Former governor and candidate of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, in the 2019 governorship election in Oyo State, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has revealed that he rejected the senatorial ticket offered him by his former party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, because his loyalists want him to run for a governorship seat.
According to the Ogbomoso-born politician who spoke while featuring on a live Fresh FM Radio programme in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital earlier today, explained further that “I rejected it because the people who want me in politics did not ask me to go the Senate. They asked me to run as governor. If tomorrow, they want me in the Senate, I will do as I am asked. I am not alone in politics. In fact, it is cheaper for me to run for a senatorial seat.”
When speaking about why he thinks he would succeed as the gubernatorial candidate of ADP, he submitted “I am the only person who has been tested and trusted. Moreover, all other major contenders for the seat of Oyo Governor have godfathers except my brother, Engineer Seyi Makinde of PDP. I am also a godfather!”
This is just as he announced that he would stop the joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso with Osun State on the first day of being returned as governor of the state.
He said the joint ownership arrangement is the reason the university is always in crisis adding that he would make the pronouncement after being sworn in on May 29, 2019.
His words “the Commissioner of Education is perhaps the first person I will appoint and I will give instructions to him to carry out this assignment. You see, it pains me today that my successor did not continue with what I started on the LAUTECH issue. I already got the separation started before I left government in 2011.”
Akala also reacted to the rumour making the rounds that his son, Olamiju who is presently a local government chairman in Ogbomoso would be made the deputy to Chief Bayo Adelabu, the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
Akala emphatically submitted that nobody would make his son a deputy-gubernatorial candidate of APC without the consent of the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi who is also the leader of the party in the state.
Akala equally spoke about some of his aides who left him and are not with other political parties like Dr Kola Balogun and Alhaji Rasaq Gbadegesin.
His words “they don’t have electoral value. When they worked with me in government then, they were brought in to help my administration. In politics, we deal with the electorate and not with politicians. Those people you are talking about are not stable. We know them.”
