Soname’s Political Travails. 

Hon Kunle Soname started his love for politics as a Students’ Union parliamentarian, at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he met his friend Alhaji Afolabi Adekitan Bamisile Kazeem, both students of the same faculty.

After school, he aligned with Hon Remi Lawal, and many others to set up the Sonaike forum which supported the first Chairman of Kosofe local government, in 1999, Barrister Tunde Braimoh and also supported to vote-in all the Alliance for Democracy candidates at all levels, including the Governor of Lagos state in 1999, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Soname was nominated by his forum members for the position of the Secretary to the Local Government (SLG) of Kosofe, while Braimoh was chairman but that dream didn’t come to pass.

After letting-go of the SLG position, Soname re-strategized, he formed alliance with Justice Forum members, in person of prominent leaders like Pa Oyedele, Hon Busayo Adebayo, Hon Jibayo Adeyeye, ABK, Hon Yetunde Arobieke, Prince Rotimi Agunsoye,  Tunde Temionu, Muyiwa Adedeji, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Hon. Dotun Animashaun, Late Adeleke Balogun, Abiodun Akhigbe, and many others who were all under the tutelage of Otunba Bushura Alebiosu. Though, we had the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation (BATCO) movement led by Princess Bola Kazeem, as well as the Pathfinder group led by Owokoniran that has Baba Ganiu Muraina, K.K Eleshin and Alhaja Sonowo and many others.

In 2001, Soname joined the race to succeed Tunde Braimoh, as the Kosofe LGA chairman,  but as fate will have it, the LG was divided into 3, the main LGA and 2 LCDAs (Agboyi-Ketu and Ikosi-Isheri LCDAs). He emerged the first Executive Secretary of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, while late Abdulfatai Oyesanya and late Idanrege were members of the caretaker committee, he was later rewarded with the substantive chairmanship tenure of the council, after a productive administration as caretaker. His double tenure ended in 2011.

While in office as chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, he displayed his administrative prowess by executing projects without borrowing a dime or incurring debts, thereby exploiting the internally generated revenue, to build the administrative block among other things within short period.

Soname’s leadership style and prudence during difficult moments, especially, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo, decided to seize the funds for local government administration in Lagos state, earned him the name ‘Alaga tio jegbese’, meaning the council chairman who didn’t incur debt, and Alaga tio mu Ole.

After a successful tenure, he ventured into business and God rewarded him bountifully and he thrived in businesses he has ventured into. He is the chairman of KC gaming, as well as Velue Jet, a betting and an airline company, respectively.

He has been offered several appointments after completing his tenure as chairman, but he insisted he has left the space for others who also laboured politically.

Adekunle Oluwaseyi Soname is an accomplished politician who left the political scene for others at the age of 45.