RITUAL OATH TAKING AND THE BARBARIC POLITICS OF DESPERATION- THE CASE OF OGUN STATE By PROF. YEMI OKE, SAN

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*Background*:
All seems not to be well with my dear Gateway State, Ogun State. Ours is a State reputed for civilization and informed, knowledge-based politicking and leadership. However, in recent times, we seem to have been mis-handled as a State to have descended into the abyss of the worst forms of politicking and senselessly shameless political maneuverings. These debased acts now manifest in the forms of ill-conceived “suspension” of notable political personalities, and lately (the alleged) barbaric, retrogressive, desperate recourse to ritualistic tendencies such as “ritual oath” taking and sundry despicable acts including playing politics with extreme, unthinkable venoms.
*Futility of Ritual Oath Taking:*
Born and grew up at No. 89, Itoko Road, Arinlese, Abeokuta from where I proudly proceeded to the Law Faculty of Law in Unilorin before the fortune of funded postgraduate LL.M and PhD off-shore in Ontario, Canada, I know enough, as a proud ITOKO BOY, to convincingly declare that resort to ritual oath taking is a waste of time. As we say in Ogun State, and the connoted name of the State, “Ogun- o gun’gann” (rituals and juju are endlessly elastic). In Egbaland, we often joke that the source for antidotes to escape being hit by “bullets” is the same source for shooting to target- ibi ti won ti n se aye’ta, ibe ni won tin se “ata-matase”.
In my early days of political exposure under my late Uncle, the popular Chief Mufutau Osayemi (Baba-Oja, one of the god fathers to a good number of political actors in Ogun State, including the State Chairman of a ruling party), then in the UPN, NRC, UNCP, PDP, and the rest before jetting out for further studies, my Uncle would routinely encourage people to come and submit to ritual oaths of those desperate politicians. He encouraged them to take monies from these desperate politicians seeking ritual-oath-taking in exchange for misplaced, underserved loyalty or votes.
After the “ritual oath”, he routinely took them to somewhere within our extensive compound to neutralise and counter. The rest is for you to imagine or assume- if you know, you know!
Assuming without conceding that some mindless politicians have resorted to ritual oath-taking to coarse people into supporting them or their clandestine political mission, they should be advised that such are efforts in obvious futility. Not only do their ritual oath-takings lack any potency, our ancestors did not die with the antidotes to ward-off and neutralise whatever is left of the imaginary potency (if any) of their misplaced ritual oaths.
This is OGUN STATE, and “ooo’gun” can never be in short supplies anywhere in the State, from Egba, Yewa-Awori, Eegun, Ijebu, Remo, An’ago, etc, particularly for those who prefer indigenous traditional practices for succor or as alternatives.
*How Not to Play Politics in Ogun State*
No one owns or could claim to “own” Ogun State. It is most abhorring and exasperating for some ill-educated, political opportunists to assume that our Ogun State is up for grabs, to be added as an extension of their “assets” which have just been rescued from corporate insolvencies. For the records, no amount of ritual oath taking, intimidation by way of (alleged suspensions) or other acts of desperations can change the obvious in terms of anticipated political equations in Ogun State, come 2027 elections. *NO ONE STOPS A MOVING TRAIN!*
Those ex-bankers, former deal-arrangers at PwC, (and KPMG, my alma mata) and their allies now turned “emergency politicians” or political leaders or “abores” in ritual oath administration seem to be suffering the delusional, wooly effects of power that they never truly possess. The real owners of Ogun State will surely teach them bitter lessons in civility. Gladly, they are counting down – no thanks to the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies that spilled the beans on the moves as ro some State Governors and their “allies” funneling peoples’ resources to acquire assets in Banana Island and elsewhere, in addition to land-grabbing of choicest lands in Ogun State, particularly in Egbaland. Their days seem numbred, and we’re helping them to count-down!
*Defiling the Incumbency:*
The current incumbency in Ogun State is feeble and without noticeable solid power or support base. We know where everyone belongs! Recourse to witch-hunting of perceived opponents by “suspension” or resorting to coercive ritual-oath taking are manifestations of weaknesses and lack of peoples’ support. You don’t force loyalty. Ogun State people have never allowed themselves to be muscled-down by misplaced power of incumbency.
For the records, no former State Governor has been able to install his or her successor in Ogun State. The story will not change, and is not about to change this time around. Those business advisers and bankers-turned emergency politicians deploying myopic political tactics should wait for “better-tactics”. *OGUN STATE IS NOT THE PROPERTY OF ANYBODY’S FATHER OR MOTHER!*
*Conclusion:*
Gateway State has had the misfortune of a not-too-progressive political leadership in the last couple of years. We could have done better. The truth is that any political power attempting to undermine the wishes and/or desires of the majority will be met with potent, vehement and determined resistance of Ogun People- the elite, the intellectuals, the political, the international, the business leaders, and traditional conglomeration of the real Ogun forces!
Those living on false hopes and misplaced political permutations ahead of the 2026-2027 political year should be well-guided. *OGUN FORCES* will be out in full force to repel the wandering, desperate “abores”. Ogun State belongs to all of us!
God bless Ogun State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
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*PROF. YEMI OKE, SAN, PhD, FCArb, FCTI*
September 8, 2025