Oyo: Ladoja’s Men Move Against Makinde

The appointment of Olubamiwo Adeosun as the Secretary to the Oyo state Government, SSG by Governor Seyi Makinde has put a wedge in his coalition with other strong politicians in the state.

A staunch politician in the state has told the magazine “all the members of the Ladoja political family are not happy with the governor’s appointment of a non-politician to the sensitive position of SSG.”

Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor of the state brokered the alliance that led to the tripartite agreement among three major political parties that gave Makinde the landslide victory in the governorship election.

Adeosun the first woman SSG in the state was until her appointment the Country Implementation Lead of the Shell Business Operations (SBO), Nigeria.

Her appointment has not gone down well with some politicians in the state who are also interested in the position, sources said.

A member of the coalition, Chief Lanleyin yesterday announced that he has pulled out of the coalition over what he described as the decision of Governor Makinde to appoint political office holders without consulting other groups that formed the coalition which gave him victory in the last governorship election.

In a statement released on Tuesday Senator Lanleyin disclosed that the governor has breached all the terms entered to by the parties before the election.

According to him “Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (Solan), Oyo State Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) hereby announces forthwith, his personal withdrawal from the coalition he has with Engr. Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State governor.

Recall that Senator Lanlehin, former Oyo State gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) joined forces with other opposition parties’ governorship candidates to back Makinde, and the gubernatorial victory was thereupon resounding.”

Senator Lanlehin said further that ”his decision to quit the coalition” was due to “Governor Makinde’s non-compliance with the spirit and letters of the terms of the gubernatorial pre-election agreement reached, however maintains that his party, the ADC is at liberty to remain in the coalition, and believes it should, in fact, remain.

The ADC candidate said he has withdrawn his support for Governor Makinde’s government and that going forward “he would adopt a ‘siddon look’ posture in the governance of Oyo State and allied matters.”

Lanleyin quit the coalition barely a day after Governor Makinde announced that he will present the list of his commissioners to the state house of assembly in 10 days.

Makinde and his party, PDP had entered into an agreement with some political parties such as the SDP, ADP and others before the governorship election in March this year.

The coalition went ahead to defeat the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate in the election, Adebayo Adelabu who was favored by then incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

But since Governor Makinde took power in the Pacesetters’ state, his relationship with the other groups seems to have collapsed as a result of some appointments made by the state helmsman.

The magazine learned that ADC and SDP are not particularly happy with the manner the governor had gone ahead with key appointments without their inputs.

“We all agreed before the election that positions will be shared by the three major partners in the coalition: PDP, ADC and SDP on 50, 30 and 15 percent basis, while the other partners take the remaining five percent,” a source in ADC told the magazine, few minutes after Chief Lanleyin, announced he has abandoned the coalition.

Other sources in the state told the magazine that the other two major political parties expected that the positions of the SSG and Chief of staff will be ceded to them.

Both Adeosun and Ilaka are not members of SDP or ADP.

“It’s not fair that the governor appropriated all the key positions to his party PDP. The governor and his deputy are PDP members. Now add that to the chief of staff and SSG, what’s now left for the other parties,” an official of SDP who did not want his name mentioned, told the magazine few minutes ago.

There are also indications that other members of the coalition will soon follow the line of Lanleyin.

The magazine learned that Sarafadeen Ali a staunch member of the coalition and governorship candidate of SDP is also not happy with the governor, after his effort to be appointed SSG failed.

Ali had recently failed to attend the inauguration of the Governor Advisory Council, GAC by Governor Makinde.

GAC is made up of some elders in the state, a body formed by the state’s helmsman to advise his administration.