Olubadan and former Oyo State Governor, Oba Rashidi Ladoja has given a detailed account of the circumstances that led to his impeachment in 2006.
He linked his removal directly to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third-term agenda.
Ladoja said he had a cordial relationship with the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu during his early days in office.
He noted that Adedibu often yielded to his position on political matters, but tensions arose after the activities of Adedibu’s loyalists spiraled out of control.
He recalled that on inauguration day, political supporters pulled down Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s statue from the Government House and moved it to Adedibu’s residence, marking his first crisis.
Adedibu’s followers also took over a finance board in Bodija, claiming the new government had displaced its predecessor and that they were now in charge.
Ladoja alleged that the same group extorted traders at the Bola Ige International Market through protection fees, destroyed urban planning by allocating roadside spaces for containers, and even arrested residents in rural areas to demand money.
“No sane government would allow such things to go on,” he said, explaining that his refusal to condone the lawlessness became a point of conflict.
The former governor stressed that his impeachment could not have succeeded without Obasanjo’s involvement.
He argued that Adedibu and then-deputy governor Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala did not have the two-thirds majority required in the House of Assembly. “It was Obasanjo’s third-term agenda that made my impeachment possible,” he said.
Ladoja recounted a meeting with Obasanjo in Ota, where he confronted him about the plan to seek tenure extension.
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He reminded the president that despite not being a career politician, lacking campaign funds, and coming out of prison, he had been given the presidency for eight years by divine providence.
He said Obasanjo denied the third-term plan but was not pleased with the conversation.
That same evening, Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel called to caution him that Obasanjo had vowed to reduce him to “a nobody.” Days later, at a Council of State meeting in Abuja, fellow governors Olusegun Agagu, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and Daniel encouraged Ladoja to apologise to Obasanjo. He attempted to, but Obasanjo reportedly dismissed him, repeating the threat.
The crisis worsened after the loss of some of his aides in a road accident, which dampened his political strength. On January 2006, during the Sallah festival, Ladoja and three other governors visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta to plead for peace.
The delegation included Agagu, Oyinlola, and Daniel, but not Ekiti governor Ayodele Fayose, described as “Obasanjo’s son.” Obasanjo told them that Ladoja should resign or face removal. Ladoja refused, insisting that the Assembly could not lawfully remove him. Obasanjo reportedly dismissed constitutional requirements, insisting, “Two-thirds my foot.”
Ladoja said it took the intervention of former Attorney General Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN) to urge the governors not to abandon him, noting that he had been praised nationwide for his government’s education policies and for running a corruption-free administration.
On December 7, 2006, the Court of Appeal nullified his impeachment. However, the PDP conducted its governorship primaries two days later, producing Alao-Akala as the party’s candidate. Ladoja did not participate because Obasanjo opposed his return.
After the judgment, Ladoja contacted Obasanjo to express gratitude, but the president reportedly replied that he only asked the Inspector General of Police to protect him from harm and did not intend for him to resume office. Obasanjo was quoted as telling him to “go back to court” if he wanted to reclaim his position.
The political battle then shifted to the courts. Alao-Akala argued that a High Court’s ruling maintaining the “status quo” validated his hold on office, while Ladoja maintained that the Appeal Court judgment had restored him as governor.
Eventually, the Supreme Court ruled in Ladoja’s favour and ordered his reinstatement in January 2007. Obasanjo, however, continued to resist his return until the Inspector General of Police directed the Assistant Inspector General, Tunji Alapinni, to enforce the judgment.
Ladoja said he advised Alapinni not to use force but to inform Alao-Akala of the order, which led to his voluntary exit from the secretariat.
Reflecting on the crisis, Ladoja maintained that his removal was not due to weakness but because of his opposition to Obasanjo’s third-term project. He said his government remained widely praised for its achievements despite the political turbulence.
Dailynewscover
