Why I was furious with Makinde before 2023 elections — Ladoja

Former Governor of Oyo, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, on Wednesday, gave reasons he was furious with the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, in the buildup to the last elections.

Addressing journalists at his Ibadan home after observing Eid prayers, Ladoja said he was disgusted at the governor’s lack of support for the senatorial and House of Representatives candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections such that the party lost the three senatorial seats and nine Reps seats.

Ladoja said his stance was that even if the governor was not supporting the presidential candidate of the PDP in the last election, he should not act such that the chances of his other candidates of the party in the National Assembly elections in the State would be jeopardized.

Asked if there was a clash of interests prior to the election, he said: “What happened was that I got furious because I felt that the governor should have supported his candidates for the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections, even if he did not want to support the presidential candidate. But, he did not support the Senators; he lost the three senatorial seats; he lost nine House of Representatives seats.

“I was disgusted. That was the only thing. I then said that election will have effect on his own election. If that is what people feel is not right, that is their own opinion. My own opinion is that governor of the state should support candidates for senatorial, house of representatives. What is the clash of interests? I was not contesting; my son was not contesting; my wife was not contesting.”

On his present relationship in the aftermath of how the election panned out, Ladoja boasted that he had a father-son relationship with Makinde.

“I have father to son relationship with Seyi Makinde. It is cordial. He gave me a big cow and several bags of rice for this Salah celebration. That is what a son should do to the father,” he said.

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