At last the man who played god has gone the way of all mortals! Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu is no more, thanks be to God the humbler of all folks. As you contemplate what Adedibu's departure means to you, Icheoku is of the opinion that his exit from the political landscape of Nigeria particularly Oyo State will provide the much needed balm for the healing process to begin. This is a "man" who held Oyo State in a death grip for so many years, that no man "breathes" except Adedibu says so. He made governors of men who are ready to play possum at his sight and give him unfettered access to the revenue of the State; men he w
antonly replaced at the slightest whiff of disloyalty. Two of his sons he made senators and ran Ibadan like his personal fiefdom. His brush with NAFDAC's Dora Akunyili is still very fresh in the memory and his indictment for possible breach of the peace and inciting mayhem could not be prosecuted because all witnesses were intimidated into silence. The medicine man of Otta, Babalawo Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, the failed former president of Nigerian coronated him the "Father of PDP". The erstwhile chairman of PDP, Lt. Col Ahmadu Ali ordained him the "Garrison commander of PDP". He was referred to as the "Strong man of Ibadan Politics". All has ended as he lay prostrate in a cold freezer somewhere in the land of Oduduwa! Vanity is vanity all is vanity the preacher said. His confrontation with the Olubadan N'Council was of a national spectacle. But at last, Ibadan is Free! Free at Last! Same with Oyo State; and also Yoruba land and finally Nigeria. Now that Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo's last man-friday is no more, the Arewa wolves can finally gnaw away in vengeance at his 
over-exposed body. The almighty God is all knowing by creating MR DEATH, in him all human beings are equal. Today Adedibu is no more! He is now history - a once was! Hallelujah! Whether Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu will be remembered as a political Juggernaut or a political thug will be for historians to pontificate about; at least no one will intimidate anyone, anymore in Ibadan and Oyo State in general, with the demise of Adedibu. Sleep in perpetuity Adedibu! So long! Shalom! E da abo! Ka omesia! Sai n jima! Goodbye! Greet our dear Cisero of Oke Ona, Attorney General Bola Ige, SAN and confess to him whatever you may possibly know about the hatching of the evil plot that took his very productive life, SALUT!
antonly replaced at the slightest whiff of disloyalty. Two of his sons he made senators and ran Ibadan like his personal fiefdom. His brush with NAFDAC's Dora Akunyili is still very fresh in the memory and his indictment for possible breach of the peace and inciting mayhem could not be prosecuted because all witnesses were intimidated into silence. The medicine man of Otta, Babalawo Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, the failed former president of Nigerian coronated him the "Father of PDP". The erstwhile chairman of PDP, Lt. Col Ahmadu Ali ordained him the "Garrison commander of PDP". He was referred to as the "Strong man of Ibadan Politics". All has ended as he lay prostrate in a cold freezer somewhere in the land of Oduduwa! Vanity is vanity all is vanity the preacher said. His confrontation with the Olubadan N'Council was of a national spectacle. But at last, Ibadan is Free! Free at Last! Same with Oyo State; and also Yoruba land and finally Nigeria. Now that Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo's last man-friday is no more, the Arewa wolves can finally gnaw away in vengeance at his 
over-exposed body. The almighty God is all knowing by creating MR DEATH, in him all human beings are equal. Today Adedibu is no more! He is now history - a once was! Hallelujah! Whether Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu will be remembered as a political Juggernaut or a political thug will be for historians to pontificate about; at least no one will intimidate anyone, anymore in Ibadan and Oyo State in general, with the demise of Adedibu. Sleep in perpetuity Adedibu! So long! Shalom! E da abo! Ka omesia! Sai n jima! Goodbye! Greet our dear Cisero of Oke Ona, Attorney General Bola Ige, SAN and confess to him whatever you may possibly know about the hatching of the evil plot that took his very productive life, SALUT!
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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The Godfather Finally Sleeps
ReplyDeleteBy Ademola Adeyemo, 06.12.2008
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Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, the Asipa of Ibadanland and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) died yesterday at 82, signaling the end of a political era in Oyo state and Ibadan in particular. For over 50 years, ‘Alaafin Molete’ as he was popularly called by praise singers bestrode the political life of the state like a colossus. Untill he breathed his last, Adedibu was the master planner and chief executor of the political game. His word was law as far as politics was concerned in the state.
Adedibu had been around for a long time. He learnt his politics from late Chief Adegoke Adelabu the " master of grass-roots politics popularly known as "Penkelemeesi" (peculiar mess) in the 1950s. Adedibu despite not having attended any formal school groomed himself to become a national figure in politics since the 1950s through a combination of populist politics, patronage, violence, and extortion.
His many detractors alleged that he started politics as an organiser of political thugs for the Action Group party of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The similarity in the politics of Adedibu and Adelabu is that it was people-based. It was essentially based on grassroots. They both operated an open door policy . The difference between their politics is that while Adelabu, a radical lawyer and politician, had an idea of what he wanted to do with power and wanted elected office, Adedibu did not . He was contented to being the godfather, the controller of power. While Adedibu believed in employing violence as a means of attaining power, Adelabu believed in the power of persuasion using his charisma and oratory.
However, during the second republic, Adedibu was not a force to be reckoned with in the state because of the over bearing presence of another firebrand politician of Ibadan origin, late Chief Busari Adelakun (a.k.a eruobodo) who was the power behind the emergence of late Chief Bola Ige of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) as the governor of old Oyo State in 1981 , but Adedibu provided the necessary back up for the then National Party of Nigeria(NPN)
Adedibu’s power flows primarily from his tremendous ability to mobilise thugs in support of the politicians he sponsors. He was known for his generosity to the poor through the distribution of cash and food on daily basis at his molete home, a brand of patronage frequently referred to as “amala politics,” named after a traditional dish of the Ibadans.
Even , other prominent Ibadan politicians such as Chief Adisa Akinloye, former national chairman of the NPN and Chief Richard Akinjide former attorney general and minister of justice, do not have the kind of hold that Adedibu had on the Ibadan people.
However, Adedibu’s emergence as a powerful political force started in the 80’s, during the transition programme of former military President Ibrahim Babangida. He first teamed up with late General Sheu Musa Yar’adua who contested the Presidential slot of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). he worked hard to ensure that Yar’adua won all the states in the South-west. Ironically, Adedidu refused to back any of his kinsmen, the late Chief Layi Balogun and Alhaji Lateef Jakande.
When the then military government annulled the primaries and ordered fresh primaries, Adedibu typical of a wise politician defected to the camp of late M.K.O Abiola who was then running for the presidency under the umbrella of the SDP. he was with Abiola until June 23, 1993 when the military administration of Babangida annulled the June 12, 1993 election.
When the late General Sani Abacha took over the government, Adedibu through Alhaji Azeez Arisekola-Alao wormed his way into the heart of Abacha and became the government’s chief lobbyist in the South-west. In fact, when Abiola was arrested and incarcerated by Abacha’s administration, in order to win the heart of the people of the South-west, Adedibu lobbied Abacha to release Abiola to him.A bail was arranged for Abiola with Adedibu standing surety, but was turned down by Abiola through the advice of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group. During the hey days of Abacha’s regime, Adedibu in collaboration with Arisekola-Alao organised a rally in Ibadan to drum support for the government, but the rally turned violent due to the stiff opposition from the pro-democracy groups. Many people were killed and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. Some pro-democracy leaders in the state such as late Chief Bola Ige, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina were arrested and put in prison. They were declared “Prisoners of War (POW)” by the then military administrator of the state, Col. Ahmed Usman.
At the inception of this present democratic dispensation, Adedibu and others refered to as ‘Abacha politicians’ joined the All Peoples Party (APP). But when the Alliance for Democracy (AD) wanted an accord with APP, Adedibu defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and rose to become the most powerful chieftain of the party in the state and later the “Father of PDP” courtesy of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. In Oyo state Adedibu, despite his shortcomings succeded in providing political leadership for decades during which he installed two governors - Chief Kolapo Isola and Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja. He later removed him from office citing being stingy as the excuse. However the major shotcomings of Adedibu politics are his belief in pursuing power as an end in itself without an idea of how to use the power to improve the lives of the people.
Adedibu did not concern himself with empowering the people for the purpose of advocating economic cha-nge or growth or social improvement. Another major shortcoming is the understanding of government solely as a means to obtain patronage. The philosophy contends that when you get into the office, you need to look back at the source and give patronage as a way of gratitude, which is not entirely a bad idea if it is done within the confines of the law and in the furtherance of the public good.
Adedibu’s death’ll usher peace in Oyo – Soyinka
ReplyDeleteBy Agency Reporter
Published: Friday, 13 Jun 2008
Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka on Thursday said Oyo State might find lasting peace with the demise of the Ibadan-based chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.
According to Soyinka, “I hope the people of Oyo State will succeed in re-establishing democracy and decent public conduct now that the godfather of godfathers has taken his leave of us. May he rest in peace and the may the state of Oyo also find peace at last!”
Soyinka reacted to the news of Adedibu’s death in an interview on Thursday in New York with Empowered Newswire.
Soyinka said among those who would miss Adedibu were dictators “including those who call themselves democratically elected.”
The world-class playwright said Nigerian dictators parading as politicians and those who now call themselves democratically elected presidents “used him to completely undermine democracy in various states, to destabilise all democratic efforts in the nation.”
He said, “It is not a coincidence that he passed away after the police‘s decision raiding his hideout of his private army.”
Soyinka stated that “the police must be held responsible for Adedibu’s death because in my view, it‘s obvious that his very existence depended on the use of his army of criminals, extortionists, outlaws and all forms of renegades, which he used to defy law, decency and order and to rubbish democracy in Oyo State.”
He observed that ”the only consolation that we can take from his exit is that he will meet on the other side with democratic stalwarts like Comrade Ola Oni, who disciplined him right here, even under brutal dictatorial monsters like Abacha, and showed him, that is, Adedibu his place.”
Soyinka said he sympathises with all of Adedibu‘s “political sons including an ex-president who actually publicly acknowledged him as his political father.”
Adedibu was a ‘political accident Oyelese
ReplyDeleteBy Akin Oyedele, Ibadan
Published: Tuesday, 17 Jun 2008
A former Minister of Power and Steel, Elder Wole Oyelese, has vowed that the indigenes of Ibadan will not allow another politician to emerge in the shade of the late leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.
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Late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu
He described the dominance of Adedibu in the politics of the state as a ‘political accident.
Oyelese told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday that the state did not need any replacement for the late politician.
Oyelese, a prominent member of a faction of the PDP, the Patriotic Elders Forum, led by a Second Republic Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), said the party was better-off without Adedibu.
The ex-minister said that Adedibu rose to limelight because the Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, abdicated his position as the rallying point for the party in the state.
Oyelese said, I believe this is not the right time to begin to talk about anybody emerging as the political leader in Oyo State. Actually, the situation does not arise because there is no such position in our partys constitution.
It is just unfortunate that Governor Alao-Akala voluntarily or otherwise abdicated his position for Chief Adedibu; otherwise the governor is the leader.
What happened was a political accident and we in Oyo State wont allow it to ever happen again. There is no need for a replacement. Oyo State does not need a replacement and there will never be a replacement for Adedibu.
Ibadan people will resist any outsider trying to impose anybody as a replacement for Adedibu and Oyo State will equally reject such a move. That era is gone.. We are set to take Ibadan and Oyo State back to where they rightly belong..
I challenge Alao-Akala to take his rightful position in the party and do what is right to put the people back on course. We intend to create a new PDP in Oyo State where everybody will belong.”
Meanwhile, the police in Oyo State said on Monday that the thugs arrested on the property of Adedibu were being released because the victims of their alleged criminal acts did not offer useful information that could lead to their prosecution.
The new Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr. Bashiru Azeez, who resumed at the state command on Monday, stated this while addressing his maiden press briefing in his office.
About 94 persons were arrested by the police penultimate Friday at a hemp smoking joint located within Adedibus property at Molete, which the police described as a black spot.
The state Criminal Investigations Department, however, started releasing the suspects in batches on Sunday for want of evidence.
Reacting to the decision of his officers to release 32 of the suspects, Azeez noted that there was no way the police could take the suspected criminals to court without evidence from the victims.
In another development, a former governorship aspirant of the Action Congress in Oyo State, Dr. Ismail Adewusi, on Monday called on politicians in the state to close ranks even as he commiserated with the family of the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, who died last week.
In a statement by his Personal Assistant, Mr. Fatai Erewunmi, Adewusi said that at 80, Adedibu had played his part in the politics of the state and the country as a whole, adding that history would record his roles appropriately.
Adewusi advised the son of the late politician, Senator Kamoru Adedibu, to take solace in the fact that his father made impacts on the states politics.
EIGHT DAYS AFTER: Filling Adedibu’s vacuum
ReplyDeleteWritten by Ola Ajayi
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
....A short list of possible successors
TO his die-hard supporters, they did not believe that the strongman of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, could die just like that. In fact, majority of them still see the news of his death to be one of those rumours that the man had died. While he was alive, they idolised him thinking he had some political solution to offer even when death came calling.
But when they got to his residence and saw the teeming crowd wearing mournful looks, they started asking questions if indeed it was true that the big elephant had submitted to the final call.
Late Chief AdedibuSome minutes after, they realised that it was not a mere fantasy, neither was it a rumour that the ‘Alaafin Molete” had bidden farewell to his palatial modern complex as the undertakers with the inscription ‘Ultimate’ on their black jumper, brought out the remains of their adored father.
On seeing reality stare them in the face, they all chorused, “so, it is true that our papa is dead. Where else shall we go. Who else can be as generous and accommodating as this man. No one can step into his shoes. Ha! What is left for us again”.
A particular woman caught the attention of other mourners as she almost stripped herself naked crying uncontrollably. For the visitors, they might think she was one of the wives of the politician. She shunned all entreaties.
Going by the crowd at the burial, it is no gain saying that late Adedibu was a colossus in the political arena of the South West. The city of Ibadan indeed knew that somebody important had gone to the great beyond.
Though, none of the South West governors was seen, the crowd was too overwhelming for anybody to notice if they were not there except for a vigilant person.
Gaining entry into the residence of the politician became a tug of war. Even popular politicians, except those who came in company of their private guards, were shoved aside by the surging crowd.
The flyover which oversees the residence of the politician, nearby buildings and all other available rooftops and shops were filled to the brim by the admirers and those who just wanted to catch the glimpse of the activities going on on the premises.
With the political muscle he wielded during his lifetime, questions that bothered the minds of political observers in the state is what becomes of Adedibu’s dynasty?
During his lifetime, he was very careful whenever the question was put to him on who succeeds him after he might have answered the last call. In one of the interviews that Vanguard had with him, he tried as much as possible to parry the question. All he said was that there were many of his trainees that could step into his shoes. To say that someone could step into the shoes of the politician is a mirage. He had been on the political landscape since 1951. Indeed, no one can fill the vacuum that his death has created.
Before his death, many observers had been saying that his political style would die with him as the elites in the ancient city are already fed up with the political misfortune of the state. They strongly believe in the emergence of political renegade like him.
In the political history of the city, a person like the late politician had always emerged right from the time of Busari Adelakun alias “Eruobodo”. His behaviour was antithetical to political decency. Those who would appreciate him better was the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. But as popular as he was, he was still trailing Chief Adedibu.
Adedibu the compassionate
With all the avalanche of criticisms that greeted his political style, the late politician had some enviable qualities which somehow endeared him to his admirers.
He was generous to a fault. His generosity to all and sundry increased his followership on daily basis. One needed to see how his expansive complex was always filled with thousands of people. And he would patiently attend to them all, everyone of them smiling home with some naira notes in their hands. Many of those who were weeping at his funeral were those who depended on him for their survival.
Another enviable quality of the dead politician is that he was accessible and accommodating to everybody. Though he might pretend as if he was reading the pile of newspapers before him, he was paying rapt attention to their demands and complaints.
He was also ready to help, though, he resorted into jungle justice at times to have his way. He was practical as a politician. He was not all that educated as he struggled to complete his secondary education. But surprisingly, he played politics and at times outwitted those who really had university education.
Unlike some politicians who see media men as their errand boys to be used and discarded, he gave due respect to the press despite many negative reports. He kept on saying, “my children. I know it was your bosses from Lagos that are fond of writing rubbish about me”.
Adedibu found it very easy to forgive. He seemed to believe the cliché that in politics, there is no permanent enemy and no permanent friend.
He was a very humorous and mature politician. As good as he seemed to be, he was hated by those who did not believe in his ‘win-at-all-cost’ political style. Chief Adedibu said something which did not go down well with Ibadan indigenes but which confirmed the fact that the politician was considerate of others. He said it was not fair that only Ibadan indigenes should monopolise the governorship seat of the state. He insisted that it must be evenly shared among other zones in the state.
Adedibu the mean
What most people hated in the popular politician was his uncivil approach to issues. It was said then that he forcefully acquired many properties in the city. And he used all methods known to him to attack all his perceived political rivals.
Apart from other issues, the case of the PELLY FOAM LTD in Dugbe readily comes to mind when one flashes back at some of the excesses of the politician. Though, the matter was not directly linked to him, he was seen as trying to avenge the wrong done to his loyalist even when the case was still binding.
From time immemorial, he had the magic wand with which he made sure that all his choice candidates won their elections. He was instrumental in the ascension to the throne of many governors in the state. They are Lam Adesina, Kolapo Ishola, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and many others.
Also, people were alleging that he used to harbour criminals, the allegations that could not really be substantiated.
What attracted more hatred to him was his romance with former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to primitively topple a democratically elected governor of the state then. This was against the wills of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Ibadan Elders Forum. He was seen as having connived with an outsider to impeach the governor because he did not benefit much from him.
His loyalists atimes did criminal things claiming that he sent them even when he did not know anything about the crimes they committed.
The recent problem he had was when he made sure that he imposed all his choice candidates and sent them to Senate, House of Representatives, Governorship, chairmanship and councillorship positions of the PDP. He was also accused of single-handedly appointing all the delegates from wards, local, and state levels. With all these seeming anomalies, he made sure that he achieved results whenever he was assigned by those who used him.
Who replaces him? Azeem Gbolarumi?
Gbolarumi was so close to the politician. He could be rightly called his right hand man. He was there when he needed him. To Gbolarumi, who was made to assist Alao-Akala during his 11 months as governor, he is the best person to step into papa’s shoes. But some things seem to be working against him. These things are his age, exposure, charisma, accessibility, and generosity.
Before the death of the politician, he left no one in doubt that he is the right person to take after papa. When Vanguard visited Gbolarumi’s residence at Bodija area, he built it exactly like the complex of the politician. And some of his loyalists too do go there for daily bread. But this is not all for anyone who wants to be in Adedibu’s shoes. For Gbolarumi to make it, he has to be more accommodating and develop thick skin for criticism like the late politician.
Alhaji Yekini Adeojo
He is very rich and he has large followership. But he is not as accessible and accommodating as Adedibu. If not for the distance he maintained from the politician, he could have been the choice candidate. With all these seeming hindrances, he, being one of the founding fathers of the PDP would have conveniently stepped into his shoes. He may not, however, employ the tough stance of the late politician in ensuring that his will must be imposed on others at all cost. That is, in the context of the strong-arm politics of today, unhelpful.
Kolapo Ishola
After his short tenure as the governor of the state, he completely went into oblivion. Except forf the fact that he also goes to the residence of the late politician, he is rarely seen in public places. He may not fit into the shoes of Adedibu.
Governor Alao-Akala
Like other past governors who had benefitted from Chief Adedibu, he got the support of the politician to have his way. His ascendancy to the number one seat in the state indeed proved that Adedibu was a strong politician. He whittled down all the threats from the elite and Ibadan elders and ensured that Alao-Akala won.
But, with the way the governor kept Adedibu at arm’s length after his victory clearly showed that all he wanted from him was the power. At a time, he seemed not comfortable with the highhandedness of the politician. With the authority and wealth at his disposal, he could win the sympathy of the loyalists of Adedibu, but may be difficult to sustain them. To all these, Akala’s supporters and sympathisers believe that till death, the governor remained very close to Adedibu.
Senator Teslim Folarin and Raji Rasaki
Though, they were close to Molete because they are both graduates of Molete politics, they can’t really win the popularity that Chief Adedibu enjoyed during his lifetime. Besides, their pockets may be too lean to practice the style of the dead politician.
Senator Kamardeen Adedibu
His life is totally different having spent most of his life abroad. He is usually called “Americana” in Molete. He is not close to the grassroot like his father and may not share the style of his politics.
The death of the politician, may give room for the likes of Lam Adesina, Richard Akinjide, Elder Wole Oyelese, Senator Lekan Balogun, to launch themselves into the mainstream of the politics of the state.
They consistently opposed the highhandedness of the late politician. Now that the coast is clear for them to prove their popularity, they should act quickly before another “Adedibu” emerges.
Adedibu’s thugs face trial July 8 –Police
ReplyDeleteBy SUNDAY ABORISADE
Published: Sunday, 29 Jun 2008
THE suspected hoodlums arrested on the property of the late Peoples Democratic Party chieftain in Ibadan, Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, are to remain in police custody on the orders of an Ibadan Magistrate‘s Court sitting in the Iyaganku area of the city.
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Inspector-General of Police, M
The Police Public Relations Officer in charge of the state command, Miss Olabisi Okuwobi, who stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, said they were charged for stealing and robbery.
Okuwobi explained that further hearing on their case would resume on July 8.
At least, 94 persons were arrested by the police last month at a hemp smoking joint located within Adedibu‘s property at Molete, which the police described as a black spot serving as a hideout for notorious armed robbers in the state.
The police had last week, released 32 out of the suspects because ”victims of their alleged criminal acts did not offer useful information that could lead to their prosecution.”
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Criminal Investigations Department, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, told journalists on Thursday that some of the suspects were released for want of evidence against them.
The commissioner of police in charge of the state command, Mr. Bashiru Azeez, also said that there was no way the police could take the suspected criminals to court without evidence from victims who could give evidence against them.
He said, ”It is true that some of the suspects had been identified by the police as hardened criminals whose names had featured prominently in robbery operations in the state.
”We cannot, however, commence their prosecution because victims of their actions were not forthcoming with proofs that can assist the police. I am therefore challenging victims of their criminal acts to come forward and help us in our investigation.
”I‘m assuring the public that we are going to sustain our current war against crime as we will continue to take the battle to the den of the robbers and pick them up before they strike.”
On the alleged extortion of money from suspects before they were freed, the commissioner said the matter was being investigated and challenged anyone with useful information that could establish that fact to contact him.
He said, ”I have warned my officers that the issue of raid must be not be turned to a money making venture. I will ensure a zero tolerance corruption strategy that would expose all cases of extortion and harassment of innocent members of the public.”
The commissioner pledged to revisit all illegal operations carried out by thugs, who allegedly carried out orders from top politicians in the state against some innocent people.
ADEDIBU: HIS LIFE AND TIMES (The Nation)
ReplyDeleteLAMIDI Ariyibi Adedibu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart and self-styled strongman of Ibadan politics, died yesterday. He was 80.
Chief Adedibu’s death drew the curtains on an era of strong arm tactics in Oyo State politics.
The political godfather, once described by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as "the father of PDP", passed away at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. He died at about 3:30p.m. – 40 minutes after he was rushed in from the Nigerian Immigration Service, Agodi, Ibadan where he had slumped.
He was suspected to have died of diabetes and related ailments. His remains will be buried today according to Islamic rites.
The Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the UCH, Dr. Adeniyi Adenipekun, confirmed the death. He, however, declined to disclose the cause, saying Adedibu was not the hospital’s primary patient.
Adenipekun said: "Adedibu was brought in around 2.30p.m. We learnt he was coming from Lagos and he had to branch at the Immigration Office before coming to UCH. We learnt he slumped at the Immigration Office and he was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit, where we received him because we were told he was being brought. By the time he was brought in, he was actually lifeless – without any pulse – but we took him over immediately and we took him to the Intensive Care Unit where we did everything to revive him. But we were not able to get him back.
"Well, since he was not our primary patient, I will not know the cause of his death; and again the relations refused a post-mortem, so I would not know the cause of his death."
A source at the hospital told The Nation: "Adedibu was brought to us with strong palpitation. His condition was considered serious by the medical team on hand. So, we decided to rush him to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital where he was placed on an Oxygen mask.
"According to those who brought him in, Adedibu was his normal self early in the day at his Molete home until he left for Lagos on a routine medical check-up, where he was advised to travel abroad. On his way back from Lagos, he was said to have gone to the Immigration Office in Ibadan at about 2p.m., and it was there he had a sudden heart attack. He was reported to have actually slumped at the Immigration Office, and his body was almost lifeless. Following the attack, he was immediately rushed to the UCH where he breathed his last."
It was learnt that the Oyo State Governor’s Office was immediately notified after Adedibu died. But the stalwart’s political godson, Oyo State Governor Bayo Alao-Akala, was away in Paris, France with President Umaru Yar’Adua. An aide to Alao-Akala said: "When we got in touch with the governor, he was shattered. But he has asked his deputy, Arapaja, to take charge of the situation." Later yesterday, Alao-Akala’s Adviser on Public Communication said the governor would return to Nigeria with the next available flight.
A government delegation comprising Oyo State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja; the Chief of Staff, Dr. Saka Balogun; and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Alhaji Razes Gbadegesin was at the UCH. A source said: "When the government delegation got to the UCH, it was received by Adedibu’s top aide, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi, who was visibly shattered.
"There is a strong indication that Gbolarumi and (Adedibu’s son) Senator Kamorudeen Adedibu were by the politician’s bedside when he died."
The government team also called at Adedibu’s residence yesterday to commiserate with the family and discuss the funeral rites. As at press time, the team was holding consultations with Senator Kamorudeen Adedibu; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao and other close associates of the deceased.
A mixture of grief and subtle relief trailed the death of the political strongman in the Oyo State capital yesterday. Reputed for his core grass roots politics, Adedibu’s death sent many in the ancient city reeling in sorrow. Shops were closed on most major streets, while politicians and many notable indigenes thronged the Molete residence of the late politician to commiserate with the family.
Arisekola-Alao told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): "He was our father; we have lost a rare gem. Somebody who installed three governors at different times in Oyo State is a giant in politics."
House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole described Adedibu’s death as a great shock. He said: "Lamidi Adedibu contributed to Nigeria’s political development, not only in Yorubaland but in the entire country. He also played a significant role in the efforts to forge unity among the Yoruba. As a leader of our ruling PDP, we will surely miss him."
The National Vice-Chairman (South West) of the PDP, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, said the party’s flag will be flown at half mast across the entire zone for seven days in memory of the late politician.
Adedibu was born on October 24, 1927.
The man Adedibu (By Olukorede Yishau)
"I am the problem in Oyo and I will be the solution. For the solution to the crisis in Oyo, I am certainly the issue. Peace in Oyo must start from me," this statement made by Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, the acclaimed strongman of Ibadan politics who passed on yesterday, is a testament of the kind of person he was.
Brash, unrefined and unapologetic but influential, Adedibu was the undisputable kingmaker, who started out as a political minor over 50 years ago. The Alafin of Molete, as he was fondly called, was a thorn in the flesh of Ibadan elite who saw him as a sad commentary.
He loathed sharing power with anyone. Even though he installed governors, members of the National Assembly among others, Adedibu was still the centre and those he installed understood the rules clearly. He never hesitated to kick out for those who dared him.
The Patriotic Elders Forum (PEF), a faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his party, was in the last days of his life at loggerheads with him. Adedibu saw the likes of former Attorney–General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), former Minister of Special Duties, Chief Wole Oyelese, and former Deputy National Chairman, PDP South, Chief Yekini Adeojo, as persona non grata.
Adedibu commanded his people’s allegiance by defining his goals within the context of their yearnings. For him, violence was a means to an end. He used steaming dishes of amala with gbegiri and ewedu, a local delicacy, crisp naira notes, clubs and cudgels, to keep people in line.
Aside violence, money was another weapon Adedibu used to get the poor folks behind him. He was said to have made his first thousands in the 1950s when the late Obafemi Awolowo purportedly influenced the award of the supply of cement meant for the construction of the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, to him.
He used his influence in politics to make more money over the years, and was reputed to be generous.
Before his death yesterday, Adedibu, an octogenarian, had declared in an interview that "I don’t need to tell you before you know that history will not forget me. I am a fulfilled man. I am very much happy. So, let people remember me for all that I am doing now.
The politician’s style (By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor)
ADEGOKE Adelabu, Busari Adelakun and Lamidi Adedibu – these were the indomitable figures that have held forte as the acclaimed political leaders of Ibadan, the largest city in Africa, in the last 60 years.
They were thrown up by that special brand of city politics which thrived on populism.
That inherent tendency to continue to play politics anchored on populism defined their political styles.
Like Adelabu (Penkelemeesi) and Adelakun (Eruobodo), Adedibu, popularly known as Alaafin Molete, was at home with the ordinary man.
He was not an elite politician who blocked access to his residence. He lived among the people who he cultivated and who adored him, unlike the pompous elite who shielded themselves from the public.
In the days of NCNC politics in Ibadan, when the city was under control of Adelabu, the assignment to raise young politicians who could defy the NCNC leader felt on Ayo Rosiji, the Action Group (AG) Secretary.
Then, Adedibu, a young man, was a big catch because he had gained reputation as a promising mobiliser. He copied the style of Adelabu who had wormed himself into the hearts of the masses.
The experience he garnered in acting as a young opposition mobiliser did not pay off. In the only councillorship election he contested against the late Pa Ladoja, father of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, he failed woefully.
In the Second Republic, Adedibu, joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He claimed that he defected to the party because the late Bola Ige, former governor of old Oyo State, had trampled on Ibadan who hosted him for years as a lawyer and a politician.
…His many battles (By Bolade Omonijo)
ALHAJI Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu was a man of one part, a politician. Born 1927, he got enlisted in the political orders before his 30th birthday. He was a supporter of the Action Group (AG) in Ibadan and got promoted a divisional leader in the mid-50s.
In the Second Republic, he was in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), but he was not as prominent as the late Chief Adisa Akinloye, then the national chairman of the party and Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN). He was not a force during the period that the late Chief Bola Ige ruled as governor of Oyo State.
However, as soon as the military took over power and old politicians of weight who had held political offices in the past were banned from participating in the Babangida transition politics, there was a vacancy to be filled. Being a crafty politician, Adedibu moved forcefully to the scene. He was unofficially installed as godfather and controller of political affairs in the ancient city of Ibadan. He installed Chief Kolapo Ishola as governor of Oyo State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and so began what matured into the Adedibu phenomenon.
He held court daily in his Ibadan residence which was named Aafin Molete (the Molete palace). True, Adedibu reigned in his palace. He could do anything within the vicinity of his palace. When his men were accused of snatching three Data Capture Machines during the registration of voters in 2006, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could do nothing about it.
In November last year, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Dora Akunyili, complained that thugs of the Ibadan popular politician obstructed her men from arresting those who fell foul of the law on fake drugs. Nothing came out of the complain. Rather, Adedibu launched a blistering attack on Prof. Akunyili.
Many were the afflictions of Adedibu, but his thugs saw him through them all. He was a kingmaker who brook no opposition in his quest to install his cronies. He established himself as the most prominent politician in the PDP rank. He was so recognised by the national leadership of the party and he relished the attention.
He knew it was a question of time before the PDP "captured" the state and waited patiently. To take over, PDP handed over all operations in the 2003 Operation Capture Oyo State to Adedibu. They knew that only the Adedibu method could give them victory in the state. They were right. He got all the funds he needed for the operation, moved his men to the field and installed Chief Rashidi Ladoja as governor of the state that prides itself as the pace setter.
Four years later, it was election time again. And realising that without a pride of place being granted Adedibu in the state, the opposition could stage a comeback, the leadership acknowledged Adedibu as the leader who must be obeyed in all situations and at all times.
As National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, was unequivocal in handing the state to Adedibu. His words: "Ibadan is a military garrison, you must obey his (Adedibu) orders. If you are not going to take orders, don’t join the forces. So, the present strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, is no exception. He has come, it is his turn, Ladoja should be able to take orders."
Within the PDP, there were crises as some members and eminent leaders, took exception to the Adedibu style. The elite rose against him just before the last election. It was the first time that the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes would take a stand in a partisan stand-off. The Chief Bode Amao-led CCII mobilised against Adedibu and PDP. The rival All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), which fielded Senator Abiola Ajimobi as governorship candidate, won in Ibadan as the elite policed the votes. But the ballots turned in from other parts of the state, especially the five local government areas in Ogbomosho, were enough to upturn the Ibadan verdict.
That was only the beginning of the internal strife in the PDP. In the past few months, leading lights of the party, including Second Republic Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), Senator Lekan Balogun, Chief Wole Oyelese and Chief Yekini Adeojo, had been on the war path against Adedibu. After his initial triumph over his ailment, Adedibu who said he was back on his feet and ready to continue as the leader described his opponents as spent forces. On the political plane, Adedibu had a running battle with the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana.
Prior to the death of the last Olubadan and the installation of Oba Odulana as the 40
thIbadan king on August 17, last year, men loyal to the late Adedibu allegedly beat up the Oba’s wife who was then a school principal. In appreciation of the gravity of that offence and the feeling of the new Oba, Adedibu refused to participate in the installation ceremonies.
That was enough to incense Oba Odulana who, on ascending the throne, decreed that anyone in the Olubadan Council should quit partisan politics. He also refused to recognise the elevation of Adedibu to the exalted traditional office of Ekerin Olubadan by the former king.
Observers felt that the decision was directed against Adedibu, even though the monarch argued that it was an old rule known to everyone. Adedibu, Ladoja, Balogun are all Ibadan high chiefs in the Olubadan Council. The Ibadan strong man was swift in rejecting the call.
He said: "I am surprised that Baba Olubadan is now saying that we should not participate in partisan politics. Many people don’t know that Olubadan has been in politics since 1951. He was my leader; we started together, so why is that directive coming now?"
One mortal enemy that Adedibu had in his last days was Ladoja who was illegally impeached by forces loyal to the Ibadan political leader in January 2006. He was only restored by the ruling of the Supreme Court that described the procedure as illegal.
Apart from the impeachment and restoration, the quarrel continued as Adedibu ensured that Ladoja was denied the PDP ticket for the 2007 governorship race. He was still out in the cold when the primary election to select the candidate was held. The protégé of Adedibu, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, was handed the prized ticket and Adedibu ensured his election.
At last, the man has died. It is the end of an era. The beginning of another. The questions now are: Who succeeds Adedibu? How will his death affect the texture and colour of politics in Ibadan? How will it alter the delicate socio-political setting of Ibadan? Can the group be held together? The picture will begin to unfold after Adedibu’s remains have been interred.
When his path crossed that of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, he covered his face with his voluminous Agbada and ran away. He said he could not look at the late Awolowo in the eye because when he was a member of his party, he was nice to him.
But in the Second Republic, Adedibu had not grown full wings. Calling the shots was Adelakun, who had defected from the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) to NPN where he became the Chairman of Ibadan / Ibarapa Senatorial District.
The death of Adelakun created a vacuum in Ibadan politics. Up came Adedibu in the Third Republic to fill the leadership slot.
The character of the man unfolded during the monetisation of politics when the military, in utter deceit, elongated the transition to civil rule.
His Molete residence became a Mecca of sort for life for aspirants to various elective posts.
Already, Adedibu had positioned himself as a political kingpin. He installed Chief Kolapo Isola as governor, majority of members of the House of Assembly, councillors and local government chairmen we installed by him.
Adelabu’s style was not to hoard money brought to his court by desperate candidates and aspirants. He would declared the exact amount to his "kitchen cabinet" who would work out the details of distribution to the various quarters for political work.
Part of the unearned money he also used for providing Amala and gbegiri for visitors and for mobilising people.
Adedibu believed that power should be delivered to the highest bidder. Thus, when he had given his word to Chief Olu Falae, the presidential aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), he later reneged on his promise to support him. Instead, he backed Falae’s rival, the late Maj.-Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua.
The strongman of Ibadan politics also wielded a curious disciplinary power in the political area. In the Third Republic, he had ordered his thugs to seized a legislator on the road and bundled him into a car boot.
When the legislator was brought out of the boot, Adedibu asked him to lie down and gave him strokes of cane. When journalists asked why he disgraced the lawmaker in the public, he smiled. He replied that in Yoruba culture, the elders can sanction an erring youth. Omo se, baba ba wi.
Adelabu also had a method of withdrawing estranged friends from power outside the law. It look the law court to reinstate Ladoja who was impeached at Adedibu’s behest.
What was worrisome to outsiders was how an old man, barely literate, could attract so much fellowship among the peasants and artisans, to the detriment and consternation of his more educated political rivals.
The magic was his philanthropy. Adedibu threw his doors open to the needy, the beggars, widows, widowers and others who depended on the crumbs that fell from his table.
When the elite decried his excess behaviour, these meat sellers, food hawkers, hairdressers, mechanics only yelled. To them, the Alaafin Molete was the defender of the "masses".
Outside politics, Adedibu was there for those who needed his service. Consequently, he would convert the assistance he rendered into political capital.
As a chief, he was involved in the settlement of local disputes without fear or favour. He had reconciled warring siblings and feuding family members in the metropolis, preaching reconciliation.
Adedibu also sponsored some youths to higher institutions. He was reputed for footing the bills of apprentices to learn trades. During their "freedom ceremony," he would storm the venue with his aides and associates.
In Ibadan, the story is told of how some rusticated students of the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso stormed his residence to beg him to influence their recall.
After frowning on their activities, he agreed to help. He phoned the vice chancellor and pleaded with him to reabsorb them.
When the vice chancellor reportedly told him that their dismissal was a Senate decision, Adedibu flared up. He told him that as the father of the governor, the visitor to the university, he hereby ordered their reinstatement.
Adedibu was a politician who expected returns from every political investment.
That was what many people considered as the most offensive style of the garrison commander of Ibadan politics.
The future of Oyo politics (By Oziegbe Okoeki)
WITH the demise of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu, Oyo State politics, without any doubt, can never be the same again.
Adedibu bestrode the Oyo political firmament like a colossus and as far as politics in the state was concerned, his word was law. His preferences took precedence over any other in the state.
He was the acknowledged godfather of Oyo politics and his dexterity at making things happen in his way was earned him the title garrison commander of Oyo politics.
Nothing demonstrated the influence, power and extent of Adedibu’s reach in Oyo politics than the outcome of the 2007 general elections where all his preferred candidates in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged winners both at the state and national levels and both in the executive and legislature.
But in achieving this feat, Adedibu did not believe or apply the rule of law, due process, decency or respect for the rules of the game.
He elevated thuggery in politicking to an enviable height in Oyo and with his thugs he ensured that he had his way.
As old as he was, Adedibu became a terror to many politicians of the opposition parties and even those within his party who did not like his style of politicking. His fame and style became a subject of political discourse all over the country.
But Adedibu was never deterred by any criticism. For him, he had chosen a course he was ready to pursue until death beckons. That hour came yesterday.
Although Adedibu had always been in politics from the pre-colonial era, the new power he wielded and which he used to his maximum benefit, started in the build-up to the 2003 elections. Many believed that he was able to wield and display such powers because of the support given to him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Now that Adedibu has gone to join his ancestors, politics in Oyo is set for a new course, and a good course at that.
Godfatherism would almost become a thing of the past in Oyo politics. This is because politicians, elders and indigenes of the state who have tasted the bitter dose of politics of godfatherism in Oyo under Adedibu would not allow the emergence of another godfather, whether crude or refined.
Coupled with this is the fact that frontline politicians in the state, whether in the ruling PDP or opposition parties, are better educated and more refined.
Adedibu’s death may also pave the way for the rise of progressive politics and politicking in the state. Oyo had always been the bastion of progressive politics in the South-West, but the crude and violent style whenAdedibu heldsway checkmated the activities of progressive politicians .
away checkmated the activities of progressive politicians in the state. With Adedibu’s death the coast is once again clear for Ibadan to occupy its rightful position as far as progressive politics is concerned.
Even though the incidence of thuggery may not be completely ruled out in the state’s politics, there is no doubt that without the backing of an Adedibu if would reduce drastically.
Of course new coalitions are expected to emerge. With the fear of Adedibu out of the way, politicians including those who out of intimidation and fear identified with Adedibu even in his party would now find their true bearing.
Adedibu was never a rallying point in the true sense of the word for PDP in Oyo as demonstrated by the strong opposition against him by a powerful group made up of PDP chieftains in the state before his death.
He was instead a major destabilising and disintegrating force for the party in the state but because he had the support of Aso Rock when Obasanjo was the chief occupant, so many played along with him even when they don’t like his style.
His death is expected to result in unity and strength for PDP in the state because since their major backbone is gone the flanks of his supporters is wide open and their best option is to quickly reconcile with fellow party men and women to be able to face the opposition that has remained as formidable as ever.
The opposition parties would also have a freer turf to operate on since Adedibu’s thugs would now be handicapped by his death, so they are expected to make much more impact on the politician arena.
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala is on his own, his backbone, the bastion of his strength, his only pillar, the man who single-handedly installed him as governor and vowed that he would remain so no matter the odds is out of contention.
There is no doubt that the power equation in Oyo would change and it is very likely that Alao-Akala’s days as governor of Oyo State are numbered.
With the mounting opposition to him from his party men and opposition politicians and with the fear of Adedibu out of the way, the Appeal Court has a freer atmosphere to look at the real issues in the appeal against the favourable ruling Alao-Akala got at the tribunal, if this happens his election would be nullified.
And if that turns out to be the case, with the new atmosphere in the state, Alao-Akala would lose a re-run, that is if his party fields him at all.