Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday commended late leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Lamidi Adedibu for his good legacies left behind in Oyo State and Nationally.
Obasanjo while delivering a keynote address at a book launch in honour of the “Garrison Commander of South-West politics” held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan, he said that Adedibu was a honest politician, who left good legacies for the South-West.
Dignitaries at the event include former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi, Senator Teslim Folarin, former Deputy Governor Taofeek Arapaja, former Minister for Special Duties, Elder Wole Oyelese Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji while the Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor, Bisi Ilaka represented Governor Seyi Makinde.
The former president, who wrote the foreword in the book entitled “Adedibu the strongman and generalissimo of Nigerian politics”, co-authored by Hazeem Gbolarumi and Chief Lekan Saka, said the late politician helped the PDP to win the governorship in Oyo State when he was the president.
Obasanjo said: “Baba Adedibu did many good things. He was one of those who left good legacies in politics in the South-West. I knew him very late but he once told me he contested election in 1954 and I was in secondary school then. He said he contested in 1954 against the father of the man who was seeking to contest governorship election then in 2003. I looked at him again and he said he was sure of what he said.
“Baba was good to us and that is why I came here today and the same thing for some of the people here. We would not have been able to produce a PDP governor in Oyo State when I was the president. “I went to Baba Alayande when I was the president because he took me as a son. I asked him, Baba, don’t you love me again? I said why don’t you support our party? He told me that the person who was in control then was not competent to be governor in Oyo State and I understood.
“I called Baba Adedibu and he confirmed what Baba Alayande told me. He told me that if we conducted primary election 100 times, that person would win because he was in control of the party then. “Baba Alayande had hinted me that the person was not competent to be governor and Baba Adedibu said he would win the governorship primary.
Then I said if he won the primary election, how would he win the election? Baba Adedibu told me that if I wanted it to be done, it would be done and I told him to do it. That was how we won.”
