MY UNTOLD STORY OF THE LABOUR PARTY -- PRINCE IDRIS BALOGUN

January 09, 2024

By Toyo C. Ngem and Razaq Jimoh
PREFACE
Prince Idris Balogun (aka Oluomo Kaafata) is a successful man of Royal blood, a potential King for that matter. He is also a successful businessman in the private sector, even though he had also pushed a stint in public sector with appointment as supervisory councillor at the local government grassroots level. With all these to his favour, he has kept a burning fire of aspiration to serve the Alimosho people through political representation at the higher and local quarters. At the last 2023 General Elections, he could have achieved this if, in his words, he had “succumbed to temptations”. Thus to say in real term, he could have as well been a member of the House of Representatives representing Alimosho Federal Constituency today. But he chose not to be overwhelmed by any political desperation for the office, even though it was one great opportunity opened for him to despise his traducers and claim victory from his struggles against the powers that be in his traditional party – the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A couple of days back, he landed an Abuja political appointment which curiously is a job in the same National Assembly he longed to be, albeit as Special Adviser to the Senate President. But there is mysterious connection between the appointment and his Labour Party story. This is what this story serves your delight. While his birthday story was first published in the mainstream hard copy magazine in the December 17 edition, This online version brings the the story to connect with his appointment.

THE STORY
On December 1st when he marked his birthday, he was asked to state which event in the year 2023 could make him to be the happiest man on that date, he said: “What I am happy about today, and you may want to call it my cause for joy on this my birthday for the year 2023 is that God gave me strength to survive the temptation to cross over to the Labour Party to contest for the House of Representatives during the last General election”.
Asked why he did not regret his failure to accept the offer when by now he should be calling the political shot from Abuja? The Prince burst out waxing the lyrics of Saheed Osupa: ti’bi ba jo're t'eda o mo inu eda a ma dun. A ni mo gba’re mu. What he is trying to say is that at many times, bad omen will come to man in appearance of good thing and opportunity. But in the ignorance of man, he will be happy that he has seen opportunity of a lifetime and quickly move to grab it. “What I know", he went on "is that only God can guide man to the right path and I will for ever be grateful to him that he showed me the way at that time. He quickly intervened to show me that it was a glamour without future; a glamour covering a rustic and decaying gold of hope. So, if I had gone for the decaying hope, I will not be a part of the Renewed Hope today”, he added.
In a rare way a politician would think, Prince Balogun said it could have been a cheating and stealing for him to contest the election. He said: "It would have been morally wrong for me to deceive people in the guise of contesting under the Labour Party in the hope of crossing back to APC after winning the election. I do not think I belong to that kind of politicians.
"If I had won the election for Labour and think to cross back to APC, I would not be different from a thief or armed robber who has gone to deprive some people their properties. I would no longer be serving their interest in good conscience by going to contest election through one party, knowing fully well that I will dump the party soon. If I had done that, don’t forget that the Labour Party has its own members who must be hoping to reap the fruit of their party victory. Then all of a sudden I choose to deprive them by dumping their party. I don’t think I would have been fair to them by doing that. In short, its exactly like an armed robber case. I am not that kind of politician.
“That is why I am very grateful to God and I keep thanking God that he gave me the strength and wisdom to overcome the temptation”
But why does Oluomo keep referring to the obvious opportunity he missed as a temptation? He seems to have the answer in two phases of his political progress. The first is how he started his political liberation struggle. The second is how the offer to join the Labour Party came after he was denied the House of Reps ticket by the APC.
He explains: "let me say that I put life into the struggle to liberate Alimosho from Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s enemies parading as his allies, aides and proteges. Although the struggle started earlier before I joined, but I can boast to say it was a weak one; even my sister’s (Adejoke Orelope Adefulire) sponsor was not strengthened enough because political struggle goes beyond money. At that time, I belonged to their (Rauf Aregbe) camp as the mainstream APC in Alimosho until I discovered their anti-Tinubu campaign going on underground. I was disappointed with them over this because I knew they could not be claiming the leadership of the party without Tinubu’s consent and endorsement.
"It was when I left them that the pattern and intensity of the struggle changed. To make me fully committed to the liberation struggle, I tied it to my aspiration for the House of Representatives so I knew I had a stake to be strongly involved in the struggle for change.
"Given that, the first sign to come that we were winning the war was in the last 2021 Lagos State Local Government Elections. We had to sponsor aspirants for our group, the “Otoge” (enough is enough) group to contest for all the positions. In actual fact, the Otoge identity for the liberation struggle came with my involvement soon after I left. Their (Aregbe) camp. With the elections we were able to make a statement that there was a strong progressives caucus and got recognition we deserve. We actually won the primary election for Igando/Ikotun while the primaries for the other five were stalemate. With that, the state leadership of our party decided to go for consensus which gave them the slot of council chairman while we got the vice chairman.
"But they were extremists. They were not ready to yield anything. I think Governor Sanwo-olu was resolute too. Although we lost some vice chairman slots, but he insisted on sharing the cabinet portfolios and the party executives between the two caucuses. Today we have substantial stakes in the party and the council administration.
"So, you can see why I can say I am fulfilled in my birthday for this year".
"The next is how did the story of labour party come? I will tell you. The media, particularly your Civics Weekly, could remember the violence that occurred during the APC primary elections for the House of Assembly and the House of Reps in Alimosho. It got worst that two people were killed. It was caused by the opposition caucus, those who thought they had the levers of power as king makers and parading themselves as the leader of Alimosho Progressives for life. But when they knew the party members were set to disappoint them, they decided to make it a ‘do-or-die affair’ like the case of President Obasanjo in 2007. I don’t need to mention names, but Alimosho people know them and their atrocities.
"At the time of the primary elections, I had become the candidate to beat because for the period of struggle, I had added more value to the party members. The so called party leader was in the habit of collecting money from aspirants and incumbent political office holders without thinking of the welfare of party members. He would only be deceiving them: e lo sise egbe--go and work for the party. But the party members were hearing how much you were collecting or how much you have collected from aspirants.
"But due to my own nature of spending to help people grow, and taking care of party members’ welfare and touching their lives, I had become the aspirant to beat. We were ten in number for the House of Reps. The so called party leader, the king maker, also had an aspirant he sponsored. I do not think his aspirant would have come third in the primary if a free and fair election had been conducted. That was why they caused the violence with detachment of unknown Civil Defence personnel they brought from Abuja. Their leader who was in charge of the Ministry of Interior also did samething in 2022 during the primary for the Osun State Governorship election. it was reported all over the media. You may also go and cross check the record with Area M; another bus found to be fully loaded with arms was also found at the venue of the primary in the compound of Igando/Ikotun LCDA. All because of me. But I thank God, I am still alive today”.
So, how did it happen that you did not emerge as the party candidate eventually? civics weekly asked.
"That is where I am coming because that was the open gap the Labour Party wanted to fill by coming to beg me with free form, I mean free form for automatic House of Reps candidate for their party. The common thing is that when party primaries like that were disrupted with violence, the party will go for the consensus options: you get this, you get that, give this to this group in simple agreement. That was how I was edged out of the race when they gave them the House of Reps ticket. Normally, it would be painful when you really have to lose what you already see as your possession to someone that do not merit it. Not only me personally, it was also painful for a large number of party members who feared that they were going into another sufferings for another four years. What would you expect from such people when the Labour Party offer came? So you can now see or imagine the amount of pressure I faced both within and outside the APC when the opportunity to contest on the platform of the party came.
"Like you tightly said, it is now an open fact that if I had accepted the offer I will be in Abuja by now. And like I said repeatedly so far, I thank God that he gave me the wisdom and courage to make the wise decision as the right option by rejecting that offer. Maybe I should confess this to you: I love Asiwaju Tinubu so much that I could not see myself campaigning against his presidential ambition because that was what it would be if had gone ahead to be a labour party candidate. Don’t forget, I said it before that I left the kingmaker’s camp when I discovered that they had become the secret enemies of Asiwaju.
"But here I am today, rejoicing and happy that I was part of the success story of Asiwaju as the President of Nigeria. I do not think I will have such joy and peace of mind as a member of House of Reps today under the Labour Party, whatever regardless of whatever I could be getting from Abuja".
Prince Balogun was nevertheless not ready to disclose what could be his next aspiration. He said he was yet waiting on God’s direction while engaging in consultations with the people of Alimosho and APC stakeholders in the higher quarters. He gave this reply when asked if he would be willing to contest in the coming Local Government Elections for Egbe-Idimu Executive Chairmanship?
He said: "It is true to say that my not being in Abuja today could be a disappointment to many of my followers. It is also true that I must workout a away to compensate them by giving them hope with a new aspiration they can look forward to. Yes, many people have approached me to ask if I would be contesting in the coming Local Government Elections in Lagos for the office of Council Chairman. But God is the Diviner. Only Him knows the future. I am still seeking his guidance as to what step I should take next. But I must also say I am consulting for now, both with my followers and at the leadership level. I am also consulting with community leaders and elders in Egbe-Idimu LCDA. It is the outcome of all this that will tell where we are going next. However, I must say that we can no longer leave our party in the hands of those that have sworn to destroy it".