Jegede may lose Guber victory over choice of running mate – Erelu Tinuade Mabel Onaneye
– Steve Ovirih.
A subtle warning has come the way of the Peoples Democratic party ( PDP) Governorship candidate in the forthcoming Governorship election in Ondo state, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede ( SAN) from a source that is to all intent and purpose apolitical , Erelu Tinuade Mabel Onaneye, The Erelu Oodua of Aye kingdom, a Nigerian royalty and culture Ambassador in the Diaspora.
The Erelu Oodua of Aye kingdom, who by her traditional stool is a spiritually inclined Amazon, said Mr. Eyitayo Jegede’s victory was truncated in 2016 because of disunity and lack of a common front within his party structure, noting that this time round, while there is a sense of cohesion within his party, his choice of Deputy Governorship candidate may be his greatest undoing.
Erelu Onaneye said while the coast may be clear for him to have a shot at the Governorship seat in Ondo state, he should be wary of detractors within his party who have already started to give him wrong counsel on whom he should settle for as his running mate.
The Erelu Oodua who had an exclusive telephone chat with thepolity.net from her base in The United States said, what she saw was that the PDP candidate was misadvised to pick an unpopular Deputy Governorship candidate and this had a backlash on their joint ticket, stressing that if there is any political decision he must take now with utmost circumspection if he really cares about his Guber ambition, it should be to select his running mate wisely having made an involving and wide consultation with elders and stakeholders of his party, warning that if he relies on his whims or volition or wrong counsel, it will cost him loss of a huge followership among party faithfuls ahead of the October poll.
Asked about her reason for the project she has embarked on at the ancient town of Ode Aye, her country home, Erelu Oodua Mabel Onaneye stressed that the essence of the project is to open Aye, nay Ikale Land to tourism. She said the project when unveiled will serve as an attractive tourism package which will draw tourists and sight seers to Aye kingdom, adding that there is a rich historical undertone to the project, which narration will interest and fascinate tourists.
“The phallic structure at Ile Ife, the source – Opa Oranmiyan- has attracted dignitaries , tourists and historians from all over the world to Ile Ife and that is what we hope this project will achieve for Ode Aye. You can rest assured it will put Aye on the global map by the grace of Eledemare,” Erelu Onaneye enthused. Erelu Oodua emphasized that the structure she is erecting at Ode Aye is a self help project wholly bankrolled by her humble self in her bid to give back to her community and contribute to the revival of the rich culture of her homestead.
Prodded on her opinion on the effect of civilisation on traditional African culture and religion, Erelu Maybel Onaneye retorted, “what civilization?” She said civilization never eroded our culture, religion or traditional beliefs, rather Africans are those who have chosen to point at their ancestral heritage with their left hand.
The Ode Aye born African culture impresario condemned the attitude of Yorubas who have resolved to be more holy than the Pope , who outrightly put down traditional beliefs of their forefathers in their desire to appear amenable to Western culture and religious beliefs, noting that in the United States and other part of Europe, there are a whole lot of cultural practices that is peculiar to white people which they hold in high esteem and celebrate with pride, aplomb and fanfare, yet they’re christians, who go to church as well. “Those Nigerians you see claiming to be civilized and on the basis of that Pooh poo our traditional and religious beliefs are not civilized, they are plainly primitive and stupid! In my Aye-speak, they are better described as ‘ the primitive inhabitants of Lagaba camp.’ Yes , the white people did come to preach their culture to you, but with your knowledge and sense of history, you should know that your belief system cannot just be held with odious disrepute by a fellow man who wants you to see him as your superior. It’s common sense, you know? So anyone who loses track of his cultural heritage to me is not civilized, rather such people are stark primitive folks ,” Onaneye noted.
On her outstanding sense of fashion and dress sense that reflect her rich cultural heritage and background, the Erelu Oodua noted that she is not just conscious of her fashion but much more conscious of what her royalty dictates and the need to carry herself as an Erelu Oodua from the culture conscious Yoruba Land of beautiful cultural background, relevance and heritage.
When it was observed that her dress sense puts her on the same royal pedestal as the famous Yoruba royal father and billionaire entrepreneur, His Imperial Majesty Oba Frederick Akinruntan, the prescribed authority and Olugbo of Ugboland, whose fashion conscious royal outfit puts him in a unique class among African royal fathers, Erelu Oodua Tinuade Onaneye while appreciating the observation, said Olugbo is a revered Royal Father but she is not , adding that she is an Erelu, a royal personage who champions the cause of women liberation and who has the ears of “Kabiesi.” She said Oba Akinruntan’s glowing Royal robe is complemented by shining muffler and of course , he carries himself well. In her own case, Erelu Tinuade noted that in most occasion, she dresses in sparkling snow-white apparel and she drapes her shoulder with what the Yorubas describe as “Pakaja”. Narrating the source of her dress sense, she stressed that her personage signifies the liberty of the African woman, maintaining that the Statue of Liberty in America drapes the same shoulder cover to emphasize the essence of Independence of humanity. Erelu Oodua said the root of this Independence is found in Africa because this “Pakaja” had been known in Yoruba Land as a fashion outfit long before the Advent of Western Civilization.
As the Ondo State election approaches she charged the electorate to vote according to their conscience , advising the good people of the Sunshine State to eschew violence, as no politician is worth spilling blood on.
Erelu Oodua Tinuade Onaneye charged the people of Yoruba Land and Nigerians in general to always strive to be real, noting that there are lot of fakes in our society and these fakes project Nigerians as people with double standard life style in the eyes of the world, condemning the fakery in our national psyche. Giving an instance of how fake our people can get, she said in the political space hardly can any politician be taken for their words because what they promise before election is always different from what their policy in government projects. She said the idea of being fake has permeated every sphere of our social life and it doesn’t bode well for our national brand. She equally called on the people to have the fear of God in their dealing with fellow men and do away with violence, noting that there is too much spilling of blood of the innocent in the society.
