Ibadan kingmakers officially nominate former governor Rasheed Ladoja as new Olubadan

FORMER Oyo State governor Rasheed Ladoja has been nominated by the kingmakers body the Olubadan-in-Council to be the next monarch of Ibadanland to replace Oba Owolabi Olakulehin who passed away on July 7.

Oba-elect Ladoja, 80, governed Oyo State between 2003 and 2006 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A former pupil of Ibadan Boys High School and Olivet Baptist High School, he studied at the University of Liège in Belgium between 1966 and 1972 where he earned a degree in chemical engineering.

Earlier today, the traditional kingmakers  nominated Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan. This nomination took place at a meeting held at the Olubadan Palace, Oke-Aremo, in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State with new Olubadan not in attendance.

Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, the Balogun Olubadan of Ibadanland, said: “We, members of the Olubadan-in-Council, have all signed and nominated Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the new Olubadan of Ibadanland. We will forward the resolutions of our meeting to our governor, Seyi Makinde.

"Governor Makinde will now pick a date to present a staff of office to the new Olubadan. However, the late Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, will be buried this week, so, this week is not feasible."

When he was elected governor, Oba Ladoja was supported by Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, a PDP power broker in the state but by August 2004, he and Adedibu were locked in a fierce struggle over allocation of government appointees. Governor Ladoja was not supported by the party in this dispute as in an interview in late 2005, the PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Ali, said that the governor should take instructions from Alhaji Adedibu.

On 12 January 2006, Governor Ladoja was impeached by Oyo State legislators and forced out of office, with his deputy, Adebayo Alao-Akala, sworn-in as the new governor. On 1 November 2006, however, the Appeal Court declared the impeachment null and illegal but advised waiting for confirmation of this decision by the Supreme Court.

Later that year on November 11, the Supreme Court upheld the Appeal Court decision and Governor Ladoja officially resumed office on December 12 2006. Anti-riot police were deployed along the main roads leading to the main government offices to prevent violence from supporters of Adebayo Alao-Akala and Alhaji Adedibu during his reinstatement.