advertisement

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Police Restore Ladoja's Security

  • Akala: Says Court Can't Sack Me
From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan

The stage appeared set yesterday for Governor Rashidi Ladoja's return to the Oyo State Government House as the police authorities assigned 21 anti-riot and regular policemen to him.


advertisement
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Jonathan Johnson yesterday confirmed that 21 policemen had been assigned to Ladoja.

Arrangements were also said to be in top gear to restore his security details.

The governor's lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) told The Guardian yesterday that he wrote a letter to the Inspector-General of Police requesting for the restoration of Ladoja's security details. Olanipekun said the IG responded that he had directed the Oyo police chief to do so.

The unfolding scenario is sequel to the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, which last Wednesday reinstated Ladoja as Oyo State Governor. He was impeached last January by 18 lawmakers loyal to Ibadan politician, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu

Johnson spoke as Ladoja expressed his readiness to assume office as soon as his security aides were complete.

But in a reaction, Alao Akala declared yesterday that no court could remove him from office as what happened among the legislators was purely a legislative matter. He spoke with reporters on the developments in Ibadan and accused Governor Bola Tunubu of Lagos State of interfering in the political crisis in Oyo, which he said was purely an internal affair. He said he did not install himself as governor neither did he beg for the office but God made him the State Chief Executive.

"Is it possible for me to install myself as governor?

Did any court install me? Can any court remove me as governor? What they did is not an election tribunal that would decide who will be on seat as governor.

House of Assembly says this is not what we want. Did I apply to be a governor?" he queried.

Meanwhile, the nullification of the impeachment process by the court has started to claim casualties among journalists in the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) whose principal staff were re-deployed for airing the Court of Appeal judgment on the radio and television services. Besides, a wild protest led by Adedibu was made to the management of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Ibadan on the manner of airing the report.

Following conflicting reports on whether or not Ladoja's security had been restored, Johnson who said he was not competent to speak on the issue pointed out that as far as he was concerned, the governor had been provided with security.

According to him, 15 regular and four anti-riot policemen as well as two men from the state Intelligence Bureau were deployed to provide security for Ladoja.

But Ladoja said he was waiting for the Inspector General of Police IGP to restore his aides particularly his Aide-de Camp, police Orderly and the Chief Security Officer (CSO).

The re-deployed state media Chief are Alhaji Kola Bolomope, Director News and Current Affairs; Mr. Niyi Yusuf, Deputy Director, News and Current Affairs, Alhaji Tunji Alawaye, Chief Editor and Mrs. Lola Makinde also a Chief Editor. They were re-deployed to Tourism Board and Cultural Centre.

They were served with their letter of redeployment yesterday and no reason was given for their redeployment.

Adebayo Alao-Akala summoned one of the directors and the reporter who covered the Appeal Court to his office for airing the judgment .

At the Zonal office of the NTA, it was learnt that

Adedibu alongside his supporters including the

Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi and the Special

Adviser to the Governor on Communications, Diran

Odeyemi among others stormed the Agodi office of the Manager, Mrs. Vicky Olumudi to protest the station's reporting of the judgement.

The Guardian learnt that Adedibu was returning from the government secretariat where he had led a solidarity march to Alao- Akala in the wake of the euphoria that greeted the judgment from the people of the state when he suddenly made a detour to the television station to protest the usage of the story on the news bar of the NTA network service.

Olumudi, who confirmed Adedibu's visit to his office,

however said she was not assaulted by his men as "he merely came to protest the airing of the court

judgement and everybody has a right to protest."

While calling on Tinubu to steer clear of Oyo

Alao-Akala warned that if he failed to heed his advice, he would make Lagos ungovernable for the rest of the year

He said: "A long as Tinubu is the Governor of Lagos

State and not the President of Nigeria, he should leave Oyo State alone. If he doesn't leave our state alone, we would look for a way to make the rest of this year ungovernable for him too in Lagos State.

"We are aware of the antics of Governor Tinubu and I want to say categorically that he should mind his own business. He should leave us alone in Oyo. If he has any senatorial ambition, he should wait for the 2007 election, which is just around the corner. And if he is interested in Oyo State, let him contest

the 2007 presidential elections so that the state would be part of his constituency."