SOLOMON & OSIYEMI BATTLE FOR MANDATE SOUL IN MUSHIN
A battle for the control of the Mandate Movement in Mushin and Odiolowo is raging as a show of strength was on display yesterday between the older members of the Caucus and the newcomers.
The newcomers, led by the founder of the Ideal Club, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, had come in to upstage the older members, prominent of who is a veteran politician and strategist, Prince Bayo Osiyemi.
The two groups held parallel LG meetings at Odiolowo and Ilupeju respectively. The Osiyemi group said it was improper, unfair and indefensible for the Solomon group to seek to upstage
them being newcomers who are alien to basic rules of the Mandate Movement.
Solomon’s group parade 15 leaders, among who are Hon Seye Oladejo, Hon Funmi Tejuoso and Hon Bolaji Yussuf Ayinla, whose crowd at their meeting yesterday did not fare well comparatively with those of the Osiyemi side.
One of the 15 leaders on the Solomon side was initially upbeat when he saw their crowd at their meeting venue at Olateju street behind Vono Industry but his mood changed when he was told that their crowd did not beat the number on the Osiyemi side. He lamented that it was shocking and inconceivable that Prince Osiyemi who was described by one of his followers as “one-man mopol” could mobilise such a huge crowd that assembled at their Ilupeju venue.
An observer with inside knowledge
of the dramatis personae in the struggle for political power remarked that the Solomon group, though accessible to more funds, have many light weight leaders among them whose mobilisation ability is low.
One of the supporters of Prince Osiyemi who refused to have his name in print, said though it was more of a “family affair”, the point must be made that it was wrong and unacceptable for those who are just coming into TMM as a group for the first time to want to push out those whose commitment and loyalty to Mandate over time are unquestionable.
“We have confidence in the TMM state leadership to act right in resolving the conflict.