By Mogaji Wole Arisekola
If there were an award for a man who takes his political ambitions as seriously as his life, Senator Sharafadeen Alli would rank among the very best.
Since he signified his intention to contest the Oyo State gubernatorial election, there is hardly any corner of the state he has not touched. It seems there is no mosque or church he has not visited.
Sharafadeen Alli is a man who does not joke with his life. He is meticulous, savvy and a real go-getter.
His gubernatorial campaign will go down in the history of our state as one of the most rigorously pursued political campaigns.
Senator Sharafadeen Alli will be regarded as one of the most versatile politicians the state has ever produced, and I am learning something from him: whatever you want to become in life, you must pursue it with your last breath.
He has woken up a party that many people across the state regarded as dead and buried.
From my observation, before Distinguished Senator Sharafadeen Alli took up the task of mobilising support for the All Progressives Congress, some of its previous leaders appeared more interested in using the party to secure juicy political appointments at the federal level.
Alli, the Bull, has driven the APC into the hearts of the people by using the old method of retail politics, a tradition associated with progressive leaders such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo and, later, Chief Lam Adesina in Oyo State.
Sharafadeen the Bull’s motto is simple: whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. He is putting those words into action.
Even some people who did not want to hear anything about the APC because of their reservations about former Governor Abiola Ajimobi have started changing their minds.
Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the Bull, knows that in politics, a million friends are not enough, but one enemy is too many.
He appeals to those he believes have a grouse against him and appreciates those who are already familiar with his style of politics.
Sharafadeen Alli, the Bull, has introduced another level of political campaigning in Oyo State, and this will serve as a lesson to the younger generation of politicians that political power is not served à la carte.
There are major tasks to undertake and hurdles to cross before your efforts can be crowned with success.
Muhammadu Buhari kept returning to the campaign trail despite three presidential election defeats, until his fourth attempt ended in victory in 2015.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu also fought through a fiercely contested party primary and a demanding national campaign before winning the 2023 presidential election.
Here in Oyo State, Seyi Makinde returned after his 2015 defeat, built on his earlier outreach and forged political alliances that helped crown his efforts with victory in 2019.
I pray that, when Sarafadeen Alli the bull assumes office as the number one citizen of our state, he will run Oyo State with the same energy and ardour he is putting into his campaign.
Learning from the experiences of others is not an admission of failure but an addition to wisdom.
The campaign method you learnt from the founders of the progressive movement in the South-West is working for you, and all your efforts are not going unnoticed.
When the time comes, you will receive the certificate of your hard work.
Just wait and see.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
