…While Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle (DON) offers dignity and direction, his APC rival courts controversy with intoxicants and incoherence.
In the theatre of contemporary Nigerian politics, where optics and symbolism carry as much weight as policy and performance, the conduct and character of public figures are under increasing scrutiny.
The bye-election in Ibadan North Federal Constituency has become a microcosm of this national concern, as the electorate is once again called upon to distinguish between momentary spectacle and enduring substance.
At the heart of this electoral discourse is Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, widely revered as DON, a man whose political stewardship, legislative acuity, and community engagement have earned him a rare kind of grassroots reverence. His legacy as a former lawmaker in the Oyo State House of Assembly is one defined by vision, verifiable impact, and an unshakeable commitment to the upliftment of the common man.
But while DON’s campaign has emerged as a beacon of progressive ideals and responsible leadership, a disturbing counter-narrative has taken shape, one that raises questions about the integrity, values, and judgment of his foremost opponent, Hon. Olatunji Haastrup Adewale, colloquially known as Murphy, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a moment that has left many political observers and community leaders aghast, Murphy was recently seen leveraging alcoholic gin as a tool of political mobilization a development both ethically alarming and culturally injurious. In a constituency grappling with the growing menace of youth drug addiction, the symbolic use of intoxicants to curry favor is not merely tone-deaf; it is a gross abdication of moral responsibility.
In a society where the battle against substance abuse, mental health decline, and youth disillusionment has become an urgent social imperative, the decision to normalize and romanticize the consumption of alcohol in a political setting is not just reckless—it is reprehensible.
Analysts have decried the act as a brazen display of insensitivity and a harrowing testament to the absence of a values-based campaign. A community elder in Yemetu lamented, “How can someone who aspires to make laws be promoting the very poison that is destroying our sons and daughters?”
The episode has, justifiably, ignited widespread criticism across civil society circles, youth organizations, and religious institutions.
Many have described Murphy’s campaign as being bereft of moral depth and intellectual engagement substituting policy dialogue for populist gimmicks that trivialize the office he seeks.
In stark contrast, Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle’s campaign has been marked by philosophical clarity and developmental purpose.
He speaks not merely to the electorate’s frustrations, but to their aspirations—offering not fleeting handouts but sustainable blueprints for empowerment, education, and equity.
DON’s antecedents are indisputably sterling. During his tenure in the Oyo State House of Assembly, he sponsored skill acquisition programs, disbursed business grants, offered scholarships to indigent students, and refurbished public health centers. His interventions were not seasonal performances but systemic reforms aimed at long-term transformation.
A particular hallmark of his political philosophy is his unwavering focus on youth development a demographic he does not seek to pacify with palliatives, but one he strives to equip through education, mentorship, and economic inclusion. He understands, more than most, that today’s youth must be partners in governance, not pawns in politicking.
The dissonance between the two candidates is not simply ideological it is generational.
While DON embodies a new breed of Nigerian leadership, measured, reformist, and morally grounded, Murphy’s campaign has become a cautionary tale of how not to engage the public space.
Even within APC circles, murmurs of discontent have emerged regarding Murphy’s lack of strategic direction.
His campaign has been characterized by ad hoc theatrics, pedestrian sloganeering, and now, scandalous optics. There appears to be neither compass nor conviction only a desperate pursuit of attention.
The broader context of APC’s performance at both state and national levels also casts a long, unforgiving shadow.
Under their watch, Nigeria’s socio-economic indices have plummeted, epitomized by inflation, unemployment, infrastructure collapse, and escalating insecurity. To double down on such a legacy in Ibadan North would be a betrayal of collective intelligence.
DON, however, offers an alternative that is as refreshing as it is reassuring.
He is not merely campaigning; he is convening a movement of dignity, development, and deliberative democracy.
His campaign trains its spotlight on healthcare reform, educational accessibility, infrastructural renewal, and digital economy inclusion.
At a time when Nigeria desperately needs responsible leadership and exemplary conduct, DON’s political comportment has remained a model of temperance and tact. He neither trivializes the seriousness of governance nor panders to base instincts. His language is refined, his policies structured, and his moral compass visibly intact.
As the constituency weighs its options, it must ask itself a sobering question: should the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly be graced by a man who distributes gin to youths as a campaign tool, or by one who has spent his career liberating those very youths from the chains of poverty, addiction, and ignorance?
The answer should be obvious. This election is not simply about personalities, it is about paradigms.
It is a referendum on what Ibadan North Federal Constituency envisions for itself: a future built on progress and prudence, or one mortgaged to recklessness and regression.
In Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle “DON” the people of Ibadan North have more than a candidate; they have a statesman, a visionary, and a vanguard of their collective destiny. In a season of cheap theatrics and intoxicated ambitions, he stands tall as the sober, serious steward the constituency so desperately needs.