Shortly after the presidential elections in 2015, and in the build up to the Governorship and Houses of Assembly elections on April 11, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have paid an unscheduled visit to a quiet sleepy town of Iperu in a wee hours of the night. His mission: to persuade multi-billionaire business mogul, Chief Adebukunola Kessington Adebutu to put on hold his support for the then governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), even if he wasn’t going to openly support Governor Ibikunle Amosun who is standing as candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the same election.
According to information gathered by yemojanewsng.com, the former president reasoned that the son and scion of the pool magnate, Oladipupo Adebutu had just a week before secured his own victory into the National Assembly where he is to represent the people of the Remo Federal Constituency. And so, the Adebutu’s have no core stake again in the emergence of a new governor outside the APC. What was known to many political pundits in every nooks and crannies of Ogun State at the time was that the Adebutus were the greatest financier of the PDP, and not only that, especially the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka who was adopted as the political son of the former Governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel with whom the Adebutus are also closely related.
Ex President Obasanjo
The former president’s mission notwithstanding, while the Adebutus, especially the older, pretended to look in other directions, it was gathered, that Oladipupo Adebutu the son felt they could not renege on earlier promises of supports. His reasoning, according to findings was that even if they are not going to help Nasir Isiaka write the script of his own election campaigns, they could still keep faith with financial promises. Reports however had it that on the eve of the gubernatorial elections, Ladi Adebutu still coughed out a whopping N250 million in support of the PDP candidate alone, and this outside supports for other candidates of the party to the House of Assembly.
However little did the Adebutus know that all these will eventually rest the burden of leadership and the challenges of repositioning their party, the Peoples Democratic Party on them. Shortly after the defeat of the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan, the shock wave of defeat had thrown the party into a lot of crises, and there emerged various groups jostling for leadership position.
Kasham Buruji
In the perception of many PDP stakeholders in Ogun State, the Buruji Kasamu group which has the control of the executives has held the party hostage. One of the party leaders in the state described the situation of the party, “since 2011 when Buruji took over the leadership and control of the state exco through a procured court judgement, the party had receded into being a personal property of just one man, selling tickets to aspirants at his whims and caprices, without recourse to whether such aspirants have the capacity nor popularity to win elections or not. The Ogun PDP had now become a party of just a few greedy old men and young, and not capable of winning in a popular electoral contest”.
It was also clear that all attempts to bring all the stakeholders to the table to discuss the way forward had failed severally until recently when Oladipupo Adebutu got involved in the movement to bring about peace.
Political watchers in Ogun State revealed to yemojanewsng.com that Adebutu had gone to all the nooks and crannies of the state, visiting elders of the party, and other stakeholders. He was said to have visited party leaders in Ogun West, Ogun East, and Ogun Central Senatorial districts preaching his message of peace and unity, as that is the only window through which the party can regain its strong foothold in the state.
According to some party members, this message of peace seem to be gaining ground, especially because today, Oladipupo Adebutu is believed to command the greatest political following in Ogun State across all political parties and interests including the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). We learnt the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has confirmed to some of his closest aides he would likely support Ladi’s 2019 governorship aspiration.
Talebearers revealed that Ladi Adebutu has been able to rally good support from the former Governor of the State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, and also has great following from among supporters of the Ogun East Senator Buruji Kasamu.
In the words of a chieftain of the party, “don’t let us deceive ourselves, Ladi Adebutu has successfully balkanised the so-called Buruji Omo Ilu group, so much that the group just remain a shadow of itself. The truth is, our people have seen through the lies and deceits called Kasamu; initially, they found it difficult to leave because they don’t know who can provide the kind of leadership they want for them until Ladi Adebutu came on the scene”.
However, no sooner than he started the efforts to bring about peace in the PDP had the tales started flying around that he is the candidate to beat in 2019 in the governorship race. Those who are following political events have started touting Adebutu as the potential governor of Ogun State. They hinged this permutation on the fact that he has a political tentacles spread across various interests, and could be a consensus candidate among the various leaders.
For instance, a few days ago, some of those who attended the Sun newspaper awards in Lagos allegedly swore they heard former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with his former Ogun State counterpart, Aremo Olusegun Osoba discussing Oladipupo Adebutu as a potential consensus candidate to send Ibikunle Amosun and whoever he is sponsoring packing in 2019.
L-R: Hon Sikirulai Ogundele, Chief OLusegun Osoba, Hon Ladi Adebutu, Chief Kessington Adebutu, and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to a source, Ladi Adebutu will readily have the endorsement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ogun State erstwhile Governor Gbenga Daniel, an intricate web of combination which if combined with the strength and support of Tinubu and Osoba will make Oke-Mosan a jolly good ride for Ladi Adebutu.
Not only that, Ladi is believed to have secured the support of over 80 per cent of the leaders of Yewa or Ogun West senatorial district, especially on account of his support for Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, someone seen as the candidate of the Yewa people in 2015.
It was also gathered that Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, candidate of the PDP in the 2015 election has been drumming up support among his Yewa for any possible emergence of Ladi Adebutu on the platform of any political party against the 2019 elections.
He (GNI) was said to have told some of his people in closed door meetings, that he cannot stand against the political interests or ambition of Ladi Adebutu because they have been very supportive of his ambition, both morally and financially all the way. According to the close source, “GNI already told all of us, his followers to start mobilising for Lado. He said he cannot be seen to be standing against his own benefactor. In fact, he told us, if it were only possible, he won’t mind serving as deputy to Ladi, but the political calculation in Ogun State is far more complex than that, but he believes, with Ladi Adebutu in control, he (GNI) is rest assured he will be carried along in the process.
