Ibadan elite divided over dep gov - We have no hand in it - CCII
IBADAN elite in Oyo State are said to be sharply divided on the choice of the deputy governor even as Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu has insisted on having his personal assistant, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, as the state’s number two citizen.


Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered that despite the intervention of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the matter and his advice on the need to have a technocrat as Akala’s deputy, Alhaji Adedibu has insisted on foisting his personal assistant on the state.


Sources revealed to the Nigerian Tribune that Governor Alao-Akala had earlier disclosed to some elders and leaders of the party that he was leaving the choice of his deputy to the party.


The disposition of Alao-Akala on the choice of his deputy, it was further gathered, had caused the delay in the announcement of the deputy governor.


According to a chieftain of the party who spoke on condition of anonymity, “some elders and leaders in Ibadan met on Tuesday at the residence of a religious leader to decide on the choice of the deputy governor which has been zoned to Ibadan.


The meeting, it was further gathered, generated a heated debate on Alhaji Adedibu’s stance on having his personal assistant sworn in as the deputy governor.


The argument said to have been put forward to Alhaji Adedibu was the need to have an experienced, acceptable and educated person to pair with Akala.


They also argued that “in case of death, resignation and impeachment of the governor, Gbolarumi as the deputy governor will not have the charisma, experience, education, comportment and acceptance of the people as the governor because of his level of education.”


The meeting, was said to have ended without arriving at the choice of who to be named as the deputy governor, while as at press time, sources close to the Molete home of Alhaji Adedibu told the Nigerian Tribune that “Baba is still insisting on having Gbolarumi in office as the deputy governor.


It was further gathered that when the name of Hon. Taofeek Arapaja was mentioned as the likely successor in view of his experience as two time local government chairman, Alhaji Adedibu was said to have informed the gathering that Arapaja was almost on the verge of serving out his four-year term in the House of Representatives and having him as the deputy governor would mean the party will have to face another bye-election to fill the position.


Meanwhile, after only a week in office, Governor Alao-Akala looks set to incur the wrath of Alhaji Adedibu, as he was said to have turned down the requests of the strongman of Ibadan politics thrice.


Party sources who asked not to be named told the Nigerian Tribune that the eight-day old governor had turned down the demand of Alhaji Adedibu to release the detained former chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (Tokyo), who is currently detained at the Agodi Prison, Ibadan, over an alleged murder case in Ogbomoso.


Governor Alao-Akala was quoted to have said that “Tokyo’s case is a judicial process which a governor could not interfere in”. Apart from this, the Nigerian Tribune also learnt that the request of the PDP chieftain to Akala to remove the democratically elected local government chairmen in the state and replace them with some caretakers who had been pencilled in by the Adedibu group, was refused by the governor who said that “they are democratically elected and the state House of Assembly has given them the duration of three years to complete their term.”


Chief Adedibu, the Nigerian Tribune learnt, had also queried the governor for appointing a non-indigene of the state as his Special Adviser. The appointment of the aides, Akala said, was personal to him which could be done with his own discretion.


According to Akala, “I think I have the authority to choose anybody I trust as a personal assistant or special adviser, but the House of Assembly on the recommendation of the leaders of the party would need to screen and approve the list of the commissioners and the deputy governor.”


Also, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) has reacted to insinuations that it is taking sides on the situation in Oyo State. In a statement entitled: Ladoja/Adedibu face-off: where we stand, the CCII said it observed the various misrepresentation of its role in the face-off between Senator Ladoja and Chief Lamidi Adedibu.


It, however, declared that it did not and will not take sides on the issue. Meanwhile, confusion and drama rocked the House of Representatives on Wednesday as a majority of lawmakers resisted the attempts of an anti-Ladoja group and the leadership to prevent debate on the motion on Restoration of Rule of Law and Observance of the Constitution in Oyo State.


The development, which led to the session of the House being suspended following long-drawn arguments and rowdiness among members, followed the objection raised by a parliamentarian from Oyo State, Hon. Depo Oyedokun, who was joined by those who shared his views.


Oyedokun had hardly allowed the mover of the motion, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to say a word when he shouted point of order, basing his objection on the House rule (Order 9 rule 5) which forbids the House from entertaining any matter before the court of law.


Though the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Austin Opara, who presided over the plenary session, cautioned him to allow the mover and 16 others to move their motion, soon after the mover finished, Hon. Oyedokun’s contribution sent the House into confusion as it became divided with the shouts of ‘no’ and ‘yes’ renting the air.


As Oyedokun spoke, some members left their seats to exchange words on the floor, while a member also representing Oyo State, Hon. Adegoke, was seen engaging in a combat with Hon. Basir Nadabo who was seen moving around with an anti-Obasanjo poster, on which the word: No to Third Term was superimposed on Obasanjo’s photograph.


The two were, however, immediately separated by colleagues. The deputy speaker, who had a hectic time controlling the House, even with the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, moving around to have friendly handshakes with his colleagues, had to be forced to reverse his earlier ruling to refer the matter to the House Committee on Judiciary.


He took the option of the ruling after listening to opinions of some lawmakers on whether or not to continue with the debate against the backdrop of the submission made by Hon. Oyedokun that the matter could not be discussed because it was before the law court
http://www.tribune.com.ng/190106/news02.htm

Newsupdated: 19 Jan 2006  Tribune.

i don't even know what's going on in oyo state can u guve me more information.

Last week the Governor was impeached, and the deputy governor was confirmed the interim governor. Now the Godfather wants his aid to be the next governor. That's it in a nutshell.

http://www.thenewsng.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=711




Oyo State politics is all about one man: 77 year old Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, a maverick populist and doyen of political thuggery, who lives by his own rules and relies on his own authority.

Despite his limited education and open admission of the crudity of his methods, Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu is warmly received in most political circles. At a recent function in Ibogun, President Olusegun Obasanjo’s village, Adedibu arrived on a white horse. It was an entry meant to show the range of his political influence. And he succeeded, earning instant recognition from Obasanjo. “We appreciate not only your coming, we appreciate your coming in a special style. Chief Adedibu, you have, for a long time, been a force to reckon with in the politics of Ibadan in particular, and Oyo State in general,” Obasanjo drooled.

But the President was not done, adding: “I will just plead with you and others in the mainstream of Oyo State politics, to bear in mind these four items: peace, security, solidarity and loyalty.” For avid watchers of Oyo politics, Obasanjo’s utterance was as much a recognition for Adedibu as a warning to Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the governor of Oyo State who was locked in a supremacy tussle with Adedibu.

Soon, another admission of Adedibu’s influence followed. This time, it was by Dr. Ahmadu Ali, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. “Ibadan is a military garrison. You must obey orders. If you are not going to take orders, don’t join forces. Ladoja should be able to take orders from him (Adedibu),” Ali told a national daily.

Ali’s words re-confirmed that Adedibu was a law unto himself and that the presidency was not averse to forcing an elected governor to be the footmat of his political godfather. And that was how it played out. On 12 January, Ladoja was impeached by 18 out of 32 legislators in the Oyo State House of Assembly. The impeachment was ordered by Adedibu whose influence got Ladoja into office in 2003. The 18 Adedibu lawmakers began the process by suspending 14 of their colleagues loyal to the governor.

Ladoja must have fretted when his former godfather declared: “I put him there and I know how to remove him.” Adedibu also said Ladoja had no justification to complain of his dependence on ‘‘thugs and hoodlums because that was the system that brought the governor into office.’’ Whatever his fears were, Ladoja was willing to dare Adedibu, believing the law would offer a refuge. Beyond the law, the impeached governor also hoped that the intervention of respected politicians and PDP members would calm Adedibu and the presidency. Both hopes were misplaced.

Two days before his impeachment, Ladoja, accompanied by governors in the South West, sought Obasanjo’s intervention. But the President reportedly said he could not intervene because the matter had become a judicial one and he did not want to meddle in affairs of the judiciary. On Wednesday 11 January, Obasanjo went to Ibadan for the 96th birthday of renowned politician, Pa. Emmanuel Alayande. During the event, the octogenarian pleaded with Obasanjo to save Ladoja from Adedibu. Again, he declined and told Alayande to advise the governor to resign.

Ladoja did not, electing to slug it out in court. Not known to obey laws not made by him, Adedibu managed to get his impeachment plan into speed gear. Early last month, his thugs, aided by the police, broke into the Oyo State House of Assembly and the Governor’s Office and destroyed property worth N450,000. The attack paralysed government activities, as civil servants were too scared to go to work. On 28 December, a triumphant Adedibu was on the Osun State Radio, boasting that Ladoja was on his way out of office.

Despite the Adedibu-induced paralysis of government activities and the attendant insecurity in Ibadan, the PDP and the Presidency behaved as if nothing was amiss. By 12 January, Adedibu was ready to push the ejector button. He arranged for security operatives to bar civilians from entering the Oyo State Secretariat, where the 18 pro-impeachment legislators were to consider the report of the panel raised to investigate allegations levelled against Ladoja.

In about 30 minutes, the session was over, as the panel found the governor guilty of nine of the 14 charges brought against him. The panel submitted that he was guilty of illegal diversion of local government funds from excess crude oil proceeds, assaulting lawmakers, undermining their integrity and disregarding separation of powers among others. He was pronounced impeached. It was another triumph for Adedibu, but a rape on due process.

Ladoja’s loyalists had filed two separate suits at the Oyo State High Court contesting the legality of raising an impeachment panel. The first suit was instituted by Ladoja’s counsel, Yusuf Ali (SAN). Ali asked the court to interpret Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution and determine whether the 18 legislators seeking to remove the governor from office had compiled with the section. Although the suit was slated for hearing on 13 January, the 18 lawmakers hurriedly impeached the governor.