EFFORTS by the gladiators in the Oyo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop the second term bid of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2011 may be heading for the rocks.
Reason: The former governor of the Pacesetter State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, and a leading member of the group of elders in the coalition headed by Senator Lekan Balogun, is shunning all entreaties to drop his ambition to wrest power from the incumbent governor.
A source within the coalition told the Nigerian Compass, at the weekend, that Ladoja has vowed to slug it out with his successor at next year’s election.
In the coalition against the return of Alao-Akala to the Agodi Gate Government House are former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, former Special Duties Minister, Elder Wole Oyelese, and the Senate Leader, Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
Others included Alao- Akala’s kinsmen from Ogbomoso, Ambassador Yomi Akintola and the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Ademola Ayo Adeseun, and a host of others across the five zones of the state.
Ladoja, who was being urged to allow the coalition present a consensus candidate ahead of the PDP governorship primaries to tackle the incumbent, has started oiling his political machinery to vie for the governorship on the platform of the Accord Party (AP).
The former governor’s ambition was already causing disquiet and misunderstanding within the coalition, even as some members of his camp threatening not to defect to the AP.
Many of the supporters of the former governor have also expressed serious reservations for the former governor’s ambition and his perceived lack of ‘’succession plans” for close associates and younger elements in the state.
Already, Ladoja, through the popular social network Facebook, in a column tagged ‘’Ladoja 4 2011'’ has indicated interest to publicly declare for the AP on or before the end of the second week of this month.
Sources close to the former governor disclosed that he (Ladoja) was not favourably disposed to any of the younger elements within the coalition becoming the governor in 2011 as being envisaged by some of the coalition leaders.
The conclusion of leaders of the coalition was to pick any of the younger ones in tandem with the wind of political changes blowing across the globe, where young people with proven academic track records and political sagacity, are being given the chance to prove their mettle in the quest to take the society to the next level.
Though Ladoja, the source added, was at a stage disposed to the idea of picking any of the younger elements to take over from Alao-Akala, but, recent events had shown that he may have jettisoned the idea for reasons best known to him.
Said the source: “Two former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) under Oga’s administration (Ladoja’s administration) are being tipped for the governor to succeed Akala. They are Mr. Dele Adigun and Chief Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli.
“I must also add that the incumbent Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, is also in the race. And if you look at all of them, they are all relatively young with good academic track records and quality administrative acumen. The move has also accounted for why many of them (his supporters) are grumbling and not likely to join him to AP if he makes real his threat to dump the on-going collective struggle being championed by the coalition.’’
Reason: The former governor of the Pacesetter State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, and a leading member of the group of elders in the coalition headed by Senator Lekan Balogun, is shunning all entreaties to drop his ambition to wrest power from the incumbent governor.
A source within the coalition told the Nigerian Compass, at the weekend, that Ladoja has vowed to slug it out with his successor at next year’s election.
In the coalition against the return of Alao-Akala to the Agodi Gate Government House are former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, former Special Duties Minister, Elder Wole Oyelese, and the Senate Leader, Teslim Kolawole Folarin.
Others included Alao- Akala’s kinsmen from Ogbomoso, Ambassador Yomi Akintola and the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Ademola Ayo Adeseun, and a host of others across the five zones of the state.
Ladoja, who was being urged to allow the coalition present a consensus candidate ahead of the PDP governorship primaries to tackle the incumbent, has started oiling his political machinery to vie for the governorship on the platform of the Accord Party (AP).
The former governor’s ambition was already causing disquiet and misunderstanding within the coalition, even as some members of his camp threatening not to defect to the AP.
Many of the supporters of the former governor have also expressed serious reservations for the former governor’s ambition and his perceived lack of ‘’succession plans” for close associates and younger elements in the state.
Already, Ladoja, through the popular social network Facebook, in a column tagged ‘’Ladoja 4 2011'’ has indicated interest to publicly declare for the AP on or before the end of the second week of this month.
Sources close to the former governor disclosed that he (Ladoja) was not favourably disposed to any of the younger elements within the coalition becoming the governor in 2011 as being envisaged by some of the coalition leaders.
The conclusion of leaders of the coalition was to pick any of the younger ones in tandem with the wind of political changes blowing across the globe, where young people with proven academic track records and political sagacity, are being given the chance to prove their mettle in the quest to take the society to the next level.
Though Ladoja, the source added, was at a stage disposed to the idea of picking any of the younger elements to take over from Alao-Akala, but, recent events had shown that he may have jettisoned the idea for reasons best known to him.
Said the source: “Two former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) under Oga’s administration (Ladoja’s administration) are being tipped for the governor to succeed Akala. They are Mr. Dele Adigun and Chief Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli.
“I must also add that the incumbent Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, is also in the race. And if you look at all of them, they are all relatively young with good academic track records and quality administrative acumen. The move has also accounted for why many of them (his supporters) are grumbling and not likely to join him to AP if he makes real his threat to dump the on-going collective struggle being championed by the coalition.’’
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