Oshodi-Isolo LGA 2021: Four jostle to succeed Ariyoh
By Abolaji Adebayo
No fewer than four people are jostling to succeed the incumbent executive chairman of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, Hon. Bolaji Muse Ariyoh in 2021.
Among the aspirants for the chairmanship are the vice chairman, Hon. Daisi Osho, secretary, Hon Abiola Oladipupo, Kehinde Oloyede and Abiodun Ogundimu.
Osho, an architect and town planner had worked with the Lagos State Drain Ducks at the inception of the Bola Tinubu administration.
In 2011, he jostled with others for the chairmanship of the LGA but the party gave it to Bolaji Muse-Ariyoh and he was asked to be the vice chairman. The tenure ended in 2014.
With the return of democratically elected local government administration in 2017, both were paired again as one ticket in what is expected to be a four year term.
“By the grace of God,” Osho told ECHONEWS when asked to confirm his ambition, adding that he has a robust relationship with the incumbent chairman and expects his support in his plans to succeed him.
Also having his eyes on the seat with the ‘green biro’, a local phrase implying that only the chairman, as final approving authority, uses the green pen to sign, is the incumbent secretary to the local government (SLG), Hon. Abiola Oladipupo.
In the 2017 chairmanship race, certain strong leaders of the party had put forward Oladipupo’s name for the chairmanship.
However, in view of the party’s policy that the executive chairmen of 19 local councils who had served one term be allowed another time, the plot could not be executed and Oladipupo got the secretary to the local government as compensation.
With the seat set to become vacant, the forces are roaring into action again with Oladipupo as their candidate.
Oladipupo confirmed his plans to run to ECHONEWS, adding that he was, however, waiting in the wings out of respect for the chairman that he still serves.
He said he was still serving under a sitting chairman whose administration has not been dissolved and would declare his intention publicly at the appropriate time.
Outside Ariyoh’s cabinet, two strong aspirants have emerged and started vigorous campaigns on social media.
One of them is the former two-time House of Reps aspirant in Oshodi-Isolo constituency I, Hon. Kehinde Oloyede politically known as Kendoo.
Since the beginning of this year, Oloyede and his supporters have been bombarding the social media spaces with his campaign messages for the chairmanship of Oshodi-Isolo local government in 2021.
Through his campaign whatsapp group tagged ‘#Team ANULARIGBA2021#” created on January 9, 2020, his supporters have been flying his campaign posters and soliciting public support for his ambition.
After his two failed attempts for the House of Representatives in Oshodi-Isolo constituency II, Oloyede retired to his property business under the business name ‘Kendoo Investment’ but recently came back into politics, this time around to occupy the seat of the local government chairman.
Oloyede, the son of one-time Iyaloja of Oshodi and ex-hubby of renowned Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, is so confident of clinching the party’s ticket as sources said he has the backing of the Lagos Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Musiliu Akinsaya MC Oluomo.
Apart from MC Oluomo, the incumbent member of the Federal House of Representatives in Oshodi-Isolo constituency I is also said to be in support of the candidacy of Oloyede and some powers-that-be in the community.
The trio will have to contend with their fourth counterpart, Hon. Abiodun Ogundimu.
Ogundimu has also launched his social media campaign and he has been working tirelessly to win the hearts of the party members and electorate to clinch the party’s ticket and subsequently to win the 2021 election to become the next chairman of the local government.
On his campaign whatsapp group “OGUNDIMU SUPPORT GROUP” created on February 4, 2020, the aspirant has declared his intention to run and has been gathering support.
As part of his strategy, Ogundimu, a graduate of Tourism and Business Management from Dublin in Ireland, has started executing some community projects such as digging of Boreholes.
The CEO of Ogundimu Motors Ltd and Stone-Field Hotels, Ogundimu has explored European countries like the United kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium and later to Toronto in Canada and Atlanta in the US where he started his Automobile Sales business – Ogundimu Motors Ltd.
Brickbats expected in hot contests for positions have begun and Ogundimu is already in the eye of this storm.
His opponents allege that he is not a card- carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress adding that he has not declared for the party at his ward or local government levels.
In his reply in the course of an interview with ECHONEWS, Ogundimu dismissed the allegations, asserting that he joined the Action Congress which later became the All Progressives Congress.
He said, he, however, does not belong to any caucus of the party.
“I do not belong to a specific APC caucuses although I have been formally and informally invited to join APC caucuses but I was looking into that but it will not be my main objective now to join any caucus but I do attend most of the caucuses’ events and ceremony and I have a good relationship with all members of each caucus. I contested for ward councillor but I lost during primary. I have never held any political post,” he said.
