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 that 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 close to the politicians 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 the duo 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 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.
