The pathetic delusions of Yinka Odumakin
Any regular reader of Yinka Odumakin’s ‘Candid Notes’ column in the Vanguard newspaper every Tuesday cannot but marvel at the dexterity with which he ,in a dishonest manner casts himself as the lead actor in every drama, largely of his fecund imagination’s concoction.
Yinka odumakin You must, however, give the magical point man of latter day Afenifere ( at least we saw Odumakin function in that direction with President Jonathan’s campaign group in the 2015 elections) some credit. He is a riveting, even spell binding story teller.
Were he , to have in place of political merchandising, tried his hands at fiction, Odumakin would surely have earned for himself honour as a best-selling author, instead of notoriety as unstable political entrepreneur, moving from one camp to the other, to earn a survival,which though has fetched him big cash, but without honour among his peers. Odumakin’s talents as all-weather cash and carry agitator, which I saw him exhibit when we both campaigned for Mr Jimi Agbaje in 2007 were on display once again, in his three- part column titled ‘Portrait of the tiger Ambode rode’ published on page 17 of the Vanguard of Tuesday, October 9, 16 and 23rd respectively.
For avoidance of doubt, I am not Asiwaju’s man but I hate young or old men ,who in their time of need crawl to a man desperately for help but repay such magnanimity through malicious criticism and denigration of their benefactor. Every human being has his or her fault. There is nothing wrong in criticizing anyone we think will be better off by our criticism and for that matter leaders like Asiwaju Tinubu can only stand focused by our constructive criticism. However when it becomes the character of some individuals to denigrate anyone strong enough to resist their political merchandising like the point man of Afenifere has chosen to do agaist Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ,it is nothing but deceit. Ethno-religious crisis:
How many times has Yinka Odumakin critizised the acute prolifigacy committed with funds budgeted for security but expended on 2015 elections? The only reason why Odumakin is embarking on his present deceit is the 2019 Presidential elections,which has pitched the interest of Asiwaju Tinubu for Buhari against that of “Afenifere” for Atiku How lucky is Odumakin for God to have used Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to sponsor him on a medical trip abroad a decade and a half ago, which saved his left hand from amputation. Thus, he is very fortunate to be able to use the same hand today to inflict his largely fictive and unsubstantiated tales on readers week after week, when scores of infinitely more disciplined and serious writers are seeking to contribute their quota to quality public discourse through concise articles that demonstrate respect for facts, logic and basic decency. A veritable magician with a pretentious capacious and encyclopedic memory, Odumakin cites word for word, quotes dating back to almost two decades ago, which he attributes to diverse persons (mostly dead) without stating the contexts in which such utterances were made or even where and when. With such ‘sharp’ memory,he could not remember to put down in few words how his left hand was rescued from amputation in addition to other goodies benfitted by his ‘activist’ family from Tinubu.
Like the famous James Bond, Yinka Odumakin plays a key role in every drama of his own making. More than a dozen books have been published, for instance, by various participants in the struggle against the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won fair and square by the late Chief MKO Abiola. Not in a single one of these publications by some of the most credible and prominent actors in the events of that momentous period in our history does Yinka Odumakin’s name feature even as an obscure footnote on the pages of history. Yet, every week, Odumakin massages his own ego in his column posing falsely as a frontline member of the opposition against continued military rule in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. Of course, no one can deny him of his entitlement to an exaggerated sense of self importance.
In his characteristic deceitful manner,Odumakin used the issue of the Lagos State governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the clear aim of shooting down perceived opposition to the Afenifere’s alliance for Political trading with Atiku Campaign Organisation,as it was in 2015 when they endorsed then President Jonathan. 2019: Anxiety as Ambode’s loyalty undergoes test, lull in governance It is unfortunate that Yinka Odumakin has continued to thrive and profit financially in deceit. One would ordinarily have been tempted to simply ignore Odumakin’s mischievous antics.
However, it is important to let him know sometimes that he cannot always get away with the perpetration of deliberate falsehood. It is amusing that Odumakin, in his foolery thought that he can use the APC Lagos State Primary election to whip up sentiment against those they perceive may spoil the market for Afenifere in the 2019 political ‘stock exchange’ with Atiku Campaign Organisation.. I had to work with Tinubu doing some voice over”.
As far as we know.prior to the harvest of Naira during Jonathan’s 2015 campaign, he has no stake in the media as scores of media practitioners who I know are notable associates of Asiwaju Tinubu. Odumakin is certainly not fit to untie the sandals of any single one of these disciplined professionals. They include Dele Alake, Tunji Bello, Segun Babatope, Bayo Onanauga, Dapo Olorunyomi, Femi Ojudu, Kunle Ajibade, Segun Ayobolu, Sunday Dare, Kayode Komolafe, Sam Omatseye and Louis Odion among many others.
So was it Odumakin’s pedestrian and juvenile sole jingle that won Tinubu the governorship of Lagos Satte in 1999? He must be either totally demented or living in a fool’s paradise. It is unfortunate that in his desperation to demean Tinubu , Odumakin creates the impression that respected Afenifere chieftains such as Chief Abraham Adesanya and Chief Ayo Adebanjo among others were deceitful and dishonest in taking certain decisions, which is a very serious assault on the hard earned reputations of these revered statesmen.
For instance, Odumakin insinuates that Engineer Funsho Williams actually won the AD governorship primaries but the Afenifere chieftains fraudulently did Tinubu a favour by declaring Tinubu the winner of the intra party polls. This is most regrettable and leaves one with no other conclusion that Afenifere wants Tinubu down for refusing to continue paying for the favour of ‘rigging out’ illustrious Engr Funso Williams,who incidental my hero, for Tinubu. Great Yoruba leaders indeed. There is no need to respond to all the self aggrandizing stories about himself that Odumakin regales his readers with.
After all, what is the electoral value of this political neophyte masquerading as a giant most laughably? Here is a Yinka Odumakin who was Jimmy Agaje’s spokesman in the latter’s quest for Lagos State governorship on the platform of the DPN in 2007. The story of how he recklessly handled the finances of the campaign and his general hedonistic disposition during the period is yet to be told. I am an eyewitness. In 2011, he was spokesman to the Buhari/Pastor Tunde Bakare ticket.
The duo lost the election and Odumakin moved on. Aregbe charges youth on nation building Come 2015, Odumakin made a 180 degree about turn and became errand boy of the President Goodluck Jonathan campaign. The story will soon be told of the humongous amounts of foreign currency he fraudulently collected from the former President in this regard. There are witnesses waiting earnestly to take him up publicly on television on this matter. Again, his client lost calamitously. And for the 2019 elections, this unprincipled moral invertebrate has pitched his tent with Atiku Abubakar. It is another profitable ‘come and chop season’ for him and once his candidate loses he will move on like the vulture seeking new fields of carrion. Odumakin stands for nothing. He holds no principles sacred. Thus, he can fall for anything no matter how demeaning and despicable. How unfortunate! Vanguard
By Awonuga Olajide Williams
