Politocians from various political parties gathered in Ibadan on Monday in honour of former Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala.
The former governor, who first served as the deputy to Senator Rashidi Ladoja when he was the governor later won election and became the governor of Oyo State
The Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Fatai Buhari, while paying tribute described the late governor as a very compassionate leader who did many things to have positive impacts in the lives of everybody who came across his way.
Senator Kola Balogun, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party representing Oyo South Senatorila District also paying glowing tributes to the late former governor.
A chieftain of the APC, Niyi Akintola (SAN) said he always disagreed politically with Alao-Akala while he was alive. He, however, said the late former governor was a very good man and a very accessible leader.
He lauded the infrastructural programme embarked upon by his administration saying development would not have already to some areas where he constructed roads if he did not do what he did.
Omodewu said Alao-Akala taught him to be a leader, pointing out that Oyo APC had lost a defender and an indefatigable leader.
He charged members of the Oyo APC to see the death of Alao-Akala as an opportunity to bury their differences and forge a united party to win the 2023 governorship election in the state.
A governorship aspirant in the 2019 election, Remi Oseni described Alao-Akala as an institution in the politics of Oyo State whose governance will continue to be a reference point in the state.
A retired Permanent Secretary, Prof. Tunji Olaopa,who delivered a lecture at the programme described Alao-Akala as a very compassionate man who wanted the best for the people around him,Olaopa also said Alao-Akala took his
Political constituency I to consideration before formed a political alliance with late Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Ibadan people while urging politicians to always emulate him on this
Olaopa said,” The question for the political class taking a cue or the baton from him is therefore to keep
pushing the political interest of their constituencies while forging alliances that are critical to
the fruition of a political culture and resilience that are required to building a strong and
prosperous Nigerian state, overall, with sensitivity to better harness our diversity to not only
position the South West in the larger federation, but to salvage our ailing and failing Nigerian
nation-state.
“This relates to the issue of how the political class in Nigeria manage the tension that comes with ethnic and tribal politics, and crisis management. Taking lessons from and in stark contrast to the Awolowo-Akintola environment of bitterness polluted polity.
“Senator Rasheed Ladoja’s testimony that though he and Akala had occasions of political disagreement, “but this did not injure our personal relationship … I therefore never saw Alao�Akala as a betrayer” was instructive. It validates Akala’s ideology of live-and-let-live, a politics that tried as much as possible to be devoid of bitterness that has become the hallmark of the Nigerian politics.”
