Former governor of Oyo-State, Dr Christopher Adebayo-Alao Akala was once a political gladiator in the Oyo-State politics, but his political power card game was checkmate by his fellow colleagues based on who’s the strongest and powerful politician in the state at the election polling stations.
Adebayo Christopher Alao-Akala is former governor of Oyo-State, he took over the office of power from Senator Raseed Ladoja in a controversial manner in 2006 after that famous impeachment saga that was held in a hotel in Ibadan by some members of the Oyo House of Assembly and some members of NURTW. Not much was known about the erstwhile deputy governor nationally until then.
Before that impeachment saga, Akala was not known in the political scene of Oyo-State, but after that scenario his influence is all over the political division in the state.
“Dr Alao-Akala has in his kitty the First Leaving Certificate obtained in 1962, West African School Certificate (1972), ASCON Certificate (1985), Passed Staff College (Psc) 1990, Diploma in Business Administration (1998), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) Honoris Causa, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso (2006), Doctor of Science (Political Science) Honoris Causa, Lead City University (2008)” proclaims his Wikipedia page. Apparently, he’s no mate to the many Nigerian politicians who are mere secondary school leaving certificate holders.
In addition to all of his academic degrees, Akala’s time in service also earned him considerable overseas exposure. For example, he was once recommended for training at the Metropolitan Police Training School, Peel Centre, Hendon, London. And then invited to participate “as a Nigerian delegate at two INTERPOL Conferences in Nice, France and Malaga, Spain”.
Politically, Akala’s career took off in when he started sponsoring a local government chairmanship and councilor candidates in his hometown of Ogbomoso. He then went on to win for himself a chairmanship election in the Ogbomoso North Local Government under the platform of APP.
His move to PDP, where he’d later become Deputy Governor in 2003 was preceeded by him founding a group called “Ogbomoso Unity Forum”, The group later joined then ruling party, PDP. It was under the PDP, herved for a second time as the local government chairman of Ogbomoso North 1999 to 2002.
Right after, he joined Rasheed Ladoja on the PDP ticket for the State House in Oyo. They won. But when the road got rocky between Ladoja and Lamidi Adedibu, the late power broker of Oyo who had backed their ticket to the office over allocation of government appointees, Ladoja lost party support and eventually got impeached.
Although his impeachment was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2009, Alao-Akala, his deputy who held forte while he fought his battles had already become comfortable with power and also gained the support of the “godfather”, Adedibu.Briefly, after his Supreme Court win, Ladajo officially took back the office of governor from Alao-Akala but a year later when he tried to run for office again, Akala had beat him to the PDP ticket. He won the election for the second term.
In his now elected capacity as governor, Akala got famous for overturning his predecessor’s gains in office. For example, he immediately sacked all local government chairmen backed by Ladoja in 33 councils of the State.
Akala himself failed terribly to get re-elected in 2011 and again in 2015 having defected to a less popular Labour Party a year before. He is now a member of the ruling APC.
Recently, Akala has made a few public appearances, notably when he was identified as one of the attendees at the late Isiaka Adeleke’s burial in Osun State in May.
There are also rumours that he may make a run for Oyo’s State House in 2019 but the former governor had said last year that he was not making plans for the next elections. In his words:
“When we get to the bridge, we shall cross it. This is just 2016. Time will tell wherever anybody wants to go. Why do you try to ask God about 2019 now? Do you know whether you will sleep tomorrow and wake up tomorrow? Let’s leave 2019 to God.”
The question now in the lips of everybody is this — Has Alao-Akala Died Politically? | The Policeman Who Became A Governor.