The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Wasiu Gbolahan Lawal, has emerged the choice candidate for the next Oniru of Iruland.
That may not be news, though.
The meat of this is the power play that trailed Gbolahan’s emergence, which has been described as a miracle of some sort.
Global Excellence gathered that, keen watchers of the succession struggle that occured between two prominent princes, Aremo Adesegun Oniru and Hakeem Ajasa, in the wake of the demise last September of the holder of the throne, His Royal Majesty Oba Idowu Abiodun Oniru, are of the belief that it evoked an eerie parallel from the infamous titanic struggle for the Lagos governorship ticket in 1991 between Chiefs Femi Agbalajobi (of blessed memory) and Dapo Sarumi.
The hideous stalemate that the Sarumi/Agbalajobi war generated turned out to be a blessing for a contestant considered to be a distant runner, Sir Michael Agbolade Otedola, though of the opposition political party, who later became governor on a platter of gold.
Meanwhile, contrary to widespread speculations that Gbolahan Lawal was imposed on the throne by the national leader of the ruling political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to whom he was the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) when Asiwaju Tinubu was governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, rather, Global Excellence was told by insiders, he was picked as the consensus candidate.
Global Excellence gathered that, initially, when the Oniru stool became vacant, Prince Hakeem Ajasa, a Chief Superintendent of Police and former chief security officer to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, was the popular choice of majority of kingmakers. However, Ajasa’s acclaimed endorsement met stiff resistance from an unexpected quarters; Aremo Adesegun Oniru, himself a prince, former commissioner for waterfront infrastructure in Lagos State and eldest son of the immediate past Oniru of Iruland.
We learnt that the Aremo Adesegun camp kicked against the choice of Ajasa and, subsequently, it became a tug of war between the two princes. When it turned to serious issues between the opposing families, that was when Asiwaju Tinubu reportedly waded in.
As Global Excellence learnt, Asiwaju Tinubu told the families to go and resolve the issues and come up with a candidate acceptable to all. Meanwhile, sources said, when the division between the two parties rather became deep and appeared unsolvable, some people among the families then decided that a neutral person should be picked for the stool; hence, Gbolahan Lawal’s name was endorsed.
However, it should be noted that, while Aremo Adesegun Oniru is Tinubu’s trusted aide, Hakeem Ajasa too is close to persons that are Asiwaju Tinubu’s confidants, having being CSO to former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who is currently the Interior Minister, before becoming Gbajabiamila’s CSO. Thus, when Asiwaju Tinubu heard that it was Gbolahan’s name that was forwarded to the Lagos State government for approval, sources said, he felt happy and relaxed that they had chosen a popular candidate.
When news went viral that it was Gbolahan Lawal who was picked for the Oniru stool, many were wondering based on the belief that he was from the Ojora family. An inside source, however, cleared the doubt.
According to the source, Gbolahan is connected to the Oniru family through his mother who hails from the Ajasa lineage of the Oniru family. The source added that the mother still lives among the family till date.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, approved the nomination and appointment of Gbolahan as the Oniru-Elect.
The appointment took effect Friday afternoon.
The appointment, which took effect immediately, was announced after the Lagos State Executive Council met and made the final ratification.
-Folorunsho Hamsat
