20 Years After, Ladoja Reveals How Obasanjo Instigated His Impeachment

Former Oyo State Governor, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, shared new details about his impeachment, revealing that it was orchestrated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Speaking on a radio program hosted by Isaac Brown on Fresh FM, Ladoja clarified misconceptions about his removal from office.

Many believed that the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and his former deputy, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, were behind the impeachment. However, Ladoja stated that the real force behind his ousting was Obasanjo himself.

“You see, some people said it was Akala, it was Adedibu. No, it was not any of them. It was Obasanjo,” Ladoja remarked.

He recalled how he, alongside other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors like Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Gbenga Daniel, and Dr. Segun Agagu, went to meet Obasanjo in Abeokuta to plead for him to stop the impeachment.

“It was during the time of Ileya [Muslim festival Eid-el-Kabir]. We went to see Baba Obasanjo. I think it was on a Friday or Saturday. I was there with Oyinlola, Daniel, and Agagu. We did not call Fayose, because we knew that Fayose was Baba’s son,” Ladoja narrated.

He continued, “They knelt down and I knelt down with them. They were begging him, ‘Baba, please, let Ladoja be.’ Baba then said, ‘Rashidi, go and resign!’ I said, ‘No, I won’t resign!’ He said, ‘If you don’t resign, you would be removed.’ I said, ‘No, they cannot do it.’ He said ‘why’? I said ‘because you cannot get two-thirds.’ He then shouted, ‘two-thirds my foot!’ and left the place angrily.”

After Obasanjo stormed out, Gbenga Daniel ran after him. Ladoja, along with Agagu and Oyinlola, began discussing their next steps when they were approached by Prince Bola Ajibola, a former World Court Justice.

“He came in and asked, ‘What is wrong with you?’ He told us he understood our problem, which was that we did not want Ladoja to be impeached,” Ladoja recalled.

Prince Ajibola then encouraged them to stand their ground and fight, sharing a story about ‘Jafitafita,’ a tale involving a tortoise and his wife.

Ladoja credited Ajibola for his guidance during the legal battle to reclaim his position. He said, “I must put it on record that Prince Ajibola did wonderfully for us because he told us exactly what to do: we ‘jafitafita.’”

When the Appeal Court ruled in Ladoja’s favor, Obasanjo still resisted. “Baba said no. People said this is a declarative judgement, but he said they were going to stay its execution. It stayed until the Supreme Court confirmed the judgement of the Appeal Court,” Ladoja concluded.
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