“Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt.” – Plautus
There are few burdens heavier than guilt. It bends the back, clouds the mind and, eventually, consumes the man who carries it. Ambassador Taofeeq Arapaja must know that burden well.
Like Ephialtes, the infamous Greek who betrayed the Spartans at Thermopylae by revealing a secret mountain pass to the Persians, Arapaja appears destined to be remembered not for loyalty or honour, but for betrayal. History has never been kind to men who turn against those who lifted them from obscurity. Posterity reserves its harshest judgment for those who bite the very hand that fed them.
Perfidy, it seems, is not an isolated act in Arapaja’s case. It is a recurring pattern. As the saying goes, a leopard cannot change its spots.
His latest political manoeuvres therefore come as no surprise. Those familiar with his history cannot possibly be shocked by his willingness to betray the very man who rescued him from political irrelevance, restored his dignity and gave him a new lease of life through nothing more than goodwill and generosity.
Fortunately, Arapaja lacks the political machinery to pose any meaningful threat to Governor Seyi Makinde. Even within our Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, his political influence is, at best, greatly exaggerated.
To understand today’s events, however, one must first revisit history.
The seeds of Arapaja’s reputation were planted long before now. In 2007, while serving as Deputy Governor under the late Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, tensions between the two men became public knowledge. Many within Oyo’s political establishment watched as Arapaja allegedly sought to outshine and undermine his principal through persistent political manoeuvring and excessive ambition.
The relationship deteriorated badly, culminating in Governor Akala’s refusal to support Arapaja’s ambition to become Nigeria’s ambassador to Jordan and Iran.
It was at that critical moment that salvation reportedly came from an entirely different quarter.
At a meeting held at the Idi-Ishin residence of the late legal luminary, Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN, respected PDP leaders rallied behind Arapaja and supported his nomination. That intervention eventually paved the way for his diplomatic appointment.
The Akinjide family did far more than help secure him an office.
Within PDP circles, it is widely acknowledged that Chief Akinjide’s daughter, herself a former minister, spared no effort to ensure Arapaja enjoyed comfort and prestige whenever he travelled to Abuja. While many party officials settled for modest accommodation, she reportedly insisted he stay at the Transcorp Hilton or Sheraton Hotels during conventions and official engagements.
How did he repay such extraordinary kindness?
With public attacks.
Arapaja would later openly criticise the late Chief Richard Akinjide on national television over the famous “12⅔” constitutional controversy, attempting to diminish the legacy of the very man who had once come to his rescue.
Gratitude, sadly, is a burden some people simply cannot carry.
With every betrayal, the weight grows heavier until conscience itself becomes deformed.
Had Arapaja possessed even the smallest measure of gratitude, he would have remembered the countless acts of kindness extended to him by the Akinjide family. Instead, he chose to disparage their legacy and reportedly made disparaging remarks about the revered Olubadan of Ibadan.
History, however, never forgets.
Which brings us to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Few political benefactors have done more for Taofeeq Arapaja than the current Governor of Oyo State.
It is no longer a matter of speculation within political circles that, following Makinde’s victory in 2019, Arapaja sought the governor’s assistance after reportedly finding himself politically stranded and struggling financially.
According to widely circulated accounts, when Arapaja reportedly faced the embarrassment of losing his Abuja residence because he could no longer meet the financial obligations attached to it, Governor Makinde intervened by purchasing the property for him at a reported cost exceeding ₦500 million. Whether one agrees with such generosity or not, few would deny that it saved a former deputy governor and ambassador from public humiliation.
That singular act restored not merely a roof over his head, but also his dignity.
Governor Makinde also ensured that former governors and deputy governors in Oyo State received long-overdue statutory entitlements, reforms from which Arapaja became a direct beneficiary.
Politically, Makinde did even more.
Despite opposition from influential figures within the PDP, the governor threw his considerable political weight behind Arapaja and ensured he emerged as the party’s National Deputy Chairman (South).
Ironically, many of those who fought his emergence are today among his newfound political companions.
The irony is breathtaking.
Arapaja reportedly resides in a house acquired through Makinde’s generosity, occupies a national office attained largely through Makinde’s political support, poses happily for photographs with APC leaders, then turns around to vilify the very man who resurrected his political career.
That is not merely ingratitude.
It is breathtaking shamelessness.
For those unfamiliar with the background, Arapaja’s disagreement with Governor Makinde reportedly began when his personal governorship ambition failed to align with the governor’s succession vision for Oyo State.
Governor Makinde had publicly indicated that his preferred successor would belong to a younger generation of leaders, between ages 50 – 55. Arapaja, now in his late sixties, reportedly insisted on pursuing the governorship despite that position.
While publicly presenting himself as loyal to the PDP, he allegedly began cultivating relationships elsewhere before eventually aligning with the APC.
To appreciate the scale of Makinde’s goodwill, I recall a personal experience.
Before Arapaja became National Vice Chairman (South-West), Governor Makinde invited me to a meeting at IITA, Ibadan, to discuss supporting his aspiration.
I advised His Excellency against endorsing Arapaja, pointing to concerns about his political history. The governor, however, insisted that his administration should be broad enough to accommodate capable people, even those who had not participated in the struggle that produced the 2019 victory.
I eventually accepted the governor’s reasoning and, at his request, served as Director-General of Arapaja’s campaign.
Ironically, despite that support, Arapaja consistently regarded me as an enemy.
The truth remains that many of us laboured to build the political structure from which Arapaja later benefited. It was from my house we nominated candidates for the House of Assembly and House of Reps and we performed excellently by clearing all positions.
Arapaja only arrived after the struggle had been fought and the victory secured.
This is now his seventh political platform; from APP under Chief Lamidi Adedibu, to the PDP, Accord Party, APC, ADC, back to the PDP and now again to the APC.
Political migration has become his defining ideology.
His latest journey to the APC therefore surprises no one.
After all, even the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the political mentor who nurtured him, was not spared his betrayal.
That history should serve as a warning to his newest political associates.
I challenge Arapaja to demonstrate his political relevance by showcasing the grassroots following he claims to possess.
The APC may believe it has secured a prized political acquisition.
It may soon discover it purchased little more than political baggage.
Let it also be said clearly that Governor Makinde has little reason for regret. Kindness should never be mistaken for weakness. If anything, Makinde demonstrated compassion by giving a politically diminished man another opportunity to serve – alamore eda ni Taofiki.
Whether that generosity was deserved is another matter entirely.
The APC may find temporary value in parading Arapaja simply because he offers an opportunity to irritate Governor Makinde. Beyond that, however, his political worth is negligible.
I state this without hesitation – Taofeeq Arapaja cannot win his own ward.
He is, at best, a political liability.
His politics inspires little enthusiasm because he is widely perceived as aloof, arrogant, self-centred and disconnected from the grassroots. Without Governor Makinde’s intervention, Arapaja would almost certainly have faded into political obscurity years ago.
Instead, he was granted an extraordinary second chance but chose to repay it with betrayal.
History has seen many Ephialtes.
Taofeeq Arapaja is merely another chapter in that long story.
Like every traitor before him, history -not his contemporaries – will deliver the final verdict.
And history is rarely merciful to those who betray their benefactors.
•Dare Adeleke writes from Mapo, Ibadan South East, ward 1.
