22 new
Oyo: Kuye’s death unites Ajimobi, Ladoja
From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan
The eighth-day fida’u of the late Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Omowale Kuye, held in Ibadan, weekend, united the Governor of Oyo State Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi and the gubernatorial candidate of Accord Party in the last general elections, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.
While Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious at the April 11, 2015 governorship election, Ladoja, who came second, challenged the outcome of the election at the tribunal which eventually affirmed Ajimobi’s victory.
Ladoja has since appealed against the tribunal’s verdict.
However, the political rivalry between the two seems to have thawed on Friday as they openly embraced each other and exchanged pleasantries at the Ikolaba (Ibadan) residence of the late federal director of budget, to the admiration of eminent personalities and clerics at the occasion.
The Fida’u ceremony provided Ajimobi another opportunity to tell the people of the state that he was not in any way at loggerheads with Ladoja whom he referred as his elder brother, saying that politics apart, the bond between them was still intact.
He said: “Politics is a funny game which pits brothers against brothers, friends against friends and even majority ethnic groups against minority groups. And this is exactly what has happened between me and my brother, Senator Ladoja.
“Even when you don’t want to quarrel, your supporters will be inciting you to quarrel. Such is the nature of politics. Politics makes siblings to go against one another.
“But honestly, politics apart, there is no personal animosity between us. Senator Ladoja is my brother. I will never fight him.”
Ajimobi advised political leaders to eschew bitterness and refuse succumbing to the antics of their supporters to cause disaffection amongst them.
Extolling the late Chief Kuye, he described him as a role model, an extremely brilliant, honest and candid man who had a lot of integrity.
Earlier at a lecture, the Chief Imam of the University of Ibadan Central Mosque, Prof. Abdur-Rahman Oloyede, admonished supporters of different political parties to emulate the harmonious relationship between Ladoja and Ajimobi, despite their political differences.