Hon. Mojisola Alli-Macaulay of the APC defeated Hon. Dipo Olorunrinu of the PDP by about 300 votes (7,407 to 7,129) to win her seat in the LSHA representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1.

Dipo's story is one I know, worth recounting for people intending to go into politics.

The 2015 wave that took the country was supposed to work in reverse in Lagos and managed to sweep 8 PDP members into the LSHA out of a total 40 members:

Akeem Bello, Mosunmola Sangodara, Olusola Sokunle, Jude Idimogu, Dayo Famakinwa, Fatai Oluwa and Victor Akande and Dipo.

One by one, every one of them defected. Rumour was that once you defected, several millions would be paid to you for the 2017 LGA election mobilisation and in February, six defected, followed by the last person about a week before the election.

Dipo, the youngest, stood alone.

Some days before that LGA election, Dipo was once again offered the chance to defect and receive the so-called LGA mobilisation funds - in tens of millions, he again rejected the offer.

And then went into his office bathroom and shed tears.

But he stood firm, did not defect.

A particular chieftain in his own party called him after hearing the offer and literally accused Dipo of being mad.

Dipo explained that it would amount to a betrayal of his party and it'll put young persons in politics in a worse light - he assured Baba that he wasn't mad.

In the months that followed, Dipo was under great pressure in the House of Assembly - rarely recognised to contribute, denied the office of Minority Leader which would have made him one of the principal officers and thugs were sent to intimidate him physically.

Dipo did not defect but he found very little support from the media, from young people and constituents were ever demanding stomach infrastructure.

To make matters worse, even his party became divided and some factions were working against him - still, he kept pushing.

By the time election came in 2019, the wave had ended and the ruling party was determined to consolidate its hold on Lagos.

Dipo had defeated Sultan Adeniji in 2015 by 13,580 to 12,010 votes.

The combined votes in 2019 was only marginally above his own individual vote of 2015.

The system punishes you when you refuse to capitulate and Dipo was punished.

A lot of ethnic accusations also came in - some Yorubas in his area accused him of being too close to the Igbos - and his opponents amplified this greatly.

He lost that election but did he lose out?

Dipo finally joined the ruling party after he lost that election - I didn't bother to encourage him to stay steadfast anymore: too much was at stake this time and he would have no office to fight back with or resist being consumed.

The system got him; I hope only temporarily.

A case had been raised against him previously surrounding the ownership of licenced firearms - if he had refused to join the ruling party, not only would he have lost all his financial entitlement as a former House member but probably be jailed as an example to all who resist.

The party he belonged to was a party that the media and much of the so-called intelligentsia and reformers love to hate - it was a battle he could barely win but he fought hard till the bitter end.

He fought hard, he fought alone.

I know his story because he shared it with me: his wife and mine had been childhood friends we later discovered.

The lesson here I guess are many but two major points I want to reiterate:

Revolutionary waves always birth something, but those who carry it will carry it alone.

You will shed tears at your own foolishness - hear things that you cannot shout publicly about. Demand for blind support from followers to trust only that you know what you're doing when they can not see what you're doing.

Long after the wave, you will nurture the birth alone.

I should mention my aburo @MrTomide - MHA in Ondo, also walking the path alone presently.

Suspended from the House of Assembly for refusing to capitulate to the whims of the ruling party: do you see hashtags for him?

It's his cross anyway - just telling you what to expect.

Humans are more triggered to be outraged at bad behaviour than to reward or point out good behaviour - unless our friends are involved.

This wave will birth future political leaders - and they have both my heartfelt sympathies and my hearty congratulations.