Opinion

From Ejigbo to the National Stage: The Humble Rise of a Reluctant Politician

Published

9 months ago

October 23, 2025

Chigozin Obinna

Miftau Adebowale

Senator Mudashiru Husain Osun 2026 bid reflects humility, loyalty, and progressive ideals shaped by decades of disciplined public service and integrity

Chronicle I reflecting on Distinguished Senator Mudashiru Husain’s lifetime of purpose, humility, and service as he turns 70.

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There are men who chase power, and there are those whom power quietly finds. Senator Mudashiru Oyetunde Husain belongs to the second kind being a man whose life has been defined not by ambition, but by purpose.

From the quiet streets of Ejigbo in Osun State to the hallowed chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, his life trajectory exemplifies an account of discipline, faith, and service.

Born on October 25, 1955, in the ancient town of Ejigbo, Husain’s formative years were shaped by modesty, education, and a deeply moral upbringing. His early teachers would later recall him as “the boy who always listened before he spoke,” a habit that would follow him into adulthood, and into politics.

Husain, a polyglot who speaks English, French, Arabic, and Yoruba with equal fluency, depicts a rare blend of intellect and humility.

His academic sojourn through the University of Lagos, where he obtained both a Bachelor’s Degree and Diploma in French, and later the Institute of Legislative Studies, Abuja, where he bagged a Master’s degree in Legislative Studies, was that of a quiet brilliance rather than flamboyance.

The Calling of Public Service: An Inspiration from US Clinton to M.K.O Abiola

Husain’s entry into politics was never the product of personal craving. It was a natural extension of his desire to serve.

While in the United States, during the Clinton administration, he got indoctrinated with the ideals of democracy through his active involvement in the Democratic Party.

Those years abroad instilled in him a belief that governance must reflect the people’s pulse implying that democracy is hollow if it lacks empathy.

Inspired by the democratic movement of Chief MKO Abiola in 1993, he returned to Nigeria with a conviction to serve.

He joined the progressive fold, starting with the Alliance for Democracy (AD), then Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and ultimately the All Progressives Congress (APC), remaining steadfast as the ideological spine of the progressive movement. “I have been in the progressive party because they have the people’s mandate at heart,” he once said, summarizing his lifelong political loyalty in a single sentence.

Lagos: The Training Ground Under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s Tutelage

The first major political test of his career came in 1999, when he contested and won a seat in the House of Representatives, representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I of Lagos State through the mentorship of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a state known for its tough politics, Husain’s calm, measured approach to leadership stood out. For eight years, he was not merely a lawmaker; he was a reformer.

His legislative interventions on education, foreign affairs, and national development reflected deep service, scholarship and foresight.

He was a bridge-builder between communities, known for never missing a plenary debate and for mentoring younger lawmakers.

His time in Lagos politics gave him the grounding, network, and national visibility that would later shape his journey back home to Osun.

The Homecoming to Osun: Mandate to Install Progressive Leadership

Still under the guidance of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Husain alongside Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had the course to return to Osun State towards the prelude of 2007 gubernatorial election with a view to returning Osun to the progressive leadership.

As a torchbearer of the progressive tendency, Husain never for once looked back in the struggle which later metamorphosed into victory in November 2010 leading to the emergency of Ogbeni Aregbesola as the governor of Osun State.

In 2011, when the people of Osun West Senatorial District sought a new voice as one rooted in credibility and compassion, they turned to Husain.

His senatorial tenure (2011–2015) became a benchmark for people-driven representation. He approached governance not as an entitlement but as stewardship.

Across ten local governments, he facilitated over 30 transformers, 200 solar streetlights, classroom projects, and community boreholes.

He empowered youths, supported education through WAEC and JAMB sponsorships, and connected many to employment in federal agencies.

For Husain, representation was not about speeches in Abuja but about visible change in the villages of Iwo, Ejigbo, Ede, Ikire and beyond. Constituents fondly remember him as “the senator who came home with results, not promises.”

A Man the People Trust

Even after his tenure in the Senate, his service continued at the National Population Commission (NPC), where he served as Federal Commissioner for Osun State (2018–2023). There, his leadership once again found expression in youth empowerment.

Nearly 3,000 Osun youths participated in the Enumeration Area Demarcation and census planning exercises he led. Many of them still attribute their first exposure to public service to Senator Husain’s open-door policy.

His leadership philosophy has remained consistent over the years: politics without bitterness, loyalty without bondage, and service without self-praise.

With this, he continues to earn the respect of both the old and young for his soft-spoken courage and the quiet dignity with which he carries political influence.

Osun 2026: A Humble Path Toward a Higher Purpose

Today, as a governorship aspirant under the APC, Senator Mudashiru Husain is once again at the intersection of history, seeking not just to win an election but to once again, return the state to progressive leadership like it was done back then in 2007, align Osun to the Renewed Hope of the centre ably administered by his mentor, President Bola Tinubu and to restore the essence of progressive governance in Osun through his Irorun Dé Agenda.

His political journey from Ejigbo to Lagos, and from the House of Representatives to the Senate, is not one of conquest but of calling – a lifelong conviction exemplifying that politics can still be noble, leadership can still be humane, and progress can still have a soul.

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At 70, he stands not as a tired statesman but as a torchbearer of a new dawn; the calm force and respected unifier Osun needs for true stability, growth, and ease.

Related Topics:APC featured Governance Leadership Osun 2026 Senator Mudashiru Husain

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Opinion

Seven prime ministers in a decade: What Nigeria can learn from Britain’s chaos

Published

1 week ago

July 2, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Dr Toju Ogbe,

The resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, less than two years after leading the Labour Party to a landslide electoral victory, was dramatic, yet reflected a pattern we have become familiar with in recent British politics.

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Starmer now joins a procession of fallen prime ministers stretching back to 2016 – from David Cameron to Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.

None of these prime ministers was ousted through military intervention, popular insurrection, or a court order. Rather, each was ultimately brought down by the same political system that elevated them to electoral glory.

To the casual observer, the rapid turnover of British Prime Ministers in the last decade may appear chaotic, or even a symptom of political instability. Some argue that the British electorate has become ungovernable.

However, beneath the apparent chaos at Westminster lies an uncomfortable truth that African democracies would do well to examine, particularly Nigerians who wonder why our democracy has delivered so little despite almost three decades of uninterrupted civilian rule.

The turbulence of British politics over the last decade, presents an important lesson on democratic accountability beyond successful elections.

Once the prime minister is deemed a liability by their own political party, the mechanics of accountability are activated. The daggers are quietly drawn and the ruthless pressure to resign begins.

Every poll and survey on public opinion is closely monitored, local election results are taken as a referendum on leadership. Cabinet resignations begin to gain momentum and backbenchers get restless.

Once the news media smells an internal uprising, they amplify scrutiny of the prime minister, subjecting every move – speech, public appearance, political misstep etc to relentless examination.

Pressure gradually mounts until the prospect of bitter internal leadership challenge becomes impossible to resist. The Prime Minister falls.

For every British Prime Minister, winning an election is merely the beginning of examination, not the end. Political survival lasts only for as long as the prime minister maintains the confidence of his party and the parliament.

This is the muscle of British democratic accountability; a political culture that prioritises institutional survival over individual ambition. Starmer recognised this reality in his resignation speech:

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

That closing sentence alone is a masterclass in British institutional democracy. The party spoke. The leader listened. The correction comes from within.

Nigeria presents a strikingly different political logic.

Nigeria on the other hand, presents an interesting contrast with a different political logic and culture.

The notion that a governing party would overtly interrogate the performance of its own leader and engineer a transition to someone better equipped to maintain public confidence, is in most cases politically unthinkable in Nigeria.

Political parties in Nigeria do not coalesce around ideological principles; rather, they operate more as electoral instruments organised around powerful individuals.

Internal dissent is often dealt with as betrayals rather than as part of healthy democratic engagement. Godfatherism and transactional loyalties shape political succession and leadership retention.

Once elected in Nigeria, there is an inherent assumption that a governor or president has a fixed two-term lease on power.

While 10 Downing Street is preparing to welcome its seventh Prime Minister in a decade, Nigeria, in contrast, has had only two democratically elected presidents during the same period – one of whom is still serving.

Social and economic conditions may deteriorate. Insecurity may worsen. Campaign promises may be ignored.

Public frustrations may become unbearable. Yet, incumbent governors and presidents often remain insulated from meaningful internal scrutiny and are even routinely anointed as ‘consensus’ candidate for second terms provided loyalties to godfathers, rather than the electorates are maintained.

The consequence is that loyalty, instead of performance is often rewarded at the expense of accountability.

This is not an argument for a revolving door at Aso Rock, as frequent leadership changes, by themselves, do not guarantee good governance.

Rather it is a case for making accountability an integral aspect of party politics in Nigeria.

Although the Nigerian presidential system provides for a fixed four-year term regardless of party confidence, political parties should however, be more than instruments for election campaigns, activated to simply retain or take over power every four years.

Electoral victory, should not be the ultimate goal, but the starting point of public service where democratic legitimacy must be continuously earned.

Equally important, political parties must develop the institutional maturity to honestly evaluate their own leaders. They must prioritise public interest and institutional credibility over loyalty to ‘Godfathers’.

The ultimate lesson from Westminster’s revolving door is clear: the true strength of a democratic system, lies not in the ability to produce leaders, but the capacity to effectively replace them, when they no longer command confidence.

Protecting failing leaders from accountability weakens democracy and political parties must ensure that no leader is more powerful than the institution.

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As political parties gear up for the 2027 general elections, the political class must decide what matters more: we can continue to reward blind loyalty and endure predictable decline, or discover the courage to demand accountability from those who seek to lead us.