“And for me, among animals, they have leaders. Among humans, it is the same. I have been a leader here in the state and nobody can wish that away. And as Yorubas, we should know how we treat ourselves with respect.”
Former Governor of Oyo State and gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala on Monday said the fear of the unknown and perceived ideological differences stopped him from returning to his former political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Alao-Akala, DAILY POST recalls had penultimate Saturday announced that he has boycotted the gubernatorial primary election of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), due to what he described as an alleged imposition of a certain candidate by the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
The former Governor was later given a Certificate of Return to contest under the ADP. The leadership in the certificate presented to Alao-Akala yesterday in Ibadan added that the former Governor had fulfilled the requirements to fly the party’s flag in the 2019 general elections.
But, Alao-Akala while speaking with journalists on Monday in Ibadan, declared that he decided not to join PDP or ADC in order to avoid the bitter experience he had while in APC and PDP.
According to him, moving to either PDP or ADC after he boycotted the APC governorship primary that produced a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Bayo Adelabu may end up exposing him to another round of unpalatable experience likened to that of ‘from frying pan to fire”.
He said, “I have seen what APC did to us and we must be highly cautious this time. We didn’t join APC because of positions and I told my supporters too that they shouldn’t expect much there. I, however, hinted that if we were offered positions, we would accept them.
“I have been governor before and there is nothing new in my aspiration again if not for the need to heed the clarion call of the masses. I have left the APC and I am now in Action Democratic Party.
“I am his senior in PDP and we left same time. He has gone back to PDP. He is a gifted person with the rare gift of bringing people together. But maybe because of the people around him, he didn’t listen to advice. I can’t join forces with PDP this time around although no permanent enemy or friends in politics.
Alao-Akala while speaking on the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso crises said, “LAUTECH issue normally brings sadness to me because I saw it’s current problems coming when I was in office and that was why I moved to sever the relationship with Osun. We have shared our assets before I left but I became worried when the government of the day reviewed it and this is where it has led us.”
On the shutting down of his business complex in Ibadan, Alao-Akala said he called the attention of the Oyo SSG to it and he denied the government’s knowledge about it.
He said, “And for me, among animals, they have leaders. Among humans, it is the same. I have been a leader here in the state and nobody can wish that away. And as Yorubas, we should know how we treat ourselves with respect.
“They ought to come to me and say excuse, sir, you are owing so-so amount and I would have told them that we have been paying only that we need to streamline the payments. We have been paying to the local government in charge and in fairness to the said council, they are in charge”.
The Genius Media
