By Charles Okogene
Honourable Gboyega Aribisogan, the less than six days former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly has come a long way. Like your average Nigerian politician, he has plied his trade in several ways both outside and within the corridors of power.
In spite of all, he became a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly in the second term era of former Governor Ayodele Fayose. He found his way into the hallowed chamber not really on merit, anyway who gets there on merits? But as a compensation for all the unprintable things they did for the then’ lacquicious’ governor. But like they say ‘no conspiracy lasts forever’. It was not long after that he fell out with Fayose who was then playing a spoilers role similar to today’s Nyesom Wike, the present governor of Rivers State.
Later on,when the centre could not hold any longer for him, he went underground according to him to escape assassination by Fayose’s hitmen who were on his trail so he does not vomit what he did and knows about the governor.
On emerging from his hideout at the end of the era of Fayose, he left People’s Democratic Party, PDP and anchored his ‘boat’ with the All Progressives Congress (APC) that was desperate for power, and still, not minding how it got it or the anticedents of characters with which it got the power.
He was offered the ticket to return to the house of assembly from where he was suspended during the governorship of Fayose.
There he was until the death of former speaker Rt. Hon. Olufunminiyi Afuye last month and Aribisogan reared his ugly head again, contested the speakership post and defeated his opponent by 15 votes against 10 .
He was sworn in immediately .
But instead of peace, his election brought about protest, which first led to the closure of the House that now metamorphosed into his impeachment and indefinite suspension at the twilight of the lifetime of the present assembly.
Before his political career, Aribisogan started his working career as a very junior staff at the defunct Lagos Weekend Newspapers, a publication of the equally defunct Daily Times of Nigeria Plc., under the editorship of Chinaka Fynecountry and Sam Ogwa respectively.
While there, he got admission into the Times Journalism Institute (TJI), a training arm of Daily Times of Nigeria situated at Eric Moore, Surulere area of Lagos State.
He obtained a diploma in journalism and as expected, was elevated to the post of a reporter from his former position.’
While a reporter, he met the late Eddy Ayo-Ojo and they did all sorts that they did in the media world during the dark days of General Sani Abacha.
A highly placed member of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s media team will not forget in a hurry the ‘damage’ Aribisogan and Ayo-Ojo did to his company.
Aribisogan profited so much from his relationship with Ayo-Ojo; he bought his first car, a Honda Civic brand as a reporter in the 1990s when some editors could not afford one. Aand since the, he has not looked back.
When Aribisogan left Daily Times he went into publishing a magazine called Oodua Voice and the Democrat, the Democrat was produced and printed in Lagos and circulated exclusively in Ekiti.
However, one thing led to the other, he left the jobs when he became one of the foot soldier’s of Fayose; severally he had invited this writer to one of the press conferences he organised for Fayose in conjunction with Dr. Kunle Solana, who is now the president of BATAM at AY Hotel, Ogba.
Aribisogan is an APC man in PDP robes- hence those who know his background, do not want to hand over the House to him. And as expected it is like thunder wants to strike twice on a spot.
How he handles his impeachment will determine his political future in Ekiti politics.
