They were regarded as inconsequential in the high-powered, sophisticated politics of south-west until the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, Ekiti Governor-Elect Dr Kayode Fayemi, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and their gang codenamed Abuja Boys have proven their mettle in the act of winning elections and building alliances across political divides, COMPLETE NEWS has observed.
The emerging influential power brokers showed dexterity and clout in the Ondo State Governorship race that produced Rotimi Akeredolu as governor.
Against stiff resistance from the former governor of Lagos and acclaimed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Abuja Boys deftly schemed in Rotimi Akeredolu as the flag-bearer of the party against the preferred Tinubu’s candidate, Olusegun Abraham.
In a keenly contested primaries, Amosun, Fayemi and other members of the influential gang provided massive warchest and other political assets to ensure that their man clinched the coveted party ticket.
The maverick dexterity of Abuja Boys in the Ondo APC Governorship primary election and the eventual enthronement of Akeredolu as the governor despite the overnight resuscitation of Alliance For Democracy, AD to check them brought the gang into national reckoning as the defacto power brokers in the south west.
In Ekiti, they repeated the same feat. The deployed all assets in their political armory for their colleague and key arrow-head , Kayode Fayemi to clinch the ticket. The first primary election which ended in fiasco was said to be tilting in favour of Fayemi. When the primary election was re-conducted, they proved that their earlier botched impressive performance was not an accident.
At the election, they blasted the rock, Peter Ayodele, the son of Fayose and his lackey, Professor Olusola Eleka, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governorship candidate. It was Espiri-de-corp for Fayemi, a notable member of the gang.
In Osun case, Fayemi, Amosun and others came to the rescue when the chips were down. It appears that various political tendencies in the region have subscribed to them. They got the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in the Osun Governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore to the table and struck deal with him to support them in the re-run.
Omisore, who is considered as the ultimate decider of wins re-run agreed to work with the Fayemi team. This was not a mean feat. The incumbent governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola and National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were not at the critical meeting.
If APC wins the re-run, Amosun, Fayemi and the other members of the Abuja Boys would have re- validated their supremacy as the defector power brokers in the region which will also consolidate their grip on the power structures in western region.
