CHAPTER TWO
The death of Kehinde Kolapo was a massive blow to the Pentarchs. It would certainly mean two things, either someone was after them or the rival party of PRP must have done it. The Pentarchs decided to confront Chief Ayodele, the chairman of the PRP to get their answers.
For two decades the Pentarchs have been responsible for dictating who rules the state, not until Kolapo suggested one of them to become the state governor. He made the suggestion during one of their exclusive meetings. Prior to this time, the Pentarchs have thrown their support for whosoever the PRP will produce in the election. However, Kolapo pushed for one of them to become the front runner in the gubernatorial election to the utmost surprise of comrades.
"We are kingmakers and the office of the governor is beneath us and whoever emerges governor is subject to our decisions because we made it happen, so why should one of us run for the office?" Paul fired sharply at Kolapo.
"What Kolapo has suggested is strange but also interesting and such we shouldn't rule it out, I think it should be considered. Having our own at the helm of affairs in the state isn't a bad idea after all and what happens if the person we backed up ends turning against us?" Desmond chipped in.
"For 20 years we have successfully overseen four elections which has made us powerful and so I see no need for anyone to turn on the Pentarchs at this time, however if we are all in agreement, we can go with the idea." Abubarkar stated.
"I think we should push Kolapo forward, he has the right credentials for the job and he happens to be the people's man," with this statement from Afolabi the Pentarchs agreed that Kehinde Kolapo should be the next governor of the state.
The Pentarchs had a meeting with Chief Ayodele to relay their intention of throwing their support for Kolapo to become the next governor. Chief Ayodele saw the decision as a difficult task and aired his view on the impact of the decision. "What the Pentarchs is asking is a difficult one but we can make that possible, however I'm concerned on how Tobi Adebayo will receive the news, since everyone has his interest at heart and most of the delegates are pushing for him to become the party's flag bearer." The Pentarchs proposed the office of the Deputy Governor for Tobi and the chairman agreed.
Tobi Adebayo did not take lightly the decision for him to be deputy and insisted on not playing second fiddle role for anyone, it is either the office of the governor or nothing else. He had waited for this moment all his life and worked tirelessly to get here and hence will not allow anyone to snatch it away from him. He insisted on not stepping down for anyone to take his place. Chief Ayodele informed the Pentarchs of Tobi's firm resolve and they decided to reach an agreement with him by paying him off but he declined every offer and would not have any of it, to the provocation of the Pentarchs and they decided to silence him.
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The Nightmen is a ruthless group led by Striker. They're known for their ruthless killings and has become a terror in the state and the government has failed in taming them as every effort to apprehend them ends up unfruitful. For a long time, the Nightmen have been in the service of the Pentarchs, secretly eliminating whomever they pick as an enemy or barrier to achieving their goal. It was the Nightmen that the Pentarchs called to silence Tobi Adebayo.
Sandra has tried several times convincing her husband to take the offers given to him as she is skeptical that something bad may happen to him if he keeps refusing their offer. However, Tobi's firm resolve has provoked the Pentarchs and other members of the party who detest him.
Sandra and Tobi decided to celebrate their marriage anniversary in a grand style at Sandbay hotels. It was a memorable day for the couple as they set out for dinner to mark their anniversary. Unknown to them, they were being tailed.
The evening was a blissful one as the couple had a great time. They were done for the night and was about leaving when the Nightmen struck. Tobi walked side by side with his wife, hands wrapped around her waist. They made their way to their car and like a proper gentleman he opened the door for her to go in. While making a turn to go into the driver's seat, he fell scrambling on the floor. There was an uproar as everyone ran helter skelter trying to take covering. Sandra was helpless as she saw the lifeless body of her husband on the ground with blood ozing from his head.
The news of Tobi's death spread across the state and sent cold shivers down the spine of the citizens. Meanwhile, with Tobi out of the way, Kolapo's position became unchallenged and without any rival, he automatically became the flag bearer of the PRP.
Chief Ayodele treated the Pentarchs to a dinner at Elora Hotel when they reached out to him regarding Kolapo's death. They felt betrayed and postulated that the death of their friend might have been the plan of the party chairman after he has received a large sum of money from them in order to push the motion of Kolapo as the major party candidate. The Pentarchs threatened to kill him if they find out he is responsible for the death of Kolapo. However, Chief Ayodele insisted that the death of Kolapo wasn't his doing and he will ensure he does his best in fishing out who is responsible for the crime.
"Kolapo's death is a big loss to the Pentarchs, the party and as well as the state and I promise I will do whatever that is required of me to uncover the truth behind his death". Chief Ayodele affirmed and went on to propose the Pentarchs fill in someone else as a replacement. The proposal suited them and was a soothing balm to the injury of the Pentarchs, and with that Ade Afolabi was nominated to take Kolapo's place as the candidate of the People's Representative Party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election. The elections came and passed and Afolabi emerged winner and became governor of the state.
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Paul Effiong is a man that nature has dealt harshly with. He lost his parents at age 15 to a car accident. It was a very tough season for him in pulling through the harshness of this world and to add to that, he had to cater for the welfare of his younger brother.
Paul did a lot of menial job in order to raise money for upkeep for him and his brother. His hardwork paid off when he came in contact with Don Kingsley, a business tycoon who invests in potential companies and also help struggling businesses get back on their feet. He is a well known business man and has a lot of shares in numerous firms. With his support, Paul ventured into the furniture business and with time his business expanded and grew across borders. It soon became a household name and Paul skyrocketed as one of the biggest shareholders in the country and marked a place among the society's elites in the business sector. It wad during one of the business summit that he came in contact with Abubarkar Mohammed, the nation's richest man.
Abubarkar Mohammed was so much invested with the idea of changing the narrative in the political sector and his thirst for expansion made him to seek for means to secure political control and not just economical power. It was the motive that drove him to start recruiting power holders like him in the business world, that also want to gain control of the affairs of the state beyond economical influence. With Paul's skyrocketing growth in the business world, he fell into the radar of Abubarkar who didn't mince words immediately he met with the young fish.
Paul was very elated that the likes of Abubarkar could pick an interest in him and he didn't need much convincing from Abubarkar before agreeing to be part of the Pentarchs. His drive which was also inspired by his lust for fame and wealth was another winning point for him and that was how Paul became a part of the Pentarchs.
Abubarkar Mohammed has earned himself a name for being the most influential man in the nation and commands a high level of economic and political power. Known for his business acumen, he is a major shareholder in top establishments. His fame and wealth made him an icon in the business world and he soon became the model of operation for others to follow. He has always been a goal getter and the more he grew and expanded, the more power he longed to acquire. Driven by his ambition, he decided to spearhead the founding of the Pentarch Circle, an order of five powerful men who commands influence and will rise to have total control over the state political affairs.
Popular opinion holds that life is like two sides of a coin, with postive outcomes on the one hand and the negatives on the other. If there is a man who have had a fair share of life's troubles, that should be Adedayo Afolabi. Born into wealth, Afolabi had everythatg he desired in his disposal. His father, Adedayo Snr ensured his only son and child lacked nothing and sent him to the best of schools where he picked an interest in politics.
However, tragedy struck while he was in his final year in college.
Adedayo has been preparing for his final semester examination in high spirit and has envisioned how proud his father will be after seeing him graduate with first class honors in political science. That fateful morning he was going about his routine just like every other day when he received a call from his Dean. Such calls were rare and only happens when his father has sent a package for him to pick up from the Dean and it was barely two days when his father called last.
His mind roamed in different direction as he tried to decipher the reason for the call. The Dean's tone even left him wondering the more. It was cold and he muttered just few lines which was unlike him. "Ade, please come to the office now" these were the exact words of the Dean in a very cold manner.
Adedayo tried to think of several reasons that could warrant such a cold response from the Dean but his mind couldn't find peace in any of the options, or was it that his dad must have met with an accident?" No! It can't be, he immediately rebuked himself for having such a thought. Well, there is only one way to find out, he finally concluded and dressed up to go see the Dean.
When he got to the Dean's office, he nervously knocked and didn't have to wait for long as he heard the voice of the Dean beckoning him to come in.
"How are you doing today?" The Dean asked peering into Ade's eyes. "I was doing very fine until your call came in" Adedayo replied. "Why is that so?" The Dean asked inquisitively. "Your call made me nervous as I couldn't fathom the reason and besides I'm not expecting any present from my dad, it's barely three days since he called last" Adedayo responded.
"Well, you're wrong," the Dean proceeded, "your father actually sent a package and not just a package but a letter as well." Adedayo was surprised and on the Dean's signal, he proceeded to open the packages and then the letter.
The Dean didn't know how to hide the news from the young boy any longer and finally let the cat out of the bag. "Ade, I'm so sorry, your father was met with an accident yesterday evening and he passed on this morning. He was admitted to the hospital after the accident but his body failed to respond to treatment. He passed on afterwards and that was why the presents were delivered and do well to pay attention to the letter, those were your father's words before his final breath."
The Dean's voice trailed after he said Adedayo Snr had an accident, Ade struggled to process the gravity of those words and stood terrified, his hands shook as he tried tearing the envelope, tears running from his eyes like a waterfall, he feared the worst to have happened and blamed himself for assuming his father dead just by a mere call. To him, his world has crashed and he can't withstand facing the pressures of life without his father by his side. Like the rush of a mighty wind, everyone ran to Adedayo's direction to pull him up.
After an interval of two hours, Adedayo regained consciousness. He was surprised to find himself in the college clinicals. Adedayo tried processing the events that took place and remembered the sorrowful news of his father's passing and wished it was a dream that never materialized.
Adedayo Snr had met with an accident on his trip to the outskirts of the town to seal a deal he had with one of his clients, and was rushed to the hospital immediately the accident occurred. He realized he won't survive the accident, and spent his last minutes drafting a letter to his son and ordering for those presents to be delivered to him before breathing his last.
Adedayo was left with a great deal of wealth to manage. It was unbearable for him and the incident reminded him of the scar his mother's death left in his heart just a year before. He wore the grief like a trophy and struggled to move on. With the exam schedule drawing near, Kolapo couldn't stand his friend's wearisome look and decided to take up the challenge of helping him pass through the phase and heal from the wound caused by the loss of his parents.
Kolapo and Adedayo met in their second year during the Students Representative Elections. They were both running for the office of the President. The both parties did all they could and brought their A-game to the table to ensure they win the election. It was indeed an interesting one and Adedayo emerged victorious, with a little margin setting him apart from his nearest rival, Kolapo.
The election cemented their friendship ties and they bonded like glue. Interesting to find out was the fact that they both share common values and similarities.
Kolapo has so much liking for politics but it has never been his greatest strength. Before losing out to Adedayo, he had previously contested and lost in spite of the level of influence he commands on campus. After school, he joined the People's Representative Party and with his money he was able to buy favours for himself and ended up representing the party in several portfolios but failed to win any.
When he saw that all his efforts weren't bearing much fruit, he retired from politics and became a philanthropist. It was his charitable deeds that earned him the title of the "people's man."
Kolapo was stinking rich and was referred to as bastard billionaire. He amassed great amount of money for himself through legal and illegal means. Behind his back, they call him the sly snake due to how scrupulous he was in his illegal deals to the extent that he was never apprehended. Just like his bosom friend, he also had his fair share of life's troubles. Unlike Adedayo, Kolapo wasn't born into wealth but he knew how to pick the left overs and turn them into gold. His greatest asset was identifying his disadvantages and turning them to his strengths to carve out more money and cave ways for himself.
Abubarkar Mohammed had spent enough time critically studying these individuals and he was able to pinpoint their interests and how being part of the Pentarchs can give them what they've been yearning for. For Kolapo, he took time to observe his political woes and his deep interest in running for the state governorship election and that was the game-changer in convincing Kolapo to be part of the Pentarchs, and through him it became easier for Abubarkar to penetrate and lure Adedayo as well.
Kolapo who had closed the political window of his life saw himself dreaming once more to become governor of the state. He had everything under control and things were running as planned with the help of the Pentarchs. His desire to be governor was almost accomplished until the night of his murder, and in his place Adedayo stepped in and filled the vacuum.
For the members of the Pentarchs if there was any not worth being in the circle, then it is Desmond Okafor. Born into nothing, he rose to the top using his sharp wits and high IQ. Fondly called the Tortoise, an animal known for its craftiness in the African folklore. He knew how to maneuver the outcomes to favour him and was an expert in manipulating others to do his bidding.
He wasn't as rich as any member of the Circle but his sharp mind was his biggest tool and he used it diligently in striking a place in the hearts of people and that set him on edge above the others.
That mind of his was what made Abubarkar fall for him, the business tycoon had confessed when the others asked why he recruited Desmond. His hunger for power and wealth drove him into different ventures but never met his expectation. His drive was fueled by the anger of playing second fiddle to his older brother, Godwin and he wanted something of his own.
Abubarkar might have been responsible for the bringing of the individuals together to establish the Pentarchs but the birthing idea screams Desmond and he deserves the accolade. This remained a treasured secret between the two power horses; Abubarkar Mohammed and Desmond Okafor.