Still on the 1951 Western Regional House of Assembly cross-carpeting…

SCRIPTURE says from the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth of a matter is established (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). So, today I bring another testimony to the so-called 1951 cross-carpeting saga in the Western Region House of Assembly. Taken from Wikipedia, it contains more details than what was published here last week. It reads:

“The Ibadan Peoples Party (IPP) was established on June 15, 1951, by a group of eminent Ibadan indigenes who opposed the policies which held sway in the Yorùbá-dominated Western Region, Nigeria, in the 1950s. Its founding chairman was Chief Augustus Akinloye, and the other founders were: Chief Adegoke Adelabu, Chief Kola Balogun, Chief T. O. S. Benson, Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya and Chief H. O. Davies. The other leaders of the IPP were Chief S. A. Akinyemi, Chief S. O. Lanlehin, Chief Moyo Aboderin, Chief Samuel Lana, Chief D. T. Akinbiyi, Chief S. Ajunwon, Chief S. Aderonmu, Chief R. S. Baoku, Chief Akin Allen and Chief Akinniyi Olunloyo.

“Elections of 1951: When the election into the Western Region House of Assembly was completed in November 1951, the Action Group won 38 out of the 80 seats contested in the first set of elections. Independents who had been part of the inauguration of the Action Group (Egbe Afenifere) had, however, won seats as Independent candidates. In Ibadan, the Ibadan Peoples Party (IPP) won all the six seats up for grabs, while in Lagos, the NCNC won all the available five seats.

“Before the elections were held, Action Group and NCNC were making conflicting claims on the membership of the candidates. This was in spite of individuals like Chief Anthony Enahoro, who had been previously a card-carrying member of NCNC before the formation of Action Group, publicly declaring for Action Group and attending the inauguration of Action Group at Owo in February 1951.

“In an action to set the records straight, Mr Harold Cooper, the Government Public Relations Officer, wrote to the parties to furnish a list of the candidates contesting election on their platforms. Only the Action Group complied with this request and its list of candidates was as follows: Ijebu Remo Division – Obafemi Awolowo and M.S. Sowole; Ijebu Ode Division – S.O. Awokoya, Rev. S.A. Banjo and V.D. Phillips; Oyo Division – Chief Bode Thomas, Abiodun Akerele, A.B.P. Martins, T.A. Amao and S.B. Eyitayo; Osun Division – S.L. Akintola, J.O. Adigun, J.O. Oroge, S.I. Ogunwale, I.A. Adejare, J.A. Ogunmuyiwa and S.O. Ola; Ondo Division – P.A. Ladapo and G.A. Deko; Okitipupa Division – Dr L.B. Lebi, CA Tewe and SO Tubo; Epe Division – SL Edu, AB Gbajumo, Obafemi Ajayi and C.A. Williams; Ikeja Division – O. Akeredolu-Ale, S.O. Gbadamosi and F.O. Okuntola; Badagry Division – Chief C.D. Akran, Akinyemi Amosu and Rev. G.M. Fisher; Egba Division – J.F. Odunjo, Alhaji A.T. Ahmed, C.P.A. Cole, Rev S.A. Daramola, Akintoye Tejuoso, S.B. Sobande, I.O. Delano and A. Adedamola.

“The others were as follows: Egbado Division – J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A. Fafunmi, Adebiyi Adejumo, A. Akin Illo and P.O. Otegbeye; Ife Division – Rev S.A. Adeyefa, D.A. Ademiluyi, J.O. Opadina, and S.O. Olagbaju; Ekiti Division – E.A. Babalola, Rev. J Ade Ajayi, S.K. Familoni, S.A. Okeya and D Atolagbe; Owo Division – Michael Adekunle Ajasin, A.O. Ogedengbe, J.A. Agunloye, L.O. Omojola and R.A. Olusa; Western Ijaw Division – Pere E.H. Sapre-Obi and M.F. Agidee; Ishan Division – Anthony Enahoro; Urhobo Division – W.E. Mowarin, J.B. Ohwinbiri and J.D. Ifode; Warri Division – Arthur Prest and O. Otere, and Kukuruku Division – D.J.I. Igenuma.

“Of the names on the list, only Michael Adekunle Ajasin from Owo Division, which comprised Akoko then, did not run because of party solidarity and unity in Owo. He stood down for A.O. Ogedengbe and R.A. Olusa to contest for two of the three seats, which they won, while D.K. Olumofin won the third seat for the NCNC. Three secretaries of the Action Group, who ran as independents and won, were Alhaji D.S. Adegbenro, Egba Division; J.O. Osuntokun, Ekiti Division and S.O. Hassan, Epe Division.

“At the close of polls on 24 September 1951, the Action Group had won 38 of the 72 seats in contention in the Regional Assembly. There were a total of 80 seats. Lagos had five seats in the West Regional Assembly, all won by the NCNC in the election of 20 November 1951, while Benin had three won by Otu Edo candidates in the election of 6 December 1951. The poll had been postponed in Lagos and Benin following security concerns. Of the 68 candidates on the list furnished by the Action Group to the Government PR Department, 38 of the elected AG members were from that list. And they were as follows: Ijebu Remo – Obafemi Awolowo and M.S. Sowole; Ijebu Ode – Rev. S.A. Banjo and S.O. Awokoya; Oyo – Bode Thomas, Abiodun Akerele, A.B.P. Thomas, T.A. Amao and S.B. Eyitayo; Osun – S.L. Akintola, J.O. Adigun, J.A. Oroge, S.I. Ogunwale, I.A. Adejare, J.A. Ogunmuyiwa and S.O. Ola.

“Other elected AG members from the list were: Egba – J.F. Odunjo, Alhaji A.T. Ahmed, Rev. S.A. Daramola and Prince Adedamola; Egbado (now Yewa) – J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A. Fafunmi and A. Akin Illo; Ekiti – E.A. Babalola and Rev. J. Ade-Ajayi; Badagry – Chief C.D. Akran and Rev. G.M. Fisher; Ikeja – S.O. Gbadamosi and O Akeredolu-Ale; Ife – Rev. SA Adeyefa and SO Olagbaju; Owo – AO Ogedengbe and R.A. Olusa; Epe – Safi Lawal Edu; Okitipupa – C.A. Tewe; Western Ijaw – M.F. Agidee; Ishan – Anthony Enahoro, and Warri – Arthur Prest.

“In addition to the Action Group and the NCNC, there were local/divisional parties such as the Ibadan People’s Party (IPP) led by Chief AMA Akinloye; Ondo Improvement League, and Otu Edo of Benin. At the end of the poll, the standing of the parties was as follows: Action Group 38; NCNC/Independents 25; IPP 6 and Ondo Improvement League 2. Otu Edo candidates won the three Benin seats, namely, Chief SO Ighodaro, Chief Humphrey Omo-Osagie and Chief Chike Ekwuyasi. Chief Ighodaro opted for the AG while the latter two went to the NCNC. And of the six IPP elected members, only Adegoke Adelabu joined the NCNC. The rest of them: AMA Akinloye, Chief DT Akinbiyi (who later became the Olubadan of Ibadan), Chief SO Lanlehin, Moyosore Aboderin and SA Akinyemi, opted for the Action Group.

“The NCNC National Secretary, the late Chief Kola Balogun, had sent declaration forms to the IPP assemblymen asking them to declare for the NCNC, but Chief Akinloye returned all the forms uncompleted.

“The three AG secretaries who had run as independents – Adegbenro, Osuntokun and Hassan, five IPP members, one Otu Edo, and one Ondo Improvement League, Chief F.O. Awosika; and Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola (Independent, Ijebu Ode) had swollen the number of the AG elected members.

“All the transactions had taken place before the inauguration of the Regional Assembly on 7 January 1952. These (those who allegedly cross-carpeted to the AG) were not known members of the NCNC, nor did the party publish their names on the list of its candidates. For over half a century, the NCNC has yet to provide evidence to back its claim that it had won the West Regional election in 1951.

“Mr Cooper absolved his department of responsibility for the controversy generated by the NCNC after the election. At a post-election news conference in Lagos, he said: ‘Of the winning candidates, the names of 38 were on the list sent to me by the Action Group. The six successful candidates at Ibadan were all among those who had been identified to me as representing the Ibadan People’s Party. No claim of any kind had reached us about the party affiliation of the remaining successful candidates.’

“Why did the NCNC not send a list of its candidates for the poll to the Government PR Department before that poll? The records of the poll conducted in the West and all over Nigeria by the colonial administration are available at the National Archives and can be accessed by any honest researcher. In this matter, it is facts that speak, not what some political/ethnic partisans said or did not say…”

Need we say more on this matter?