Ajimobi signed agreement with Ladoja, not Accord Party — Chairman •I remain Accord leader —Ladoja

THE Oyo State chairman of the Accord Party, Alhaji Bashir Lawal, has made a clarification on a political pact between Governor Abiola Ajimobi and a former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, saying it was not an agreement with the Accord as a party but with Ladoja as a brother to Ajimobi.

Contrary to the position widely canvassed that the pact was a gentleman’s agreement between the two politicians, Alhaji Lawal said it was a signed agreement, whose terms were drawn up by Governor Ajimobi without the prompting of Senator Ladoja.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune in Ibadan, on Monday, the Accord Party boss disclosed that one of the terms of the pact was the pledge by Governor Ajimobi to concede 20 per cent of all political appointments to Senator Ladoja.

The agreement, according to Alhaji Lawal, was reached to secure support of the seven lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, to make it possible for the assembly to be constituted as it was.

The chairman, in a reaction to a report credited to his counterpart from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Akin Oke, who described Ladoja as a confused politician over his purported return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and despite a pact with the ACN, said Ajimobi had not fulfilled the agreement he drew up on his own volition.

He added that the ACN chairman was afraid of Ladoja’s return to the PDP because he knew doing so would translate to sounding the death knell for the ACN, which he labelled as a party of liars and insincere people.

“Ajimobi has 20 commissioners and Chief Oke, if he went to school at all and did elementary arithmetic, should know that 20 per cent of the commissioners will mean four commissioners for Ladoja. It is the same for the governor’s 20 advisers. But the governor only gave Ladoja 2 each,” he said.

On local government election yet to be scheduled by the state government, the Accord Party boss said his party was fully prepared for the poll, asking the ACN-led administration to use the election to test its popularity in the state.

Meanwhile, FORMER governor of Oyo State and Leader of Accord Party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja has again denied links with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ladoja denied this allegation on Sunday while addressing Accord members from Lagelu and Akinyele Federal Constituency during the empowerment programme and opening of the constituency office of Honourable Muritala Kayode Busari at Alegongo area, Akobo Ibadan.

He said there was a lot of negotiation between him and other party members but he is still committed to Accord Party.

“I am committed to the improvement of the welfare of the electorate, while other parties are concerned about the welfare of only their party men and women,” he said.

“They have been wooing me but I can’t leave the party I have worked for and join another party. I will remain an Accord Party leader, I will remain loyal to Accord Party members.

He, however, commended the effort of Honourable Busari, representing Lagelu and Akinyele Federal Constituency for a job well done as he brings succour to the masses through provision of financial assistance to the widows, the aged and empowerment programme for the youths of his constituency.