” he said.
Investigations
by First Weekly revealed that with the way things are going centre may not hold
for Mushin camp of the ACN as the two gladiators are important factors in the
area.
Though
Banire is not in power in Lagos State at the moment, we were told that he is
still very close to the leadership of the party, especially Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, who holds the ace in the party nationally.
On the
other hand, Seye's camp, which is being led by Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju
Solomon is said to be very powerful.
A
source said that it was the father of GOS that mentored Alhaji Hamzat, who
later became the mentor of many politicians in Lagos West. He also added that
GOS and Asiwaju Tinubu were in the United States of America (USA) together in
the days of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) during the military era
and that they both relocated to Nigeria together shortly after the death of the
then despotic military ruler, the late Gen. Sanni Abacha.
With
the way things are at the moment, it seems there is a serious trouble ahead as
the camps are reported to be battling to field candidates for various elective
posts in the area in the 2015 general elections.
Alonge
ruled out the intervention of the party in the matter, saying, “What concerns
the leadership of the party, you are struggling for a position, I want to be
where you are and you don't want to leave the place, so what will the party do.
It is not a party matter, it is personal interest conflicting. Seye is in
government now, Banire was in government, he is likely to go back there; Seye
may remain there, so you mind your own territory and I mind mine. What concerns
party leaders with that,” he said.
Politics is about who gets what, when and how? It is a fight for supremacy but the fact remains that both of them will still work together during 2015 elections to ensure that APC wins at all levels. As Senator GOS has said, leave both of them alone, they will still come back to embrace their old time friendship. EYITAYO IJAORIBE (WARD E, MUSHIN LGA.
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