Oyo politics Take A New Shape As Ladoja, Akala Teams Up

A feasible gambit? It left the realm of speculation to condense in reality last week, shattering the disbelief of the politically naive, who thought it an impossibility.
Were they not the most foresworn political foes, who at different critical times undid each other in Machiavellian application of the proverbial Yoruba vengeful spirit: “The hen spills my pot of medicine, I crack its eggs”?
That unforgiving temper and lack of spirit of accommodation spelt the doom for both of them at the 2011 governorship polls.
They ran on different platforms and lost to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State. The story of the galling relationship between the two former governors, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, is probably too well known to bear repeating here.
Since Ladoja turned his back on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on whose platform he was elected in 2003 with Akala as his deputy, no one gave his reconciling, let alone working with Akala a chance. But the two politicians shocked the public when they publicly announced they were going into an alliance to fight the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2015 elections.
To this end, they have jointly set up a 14-man panel to work out the modalities of synergetic working relationship between Akala’s faction of the PDP and the Accord Party led by Ladoja. The current rapprochement is, however, still hazy and undefined, with Akala’s strident cry that it did not imply his dumping the PDP for Accord Party (AP) and Ladoja’s insistence not to rejoin the PDP.
Where then is the meeting point and what motive drives either? Answers to these posers wait till the end of one month when the 14-man committee concludes its mandate and comes up with details of how and what drives the alliance.
Although both politicians have only hedged whenever the question comes up, there is no doubt that both still nurse the ambition to run for governorship or other top elective post in the coming dispensation. Observers feel this might create a conflict, which could run aground the new found political friendship, except perhaps Akala defers to Ladoja and runs for the Senate instead, as already being speculated. Implication on Ajimobi’s second term Can the duo upstage Ajimobi in 2015?
There is no doubt that the tag team is formidable enough to cause an upset in future polls in the state. It is noteworthy that the ACN candidate in the 2011 governorship elections defeated the PDP by a marginal vote difference of 420,852 to PDP’s 387,132.
Obviously if the total ballots of PDP and the AP opponent, who scored 275,773 were added together (662,905), Ajimobi would today not have been anywhere near the Government House, Agodi. The governor apparently saw the wisdom that a co-operation between the PDP, which, at the beginning of this dispensation, had 12 and AP that had seven respectively out of the 32-member state House of Assembly could spell trouble for him and his government.
Hence, his decision to forge a pact and alliance with Ladoja. This saw him appointing the opposition party members as commissioners, special advisers, chairmen and members of boards of parastatals as well as conceding the chairmanship and membership of caretaker committees of Lagelu, Ona Ara, Egbeda and Ibadan North East to the AP.
In the parliament, some principal offices, including the deputy speakership were also ceded to the party. But the governor was forced to revoke the alliance about two months ago, sacking all AP appointees in his government, following what he described as incessant and unfair attacks and criticisms of his administration by Ladoja.
He, however, did not have long to wait to be served the consequence of his (rash?) action, with what he dreaded most happening now. Femi Babalola, a political associate of Akala, said of the Ladoja-Akala alliance: “It is good for Oyo State politics and portends good things for the common man. Before, politics in the state has been static, but now, you are going to see live and energized activity.
We don’t need to deceive ourselves we can’t talk about Oyo politics, without Akala and Ladoja. These are the two people that rule Oyo State.
They are the ones that hold the ace and make things happen politically.” Indeed, political watchers note that it is about to rumble in the jungle as the bulls lock horns and it is not unlikely the “greenhorn,” as Ajimobi may be described in comparison to the two, will be worsted. But that supposition may be underrating the political savvy and credits the governor has garnered in the last two years.
Through deft footwork and cordial engagement of the state lawmakers and other critical sectors of the polity, Ajimobi has so far stabilized his government. But more importantly, what is likely to speak loud for him is his performance. There is a general consensus even among opposition members that Ajimobi has raised the bar on issues of governance and delivery of dividends of democracy.
On the other hand, the apparent lackluster tenure and wave of violence and thuggery that the state witnessed under the PDP administration are likely to haunt Ladoja and Akala.
Although in the case of Ladoja, he could not actualize many of his laudable visions and plans for the people of the state, due to the incessant war waged by his erstwhile godfather, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, and the consequent truncation of his rule by his illegal impeachment. This saw him out of power for nearly a year.
His successor, Akala, embarked on enormous projects, which were, however, mired in controversies and criticized for lack of durability. Besides, the people of the state, are not likely to trade the new found peace in the state for the past era of political thuggery and brigandage which saw many lives lost under PDP.
But Ajimobi put to an end to that by banning the activities of motor park touts and strengthening the state security apparatchik. In the light of the image crisis, it has been suggested that these two old rivals stay in the background and sponsor a young and credible candidate to slug it out with Ajimobi.
Those of this opinion note that while their credentials and profiles might help a bit, elective post candidates do not win elections by themselves, but are helped by their backers. According to this school of thought, the late Lam Adesina won the 1999 governorship with the support of the late Chief Bola Ige. Ladoja and Akala themselves were installed through the machination and grassroots mobilization prowess of Adedibu.
They remark that qualified materials abound in the camps of the two politicians who could give Ajimobi a good fight. On Ladoja’s side for instance are Dele Adigun, ex-Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Nureni Adisa, Bayo Lawal, a former commissioner and Adeolu Adeleke, who was a former speaker. Akala’s camp also parades former SUBEB chairman, Prof. Soji Adejumo, Babalola, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, former Sports Minister and Kehinde Olaosebikan, ex-chairman, Oluyole Local Government.
Many of these aides have not hidden their interests to succeed their bosses. However, it may be a mismatch and a risk to put any of them, who are yet to be tested in office against him.
But, given the experience of godfathers with godsons they helped into office, Ladoja and Akala may not be disposed to taking such risk of sponsoring candidates who will turn around to backstab them. Sources note that Ajimobi has his own albatross.
There is an internal rift within the governor’s party, which is not helped by some of his loyalists with whom he moved from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to ACN, who have been trying to alienate members of the mainstream party left by Adesina and now pastured by Chief Michael Koleoso. There is also the challenge of his former opponents such as Senator Femi Lanlehin, who contested the party governorship primary with him 2011 and believed to be still interested in the slot in 2015.
Implications of the alliance on the fortunes of the parties The PDP appears the likely loser in the strategic political realignments in the state, due to the prevailing schism within it. As it is, the Senator Lekan Balogun/Teslim Folarin group, which controls the party executive, is left with the hollow husk of the fruit, with Akala taking the bulk of the party membership to ally with the AP.
The party will be further depleted as the faction loyal to the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Ms. Jumoke Akinjide and Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, has signalled its intention to team up with Ladoja and Akala, with the recent open endorsement of the coalition by the minister. This may spell doom for the gubernatorial ambition of Folarin, who like the bat, is perceived to be neither here nor there and running with the hares while also chasing with the hounds, given his flirtation with the ACN.
His loyalists and those of Balogun are serving in the Ajimobi government as reward for working for the emergence of the governor and scuttling of Akala’s re-election in 2011. The option open to the group, whose strength even in Ibadanland is questionable, is to team up with the ACN as it did in the 2011 polls, to fight the Ladoja/Akala coalition.
On the contrary, the AP which came third in the 2011 elections, is certain to wax stronger and move up the ladder in the coming polls, with the support it is likely to get from Ogbomoso and considerable part of Oke Ogun controlled by Akala. With its ongoing grassroots mobilization and membership drive, it may not be out of place to hazard a guess that AP will retain the four council areas it won and possibly add more out of the available 11 in Ibadan.
The party is daily gaining more grounds as supporters of other political parties including disenchanted members of the ruling party flock to it. Only a month ago, a rally to receive defecting members of the ACN and PDP in Ona Ara Local Government was disrupted by thugs. The AP pointed accusing fingers at the ruling party, which it accused of intolerance and jealousy of its growing popularity. More still, feelers indicate that Ladoja may have forged a similar alliance as he did with Akala, with the Labour Party (LP) in the state.
Sources said he and the party governorship candidate in the last election, Dr. Popoola Adeduntan, have been in talks in the last two weeks on how to join forces ahead of 2015. The LP leader was in fact, sighted at the former governor’s residence last week. 2015: Political brinksmanship as a factor But the movements and overtures for collaboration being made are not restricted to the PDP/AP/LP alone. There are strong indications that Ajimobi has also stepped up moves to woo some PDP chieftains to cross over to ACN.

Daily Sun met a group of PDP chiefs comprising a former speaker, a former member of House of Representatives, a former LG chairman and former commissioner, who also served as the party’s spokesman awaiting the audience of the governor at the Governor’s Office last week.
Sources said they were there to discuss their possible switch to the ACN. With the unfolding strategic mop up drives, it may be a case of half full, half empty for the fortunes of the political parties and their leaders, such that victory may go either way, but with a very narrow margin, as in the last poll.

As a source puts it: Eyi to ba smart ju ninu won lodu e ma kun. (The smartest among them is the one whose platter (Odu) will be full and who will eventually carry the day.)