Former governor Rashidi Ladoja yesterday disclosed how he would have preferred Sen. Olufemi Lanlehin as Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, governorship candidate in Oyo State if he had defected with him from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Ladoja, who supported Lanlehin ahead of ZLP’s governorship candidate, Barr. Sharafadeen Alli, and 11 other ADC governorship aspirants, spoke on Political Circuit, a political programme, on a privately owned radio station, Fresh 105.9 FM, Ibadan.
OYO INSIGHT recall how Alli and 11 others had gone to court to challenge what they called the imposition of Lanlehin as candidate by Ladoja and other ADC leaders.
Ladoja would later say he was not satisfied with the selection process in ADC especially with the nomination of Lanlehin’s deputy, Hon. Saheed Adejare Alaran, a former chairman of Iseyin local government.
While many believe Lanlehin couldn’t have secured the ADC ticket without Ladoja’s influence, the former governor exited the party.
Asked why he didn’t support Alli ahead of Lanlehin in ADC, he said he felt Lanlehin was a better candidate.
This was after he had revealed how Alli was instrumental to the success of his administration achieved.
“It was a critical decision to support lanlehin, but I took it. I begged him to follow me to ZLP but he refused. Sharafadeen Alli is part of my success.
“If my administration scored 10 over 20, Alli was my secretary to the state government and later chief of staff, so his input will be 2 or 3 out of 10. He knows where we stopped and he can re-engineer Oyo
“They begged me when the decision of the senators were taken, I succumbed. They begged me when that of federal Representatives and state were taken, but I decided it was enough when that of the deputy governor was taken.
“Lanlehin didn’t pick his deputy, he was not even given a choice. I chose Alao-Akala. Why will a governor not have the chance to choose his own deputy? That means a factional and parallel government will be run,” he explained.
He added that “I am a specialist in running small parties. I successfuly run Accord. Those that rigged us out in 2015 confessed to us. Accord won that election in 2015.
“Alli didn’t betray me by running against me in 2015. He is simply exercising his constitional right. All those things are now behind me.
“People were suprised by the results Accord party had in 2011, a party formed two months to election. A lot will be shocked.
“Politicians are not the ones that win elections, though they interface with voters. There were more politicians in PDP and APP in 1999 but the people voted AD. No notable politicians followed us to Accord and we were a success. ZLP will be successful.
He explained how he failed in his bid to become the national chairman of PDP.
“The party is full of Impunity and I left PDP because it’s already a factional party. It happened under Markarfi. I wasn’t forced out of PDP, I left myself to avoid strife,” he added.
