From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A former speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adeolu Adeleke, has tackled a former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who is the current Minister of Works, on his account of impeachment of a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, in 2006.
Fashola, in a video clip that went viral on Instagram, said he and a group of lawyers instituted the case against Ladoja’s impeachment, adding that it was the case that went all the way to the Supreme Court and Ladoja was returned to the office before he finally lost his re-election in 2007.
Ladoja was impeached in January 2006 by a group of lawmakers loyal to the then strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu. He was reinstated by the Supreme Court after 11 months outside the corridors of power.
In his reaction, Adeleke said: “My attention has been drawn to the interview of Mr Raji Fashola SAN where he stated that the legal team that filed the case of impeachment proceeding of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the then Governor of Oyo State at Oyo State High Court was constituted in Lagos State.
“Mr Fashola SAN refused to mention the names of the said lawyers. He further stated that the case that was filed by these lawyers got to the Supreme Court. This is a distortion of fact.
“For record purpose, I Right Honourable Adeolu Abraham Adeleke, as the then Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, instituted the first case on the impeachment proceedings at the Oyo State High Court which got to the Supreme Court.
“I was represented in the state High Court by Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, Barr. Bayo Shittu and Barr. Akinyele Sanyaolu. My legal team was constituted in Ibadan not in Lagos State as stated by Mr Raji Fashola, SAN. Governor Ladoja even joined the case that got him reinstated at the Court of Appeal. Yusuf Alli SAN filed Ladoja’s case at the Court of Appeal.
“To the best of my knowledge, no other case was filed in Ibadan on the impeachment proceedings other than the one that I did. This fact is stated to help Mr Fashola SAN to write a factual memoir. Furthermore, Mr Fashola SAN said that Gov. Ladoja lost his re-election bid after his reinstatement. This is another goof by Fashola. Sen. Ladoja never re-contested at that time.
“I strongly advise Fashola SAN to always have his facts before going to the public. Facts are sacred, only comments are free. This much should be known to Fashola who is as Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”