The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Former governor Rashidi Ladoja

  • Oyo PDP crisis: Ex-Deputy Senate whip resigns membership

    A prominent member of the Oyo state People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola Wednesday morning resigned his membership of the party following Tuesday’s meeting of the party’s leadership in the house of a former Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

    Senator Agboola was the only senator from the People’s Democratic Party between 2011-2015 from the South West Nigeria in the seventh National Assembly.

    The Deputy National Chairman of the party, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi; the Zonal Chairman, Dr. Eddy Olafeso; Lagos State PDP Chairman, Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador; Rev. Bunmi Jenyo, Zonal Secretary (South West); Arewa Nike, Ex-Officio (South West); had stormed Ladoja’s Bodija Ibadan residence to assuage the feeling of the former governor over the “much-reported harmonization of the PDP state executive”.

    Agboola who was in the forefront of those clamouring for the harmonization of the executive appeared worried over the ‘Tuesday’s homage paid’ to Ladoja by the party’s hierarchy.

    According to him, “with this visit, the party has finally handed the fate of Oyo PDP in Ladoja’s hand. Here is somebody whose leadership style will finally sink the boat of the party. Why do they think we were praying for harmonization? It is basically to give room for true reconciliation of all factions, following the parallel Congress of last year. And before now, we have made it clear that anything short of true reconciliation, we won’t welcome it.

    “I am taken aback by such visit which was largely once sided. And it has shown us that the party does not want the PDP to win this state in 2019. The National Working Committee should count some of us out on this latest development which would certainly boomerang in the loss of the coming election.

    “For the party to now say that somebody whose anti-party activities are legendary should be the alfa and omega of the party we all toiled to grow to this level, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Here was Ladoja who in 2007 sponsored a candidate in All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) against the PDP gubernatorial candidate which the PDP won. Again in 2011, he left PDP to join Accord and contested but lost.

    “If one may ask, where are these two parties; the ANPP and Accord today in this state? The PDP will certainly go into extinction in Ladoja’s hand unless the National Working Committee (NWC) wades in before it is too late to reconcile and harmonise the executive, and until that is done, I am leaving the party for them. I assure my supporters statewide and more importantly Oyo North senatorial district to await further directives.”

    Asked if he was not invited to the meeting, Senator Agboola said “I was invited but I made it clear to them that I won’t attend any meeting in Ladoja’s house. Can’t we meet at the state party Secretariat? Many of PDP chieftains had left the party because of Ladoja’s style of leadership.

    “I was invited but I made it clear to them that I won’t attend any meeting called outside the party Secretariat, I will never attend meeting in Ladoja’s house. Thank God, it is less than a year now to the next general election, we will all see the results,” Agboola popularly called Alleluyah fumed.

    A report from a statement on Wednesday signed by Anthony Agbetuyi, the Personal Assistant to the PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi had quoted Ladoja expressing commitment to the PDP following the meeting of Tuesday

    Ladoja was quoted as having said: “I want to encourage our party members and all well-wishers to remain steadfast and strong in this journey as we approach 2019 general election and deliver our people from the hand of the All Progressives Congress.”

    Other leaders in attendance were the Oyo State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha; Senator Hamzat Ayo Adeseun; Senator Olufemi Lanlehin; Senator Kamorudeen Adedubu; Hon. Muraina Ajibola; Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli; Bayo Lawal; Dr. Saka Balogun; Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran; Hon. Bimbo Adepoju; Mukeso Destiny; and Alhaji Emiola Wasii among other leaders.

    Engr. Seyi Makinde was said to be absent due to an official commitment in the United States of America.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Senator, Envoy, others quit PDP for SDP

  • Gbolarumi battles Ladoja for control of party

    Gbolarumi battles Ladoja for control of party

    The crisis rocking the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which culminated in parallel congresses at the weekend, deepened yesterday.

    Leaders of the two groups engaged in a verbal war, each insisting not to shift ground for the other.

    Former Deputy Governor Hazeem Gbolarumi vowed to prevent former Governor Rashidi Ladoja from hijacking the party from those he described as steady members.

    He said Ladoja came to destroy the PDP in Oyo State.

    Ladoja returned to the PDP last month from Accord, which he joined in 2010.

    While the faction led by Ladoja at the weekend held its state congress at the Watershed Events Centre on Old Ife Road, the one led by Gbolarumi, Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande, Mr. Seyi Makinde, Sen. Hosea Agboola and others, held its congress at Baptist School, Oke-Ado.

    Gbolarumi justified the parallel congresses, saying Ladoja took virtually all the principal officers under the pretext of ceding them to other parties, such as Labour Party (LP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    The former deputy governor accused Ladoja of treating the party as his personal business.

    According to him, their original agreement was to run an all-inclusive party but Ladoja chose to exclude many others, including Makinde and his supporters from the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He also accused him of ignoring other party stalwarts such as Adeola-Akande, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja and himself in sharing party positions.

    Gbolarumi said some prominent members were already considering leaving the party but he vowed to stay back and fight Ladoja.

    He said: “We don’t even trust him at all. He has only come to destroy this party. The national leadership of the PDP should investigate my claims. He contested in Accord twice and failed. If he was that strong as he believes, why did he come back to the PDP? We have always been in the PDP. He has not come to add value but to destroy it but people like me won’t allow that because I don’t have any other party to go to. We are not cowards. Why should a tenant come and send away the landlord? It is not possible.”

    But Ladoja’s spokesman Lanre Latinwo described the crisis as “a family affair”, saying it would be resolved in no time. He said sharing of party positions was based on the strength of each party in the last general election. He pointed out that the new State Chairman, Mr Kunmi Mustapha, for instance, is a PDP member, not Accord.

     

     

  • Ladoja: Court threatens to arrest attorney-general for ‘contempt’

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Wednesday threatened to order the arrest of Oyo State Attorney-General Oluseun Abimbola and a staff of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Yinka Fatoki, for allegedly flouting its summons.

    Justice Mohammed Idris issued a summons on February 20 for Fatoki to produce some documents needed by the defence.

    The judge also issued a subpoena on February 24 for the Attorney-General.

    Defence counsel in the trial of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja applied to the court to order them to produce the documents.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Ladoja for allegedly converting N4.7billion from the state treasury to his personal use.

    He was charged along with Waheed Akanbi on eight counts of money laundering and unlawful conversion of public funds.

    While cross-examining a prosecution witness – former Senior Special Executive Assistant to Ladoja Mr. Adewale Atanda, the former governor’s lawyer, Bolaji Onilenla, said efforts to get the required documents were unsuccessful.

    He said he wanted to tender them, including official mandates for the disposal of Oyo’s share’s under Ladoja, through the witness.

    “If by tomorrow (today) the Oyo Attorney-General does not produce the documents, we shall be compelled to invoke the consequences of non-compliance.

    “They have not offered any excuse but have been treating the order of court with disdain and levity.

    “The documents sought to be produced are quite central and germane to our defence. We will apply that a warrant be issued against them – we don’t care who they are,” he said.

    Justice Idris noted that his record shows that the Attorney-General and Fatoki were duly served with the summons and subpoena.

    According to him, they had a duty to appear in court having received the summons duly issued, signed and served, adding that “they have no choice”.

    Justice Idris said: “This court frowns at public officers who refuse to appear in court when summons have been issued for them to appear. They have no right to refuse to appear.

    “Therefore, when this court is properly called upon, the court will issue a warrant for their arrest and production in court if they refuse to appear.

    “Let the Attorney-General and Fatoki be warned that they must appear in court.”

    Testifying Wednesday, Atanda said lawyers who defended Ladoja following his impeachment charged him N50million when the case was at the High Court.

    “When there was success at the Court of Appeal and a date had been fixed at the Supreme Court, the team of lawyers said the initial fee was just for the High Court, and that they didn’t know the case would get to the Supreme Court.

    “So, they revised their fees to N350million. Ladoja promised them that if we’re successful at the Supreme Court, we’ll pay the amount because we didn’t have money then.

    “They demanded for a good faith payment, which was why I took a loan and paid them N35million,” Atanda said.

    The witness said he also served as chairman of Oyo State Housing Corporation under Ladoja and had the privilege of sitting in the executive council meetings as an aide.

    He was the shares disposed of by the Ladoja administration was up to 300million units and that they were sold to a firm which offered the best price for the purchase.

    The EFCC accused Ladoja and Akanbi of converting N1,932,940,032.48 belonging to Oyo to their personal use through the Guaranty Trust Bank account of a company, Heritage Apartments Limited despite knowing that it was proceed of crime.

    The prosecution said Ladoja removed £600,000 (about N240,219,945) from the state coffers in 2007 and sent it to Bimpe Ladoja in London.

    Ladoja also allegedly bought an armoured Land Cruiser jeep with N42million for himself using public funds.

    EFCC said he converted N728,600,000 and another N77,850,000 at different times in 2007, and allegedly transferred N77, 850,000 to Bistrum Investments, which he nominated to help him purchase a property named Quarter 361 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    The alleged offence contravenes sections 17(a) and18 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, punishable under sections 14(1), 16(a) (b) and 18(2).

    Ladoja and Akanbi pleaded not guilty.

     

     

  • Ladoja clears air on controversial parcel of land

    Ladoja clears air on controversial parcel of land

    Former governor Rashidi Ladoja has said that the parcel of land beside his Bodija Ibadan residence has never been claimed by him as been speculated by some people in government.

    The state government had recently placed a warning post on the land, stating that tresspassers should know that the property belongs to Oyo state government, an action which raised curiosity and suspicion among members of the public.

    Speaking with The Nation in his Ibadan home during the Sallah festival, Senator Ladoja explained that when the warning sign post was erected by the state government, himself and other discerning members of the public were surprised on the action of the government on a plot of land.

    He argued that there was never a time when he contended the ownership of the parcel of land in question , saying that he only make use of the land to plant farm products.

    On the controversial land were cassava plants and few vegetables planted by the former Governor, but within the plot of land was a mad man who constructed a make-shift with nylon and waste papers.

    Investigation revealed that the mentally challenged man had been on that plot for more than 15 years.

    Ladoja who was accompanied by security men walking on the cassava farm, holding a packed maize which he intends to plant noted that he has been farming on the plot of land for the past 20 years to grow vegetables and other crops for consumption.

    “What I think is that some people in the government had gone to the governor to spread the rumour that me Ladoja has claimed the plot of land which is very untrue. So, suddenly, I was surprised to see this warning sign post that this land belongs to Oyo state government. In the first place, I have said this land belong to me. It is not my land. I only use the land which has been lying fallow for decades for farming.

    “And that is why I have never planted anything that will take a very long time to harvest on the land because I know that any time the owner may come and said look I need my land. So, if that happens I will just remove the things I plant. What will I do with a plot of land, look from here to the other those buildings are mine.

    “It is just unfortunate that some people in government may believe that Ladoja want to claim the land, for what.”

    The former governor was said to owe large expanse of farmlands in five states of the country.