Bankole: No place to hide again

As the fourth on the order of precedence for the federation, Speaker Dimeji Bankole has always been regarded as a major political force. However, the people of Abeokuta spoke last Saturday. And they did so eloquently. Bankole lost, an evidence that he did not have control of the constituency.

Bankole has always been “smart”. In 2007, he leaned completely on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to win the seat. Then, Obasanjo was in full charge of the Peoples’ Democratic Party structure in the South West. It was impossible to win anything without Obasanjo’s signature in Ogun and the South West. Realising this, the speaker opted to align with Obasanjo, despite his father, Chief Alani Bankole’s disdain for Obasanjo’s politics. He succeeded in massaging Obasanjo’s itching ego and won. 

But once in Abuja, he completely forgot the structure that bought him into office. He joined forces that fought the forced Speaker Patricia Etteh to resign despite Obasanjo’s disapproval. Unknown to many of his anti-Etteh’s colleagues, Bankole had a grand plan. He had calculated that since the Speakership was zoned to the South West, he could just clinch the plum post with a little political wizardry. 

The plot was hatched with the full backing of his father. The older Bankole had always been sympathetic to the North.Since his links with the North has been well-oiled for many decades, the older Bankole simply approached leading Northern forces to back his son for the Speakership. This was opportunism at place again. 

When the idea was mooted to Reps, many of them kicked. But the reality is the North has more seats and can always dictate who gets what. Arm twisted, they grudgingly voted for Bankole.

 When it was time for the party’s primaries, Bankole studied the terrain and was convinced Governor Gbenga Daniel was in charge. 

As usual, he jumped ship and ditched the Obasanjo camp. Even though he had incited other Reps to fight to accommodate them in the national leadership of their political parties, he turned round to reconcile with Daniel who he had been fighting publicly. When Daniel’s hold became slippery, Bankole quickly turned to Obasanjo

Last Saturday, the people proved there is always a limit to political inconsistency.