Former governor Oyo State,Rashidi Ladoja has accused ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo of being behind his impeachment in 2006 over his third term agenda.
Ladoja revealed yesterday that Obasanjo threatened to reduce him to nothing for opposing his third term agenda. He also rejected pleas from late Yoruba leader, Pa Emmanuel Alayande, and a former Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Bola Ajibola to suspend his impeachment proceedings.
“There are successes and failures. There are triumphs and disappointments. And in the long run, I will say that I’m grateful to God that I can claim more triumphs than disappointments.
“There was one that actually made the impeachment possible. It was Obasanjo’s third term.”
He said, “I also made a mistake. When I heard about the third term, I asked Baba (Obasanjo) if it was true. He said it was not true and I said thank God.
“I said, ‘Baba, if not I would have said maybe you don’t know God. I said God made it possible for you to be President for eight years and I said this was a presidency you were not qualified for.’”
Ladoja said when Obasanjo insisted that he was qualified and he told him, “In a civilian government, the Presidency is meant for politicians and you are not a politician. They came to call you.”
Revealing that Obasanjo never liked the truth he dished out to him, he said he got a call that evening from Ogun State former Governor Gbenga Daniel who told him to come early for a council of state meeting in Abuja in order to apologise to the former President.
“When I got home in the evening, the Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, called me and said ‘ governor general , you came to Ota’, I said yes that I came to discuss with Baba (Obasanjo). He asked what I discussed with Obasanjo. I said I discussed the third term. He (Daniel) said, ‘ oh God, you have pinched Baba on his sore. Baba said he would turn you to nobody.’
However he was not allowed to all when he showed up to tender an apology.
“Baba didn’t allow me to talk. He said I had told you Rashidi, I would turn you to nobody. He was going and Fasawe was running after him, trying to tell him he shouldn’t have said that and I answered him, ‘if God permits you sir .
He said, “We didn’t take Fayose (then Ekiti State governor) along because he was Baba’s son. Agagu, Oyinlola, Daniel and I went to him. They (others) knelt down so I had to kneel down too. Oyinlola is a very good orator. He presented a very brilliant case. Agagu supported him. Daniel and I didn’t talk. He (Obasanjo) said ‘well, Rashidi, go and resign,’ I said ‘no.’ he said why and I asked, ‘why should I resign?’
After being told that nobody could get two-thirds in the House of Assembly to impeach Ladoja, Obasanjo reportedly said ‘two-thirds my foot and got up.’ We were talking, when Bola Ajibola (a former attorney-general of the federation) came in and said ‘what is wrong with you people, you are leaders in your own right. He (Ajibola) said, ‘I have gone to see Segun (Obasanjo) to plead that he should leave you in peace because you have not done anything wrong. That in fact, everybody is praising your government.’
“Baba (Obasanjo) came to Ibadan to see Baba Alayande on his birthday, I went with him, Baba Alayande also pleaded with him but before 7 0’clock on the 12th (January, 2006), I was called that the people were coming with police escort to come and do the impeachment. When we got the impeachment notice, we went to court. We told the chief judge then that the people did not have the mandatory two-thirds” he added.
He also spoke on how he met Obasanjo in Abdokuta on January 10, 2006, and begged him with Gbenga Daniel, an ex-governor of Ondo State Olusegun Agagu, an ex-governor of Osun State Olagunsoye Oyinlola.