Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, disclosed that former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasidi Ladoja, turned down his request to reconcile a rift between him, Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Chief Yekeen Adeojo.
It was gathered that late Chief Adedibu masterminded the removal of Ladoja as Governor of Oyo State in 2006.
But, Obasanjo while speaking in Ibadan, said that all efforts made by him to reconcile Ladoja, Adedibu and Adeojo proved abortive.
Obasanjo disclosed that Ladoja was ungrateful to the duo of his late political leader, Adedibu and Adeojo for not accommodating them after his emergence as the governor of Oyo State
Obasanjo noted that all his attempts to reconcile Ladoja with the duo fell on deaf ears which the latter paid heavily for it
The former President spoke during the launching of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala’s book, entitled “Amazing Grace”, held at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan.
Present at the event included, Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Oyo State deputy Governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, Senator Fatai Buhari, Senator Teslim Folarin, 2019 APC guber candidates in Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
Others are Minister of Youth and Sport, Mr. Sunday Dare, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Chief Niyi Akintola, Alhaja Abosede Adedibu, Hon. Akeem Adeyemi Former AIG Tunji Alapinin.
Obasanjo while speaking, said, “You pointed out on page 140 that Ladoja picked up a quarrel with me for reason of a non-existent third term. I didn’t know that Ladoja picked up a quarrel that his becoming governor was due to the grace of God and major contributions of two people- Yekinni
“I pleaded with him to make accommodation for them both. He told me that they were all Ibadan people and they knew how to deal with themselves. He subsequently proved himself right as they dealt with themselves and he, Ladoja, came out the worse for it”.
Alao-Akala, while speaking, noted that he was a product of grace penciled in the hands of the creator who drew the picture of whom he become today, adding that God brought him from junctures where many who had great and greater hope of tomorrow fell.
He pointed out that the title of his autobiography, “Amazing Grace”, was not a happenstance, but rather an audacity of providence to bring him out of the dungeon of a hopeless tomorrow into the fulfilment of a life.
Akala said, “I call this history making, not strictly for any other reason but for it’s fulfilment of my long anticipated desire to codify how the tragic death of my father in a road accident in 1952 single-handedly threatened to swamp my dream of getting to the cusp of my life aspirations but how Providence miraculously found for me a path to the top.
“How I became Governor of Oyo state are also documented which serve as a reminder to those who may be prone to being quickly swept off by the amnesia of history that God used me and my team of dependable colleagues at that period in time to change the lives of the people in the state”.
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