Posted by By CHRISTIAN ITA on
Days before the curtain was drawn on his administration by the 18 lawmakers loyal to the acclaimed strong man of Ibadan politics, erstwhile governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja preoccupied himself trying to save his job.
Days before the curtain was drawn on his administration by the 18 lawmakers loyal to the acclaimed strong man of Ibadan politics, erstwhile governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja preoccupied himself trying to save his job.
So preoccupied was he that state matters and perhaps, religious matters, took the back seat.
Like Adedibu, his erstwhile godfather turned traducer, the governor, for the first time, since assuming office in May 29, 2003, stayed away from this year's Eid-el Kabir congregational prayer on Tuesday.
For the Chief Imam, Alhaji Suara, the absence of the duo was a blessing from God.
Ladoja, who apparently had come to the realisation that Adedibu, could not be dissuaded to back down, reverted his attention to President Olusegun Obasanjo, believing the President could help save his job.
He had therefore, mobilized his colleague governors in the South-West, with the exception of his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Bola Tinubu, and took them to see the President at his Ota Farm, on Tuesday, January 3.
The purpose of the visit, as latter disclosed by Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was for the governors to appeal to the president to intervene by asking Adedibu to stop his loyalists from pressing on with the impeachment process.
After listening to the governors, President Obasanjo made a statement that many observers believed sealed Ladoja's fate.
The President, in the words of Daniel, told the governors that it was too late in the day for him to save Ladoja.
'I remember vividly the President said he had no problem intervening at the level of politics and whereas as a party leader he has also intervened at the level of the party when he asked the national chairman to set up a peace committee. I remember the President saying he found it difficult to intervene at the level of a judicial process," Daniel had disclosed.
Undaunted by the President's response, Ladoja had remained hopeful that the President would come to his aid.
And so, when the President visited foremost educationist, Pa Emmanuel Alayande who turned 96 at his home in Ibadan on Wednesday, January 11, Ladoja saw in it, another opportunity to try and hoodwink the President.
As it were, the effort came to naught.
Speaking on what transpired, Pa Alayande said Obasanjo had arrived his home and was totally relaxed but that was until he brought up the Ladoja issue.
He said as soon as he mentioned Ladoja, the President flared up, insisting he was not there to discuss the governor's travails.
The chieftain of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) wondered why the governor was impeached only a day after the President's visit.
Besides seeking a political solution to his travails, Ladoja never lost sight of events at the seven-man investigation panel that was inaugurated by the acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Afolabi Adeniran to investigate allegations of graft preferred against him.
Believing the composition of the panel was skewed against him, he obtained an injunction restraining the panel from sitting. Of course, the court ruling was ignored.
His next action was his reported removal, Wednesday, of the acting Chief Judge, Afolabi Adeniran.
These efforts all come to nothing as he was impeached as early as 8.30am Thursday by the lawmakers, who in a bid to form a quorum, reportedly suspended six of the 13 lawmakers that were loyal to the governor.