Rejoinder to Pelumi Olajengbesi’s Article— Taye Currency’s Were La Fin Wo Werey: A Profound Metaphor from the Struggle of the Olubadan to the Victory of Osun’s People

I read the article with the above-captioned title (“the article”), written by my friend and professional colleague, Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq., last night, and I felt compelled to write this rejoinder for several reasons.

In the article, Pelumi stated that he found Taye Currency’s lyrics of “Were la fin wo werey” (it is madness that we use to respond to or cure madness) at the coronation of his Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan, profound and fitting because the lyrics carried a timeless truth about the Olubadan’s struggles of life and the reward of resilience. He then went ahead to compare the Olubadan’s resilience, struggles and victory with the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State in 2022. He concluded the piece by stating that the people of Osun State would re-elect Senator Ademola Adeleke in 2026, since the opposition lacks values, direction and has nothing to offer other than relying on “intimidation by federal forces and the fantasy of electoral manipulation.”

While I agree with Pelumi that Taye Currency’s choice of “Werey la fin wo werey” was profound and fitting, especially given the political background and struggles of the highly revered Olubadan, I believe that it is an inapt comparison that risks trivialising the revered stool of the Olubadan and the achievements of the Olubadan for him to have compared the Olubadan’s trajectory and emergence with that of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State in 2022.

In case Pelumi is not aware, his Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Liege, Belgium and graduated with a First Class Degree. He is also a polyglot who achieved success in the corporate world before entering politics in 1993. In addition, his Imperial Majesty’s rise in politics was not based on having a deep war chest, but on the strength of his character, his brilliance, humility and genuine connection with the people. Indeed, when his Imperial Majesty got 276,773 votes in the 2011 Governorship election in Oyo State under the banner of the Accord Party, it was based on the strength of his character and not on any vote-buying scheme.

Some of us in Osun State know how Senator Ademola Adeleke emerged as the PDP’s Governorship Candidate in 2018 and 2022, and how the PDP primaries were heavily monetised. The media is also awash with the significant role that vote-buying and electoral manipulation in specific stronghold(s) played in the 2018 and 2022 Governorship elections in Osun State.

I am aware that all thirteen Governorship Aspirants of the APC in Osun State are accomplished professionals and businessmen who have established themselves as leaders in their respective fields. They also have the exposure and capacity to perform excellently as the Governor of Osun State, and any of them will perform better than the current Governor of Osun State, who is more renowned for his dancing prowess than his performance as the Governor.

Furthermore, if the Osun State PDP’s plan for 2026 is to adopt the “Werey la fin wo werey” philosophy, I want to remind them that the leader of the APC in Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (“Omo-Ologo”), is a battle-tested General who has consistently defeated several war-tested Generals on the political battlefield. In addition, the Osun State APC will campaign on the strength of its candidate’s character, their personal achievements, their vision and the need for Osun State to connect directly with the Federal Government so that it can receive many more federal projects in the state. Contrary to Pelumi’s postulations, the Osun State APC does not need to rely on intimidation by federal forces and electoral manipulation to defeat the PDP in 2026, because the PDP of 2026 is a significantly weaker platform than the PDP of 2022, having lost several of its competent and independent-minded members to the APC.

In sum, I urge the members of the PDP who might want to get carried away by Taye Currency’s “Werey la fin wo werey” lyrics to remember that the law is a respecter of no one. Anyone who is found behaving like a “weyrey” during the Osun 2026 campaigns or elections will inevitably find themselves in the proper home for “weyreys”.

A word is enough for the wise.

Faruq Abbas is a dispute resolution lawyer from Afaake, Ejigbo Local Government, Osun State.