This is the monthly EDITORIAL of ODUDUWA NEWS
There have been growing concerns about the choice of Oyo North Senatorial candidates in both major political parties as disagreement, sectional interest among other concerns have been said to have emerged since the two major political parties, Peoples Democratic Party PDP and All Progressives Congress APC have started consensus arrangements on the choices of their respective flagbearers in Oyo North Senatorial District.
Recently, the media space was awash with the condemnation and innuendos that trailed the choice of PDP’s consensus candidate in Oyo North Senatorial District, Mr. Akinwale Akinwole popularly known as Wolekanle who is believed by pundits to be a lily-livered and a pawn in the chess of political game that could not weather the roaring storm of sectional interest of ‘Oke-Ogun Lokan’ as being bandied around by the political gladiators in the zone.
ODUDUWA NEWS, in its investigation to unravel the mystery behind the resurface of ‘Oke-Ogun Lokan’ in Oyo North Senatorial District as the coinage firstly surfaced during the 2019 gubernatorial election found out that the people of the region believe that surrendering the Senatorial ticket to Ogbomosho again in 2023 would be tantamount to capitulating to political machination of their rival zone for another political dispensation.
The analysis of the representatives had so far in Oyo North Senatorial District since return of democracy in 1999 highlighted thus: Yusuff Brimo 1999-2003 (Ogbomosho), Senator Robert Koleosho 2003-2007 (Oke-Ogun), Sen. Gbenga Babalola 2007-2011 (Oke-Ogun), Sen. Hosea Agboola 2011-2015 (Oke-Ogun) and the current serving Senator, an Ogbomosho indigene, Sen. Fatai Buhari who will be the first Senator representing the zone for two terms consecutively.
This above stated analysis has shown that both zones have had equal representation since 1999 but political stakeholders in the zone hinge their assertion on zoning of the ticket to Oke-Ogun on the grounds that if Ogbomosho indigene is returned in 2023, Oke-Ogun zone with ten local government councils would have been completely marginalized by Ogbomosho with three local government councils. It is factual, that should Ogbomosho indigene emerges in 2023, it would make the total years of representation by the region to be 16 years provided it is single tenure and 20 years if the future Senator is returned for second term while Oke-Ogun will be left to remain at 12 years of representation since the return of democracy.
In as much as it is believed that politics is a game of calculations and numbers, Seyi Makinde and his think tank could be said to have thought less of emergence of their candidate in Oyo North by trading senatorial ticket of the zone purposely for the sole aim of getting a return to Agodi seat believing that if a candidate is fielded from Ogbomosho, such candidate will secure bloc votes for him. However, this political calculation seemed to have died on arrival as one of the gladiators of the PDP in the zone, Hon. Mulikat Adeola has used a last straw to break the camel’s back by pitching her tent with a newly found love, the party of Social Democratic Party SDP. This is a pointer to the political think tank of Gov Makinde to restrategize and look into a way of preventing the political goodwill they might have thought of enjoying in Oke-Ogun from being eroded. 
The same drum is being beaten into the ears of the gladiators in All Progressives Congress APC in the zone but there seems to be a fair sectional calculation in the political scheming of the party in the zone as many Oke-Ogun sons have signified intention to secure the ticket. Some Oke-Ogun APC candidates that have picked their nomination forms include Hon. Sola Ogunbode from Kajola Local Government, Hon. Shina Peller, the incumbent Honorable representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency and Hon. Saheed Alaran, who feelers hinted would pick his form any moment.
One may wonder why Oke-Ogun people have suddenly brought out the coinage of ‘Oke-Ogun Lo Kan’ project in the Oyo North Senatorial District, the ‘Oke-Ogun Lo Kan’ might not have fetched the desired result in having an Oke-Ogun Governor but the agitation is propelling a sense of purpose towards having people from their region in the National Assembly and other important political posts to bring about the positive changes the region so desires.
Having their Indigenes as their representative is believed to be a remedy to the percieved marginalization of the zone in federal distribution of projects particularly the age-long yearning for tertiary institution.