While Oyo State is yet to recover from the demise of some of its Monarchs, the State woke on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, to hear of the departure of another astute politician, a man of the people, and a lover of the masses, Ọ́túnba Adébáyọ̀ Àlàó Akálà.
Born on June 3, 1950, late Chief Àlàó-Akálà was a polyglot who spoke English, Yoruba, Hausa and Ghanaian languages (Twi, Fanti and Dagbani) fluently.
Ọ̀túnba (Dr) Adébáyọ̀ Àlàó-Akálà started his political career as a member of New Dimension. He participated in the zero-party Local Government election of 1996 and later co-founded the UNP before its fusion with UNC to form UNCP. He participated in the Ogbomoso Federal Constituency (One) primary election of the UNCP in 1997; contested and won the chairmanship seat of the Ogbomoso North Local Government, along with seven councillors under the platform of APP in 1998.
The former Governor was elected the vice-Chairman of ALGON, Oyo State Chapter between 1999 and 2002; founded the Ogbomoso Unity Forum, a political association which later joined the PDP; and was the Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government from 1999 to 2002.
Late Ọ̀túnba Àlàó-Akálà served as the Deputy Governor of Oyo State from May 2003 to January 2006; following the impeachment of then incumbent Governor, Chief Rashidi Adéwọ̀lúLádọjà, Ọ̀túnba Àlàó-Akálà was sworn into office in January 2006 and served for 11 months. In December 2006, the impeachment was overturned by the Supreme Court and Chief Ládọjà was reinstated. The late Governor later contested and won the gubernatorial election in 2007 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and became the Executive Governor of Oyo State, serving a full term till May 2011.
On 8th December, 2014, Ọ̀túnba (Dr) Adébáyọ̀ Àlàó-Akálà defected to the Labour Party in the State from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and on the 10th of December, 2014, he formally declared his intention to re-contest in the gubernatorial election of the State on the platform of the Labour Party in the February 2015 general elections in Nigeria. During his declaration of intent, all other party gubernatorial aspirants stepped down for him, thereby making him emerge as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial flag bearer in the State; but on the 16th of December, 2017, he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a huge ceremony in Ibadan, the State capital.
In October 2018, late Chief Àlàó-Akálà defected to the Action Democratic Party (ADP) where he won the gubernatorial ticket to contest for the office of the State Governor in the 2019 general elections. After the 23rd February, 2019 Presidential and National Assemblies Elections, Ọ̀túnba Àlàó-Àkálà defected back to the All Progressive Congress, thereby stepping down in the race to become Governor of the State under the Platform of the Action Democratic Party.
