- May Join Another Party, ADP
Former Oyo governor, Otunba Alao Akala, is very angry right now. According to insiders, he is very angry at the shoddy way and manner he was treated by Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who many months back, promised to support Akalas bid for the governorship, but backed out at the last minute.
What happened was that both had agreed months back that Ajimobi would support Akala’s ambition to run again for governor. And they had several meetings, one of which took place in London. Based on the Gentleman’s agreement, Akala dumped PDP and joined APC several months ago, amid pomp and pageantry. But when the time came for Ajimobi to fulfil his part of the deal, he reneged. He pitched tent with one of the Sunkanmi Tegbe at last weeks election. But at the very last minute, Ajimobi supported Adebayo Adelabu and this former CBN deputy governor won.
So, though, the recent Oyo APC governorship primary has come and gone, it has left in its wake, a lot of bad blood. One of those, who got angry with the way the primary was handled, is Otunba Akala, who is an APC party chieftain.
How many people know that there was fire on the mountain was what happened just before the election, when Akala issued a Press Release entitled: SAVE OYO APC FROM IMMINENT COLLAPSE, warning the party leadership to be wary of the pitfall that may ruin the party. The release was signed by Jeremiah Akande, the Head of his New Media and Public Affairs, Alao Akala Campaign Organisation.
Akala had several meetings with Ajimobi and the governor had told Akala that at the APC primary he would field Tegbe. That didn’t go down well with Akala who also had Guber ambition. In the statement he issued, the former Governor called on the National Leadership of the Party, President Mohammadu Buhari and others to come to the aid of the Oyo State chapter of the party, which is on the brink of collapse owing to high-handedness and Imposition of candidates on delegates by Gov. Abiola Ajimobi.
“Otunba Alao-Akala wishes to state categorically and put the leadership of the party and the General Public on Notice that Governor Abiola Ajimobi has perfected plans to Impose one Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe on delegates as he has sent his foot soldiers around to coerce and Intimidate delegates to vote for the said Tegbe at the party primaries against their free will”.
“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, a true party man and committed loyalist to any cause he believes in wishes to state categorically that he is not a pushover in the game of Politics and as a well-grounded and groomed politician, who has occupied the number one seat of a Politically conscious state as Oyo State will not be part of any move or attempt to subvert the true will and wishes of the people by the selfish interest of an Individual.
The General Public should also note that Gov. Abiola Ajimobi has clandestinely offered Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala the Ministerial slot of Oyo State in an attempt to pitch him against Barr. Adebayo Shittu, an offer he has rejected. It’s entirety so as he is not one to be tailored or shown the way round in the game of Politics.
“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has, therefore, decided to “STAY AWAY” from the primary, owing to insensitivity and selfishness of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, who is hellbent on imposing his stooge as his successor.”
“In view of the above, His Excellency has also directed that all his teeming supporters, well-wishers and party faithful, who believe in him should stay away from the sham election”.
Akala, who is 68, is angry at the way Gov. Ajimobi betrayed his trust. He has been at this game for years. He started his political career as a member of the New Dimension, a political association of progressive young elements. He participated in the zero-party local government election of 1996 and later co-founded the UNP before its fusion with UNC to form UNCP. In the 1997 local government election, Otunba Alao-Akala sponsored the chairmanship candidate and seven councillorship candidates to victory on the ticket of the UNCP. He participated in the Ogbomoso Federal Constituency (One) primary election of the UNCP in 1997. He contested and won the chairmanship seat of the Ogbomoso North Local Government along with seven councillors seats on the platform of APP in 1998. He was elected vice-chairman of ALGON, Oyo State Chapter between 1999 and 2002. A versatile and visionary political leader, Alao-Akala founded the Ogbomoso Unity Forum, a political association which later joined the PDP, he was the Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government from 1999 to 2002.
Otunba (Dr) Adebayo popularly known as “Omo Iya Alaro” became the Deputy Governor of Oyo State from May 2003 to January 2006. He became the Governor of Oyo State in January 2006, a position he occupied till May 2011.
On 8 December 2014, Otunba Alao-Akala defected to the Labour Party in Oyo State, owing to internal irregularities in his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). On 10 December 2014, he formally declared his intention to re-contest the gubernatorial election of Oyo State on the platform of the Labour Party in the February 2015 general elections. During his declaration of intent, all other party gubernatorial aspirants in Labour Party stepped down for him, thereby making him emerge as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial standard bearer in Oyo State. On 16th December 2017, he formally defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at a huge ceremony in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.
Born on June 3, 1950, at Ogbomoso in the Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Akala had his elementary school at Osupa Baptist Day School, Ogbomoso. From there, he proceeded to Kamina Barracks Middle School, 5th Battalion of Infantry Tamale, Ghana.
On leaving Kamina Barracks Middle School, Adebayo Alao-Akala went to Government Technical College, Tamale, Ghana and Ogbomoso High School, Ogbomoso. Still, in search of more knowledge, Otunba (Dr) Alao-Akala capped it all with further studies at different premier higher institutions.
Akala got the First Leaving Certificate in 1962, West African School Certificate (1972), ASCON Certificate (1985), Passed Staff College (Psc) 1990, Diploma in Business Administration (1998), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) Honoris Causa, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso (2006), Doctor of Science (Political Science) Honoris Causa, Lead City University (2008).
Alao-Akala has been privileged to attend several career development courses. He enlisted as a Cadet Inspector of Police in June 1974 at the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja. Following his brilliant performance, he was recommended for overseas training at the Metropolitan Police Training School, Peel Centre, Hendon, London. He has also attended the Administrative Staff College, Topo, Badagry; the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos; Police Staff College, Jos; Command and Staff College, Jaji. Otunba Alao-Akala has participated as a Nigerian delegate at two INTERPOL Conferences in Nice, France and Malaga, Spain.
From the position of a Station Officer in the Nigeria Police, he became Administrative Officer, Federal Operations at the Force Headquarters, Lagos. He later rose to the position of Operations Officer, FEDOPS, Lagos. The steady rise of Otunba Alao-Akala to fame and fortune reached its apogee when he became the Personal Assistant to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police and subsequently the ADC to the erstwhile Inspector-General of Police.
From there onwards, Alao-Akala held several prestigious command positions in the Police Force. He was O/C Advanced Training Wing, Police College, Ikeja; Divisional Police Officer, Bode Thomas, Lagos; Divisional Police Officer, Iponri Police Station, Lagos; Railway Divisional Police Officer, Nigeria Railways, Ebutte Meta, Lagos; Area Commander, Western District, Nigeria Railway Police, Ibadan; CSP Admin. Gongola State Command, Yola; CSP Admin. Kwara State Command, Ilorin; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Agodi Area Command, Ibadan, Oyo State Police Command, Ibadan. In September 1995, Otunba (Dr) Adebayo retired from the Nigeria Police as Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Logistics and Supply, Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan. Besides public service, Dr Alao-Akala is a seasoned and astute businessman. He is the founder and chairman of TDB Global Ventures and Parrot FM radio station, both in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
