Ex-Oyo Gov. Akala, Soun of Ogbomosho End Cold War …Why Akala’s Son Was Made Council Chairman

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The cold war that went on for about two years between former Oyo State governor, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao Akala and the monarch of his native town, Ogbomosho, HRH Soun Oyewunmi Ajagungbade, may have been settled just as the former governor reportedly paid a surprise visit to the palace of the king about two weeks ago.

 

Although, aides of the former governor said that the visit was normal, sources said that the visit was the first in two years. Akala visited the Soun’s palace last on January 14, 2015, according to sources, during the peak of the political campaigns that ushered in the present dispensation.

 

According to sources, in 2015 during the campaign for the governorship of Oyo State, the entourage of incumbent Governor Isiaka Ajimobi and that of Chief Akala jammed at the palace of Soun to seek his blessing for their respective candidature. Akala, who ruled the state for four years on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), contested again in 2015 on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) against the second term bid of Ajimobi who ran on the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.

 

We learnt that when Akala and Ajimobi met at the king’s palace, the Oba accommodated Ajimobi in his inner chambers, in reverence for the governor’s office while he appealed to the Akala team to wait in the open arena until he was finished with the governor and his men. This was said to have angered the former governor who stormed out of the palace with his people and never called back.

 

Their relationship became like that of cat and mouse since then until, we heard, that the governor appointed Olamijuwonlo, Akala’s son, as a caretaker chairman for Ogbomosho North recently. Sources said that but for the cordial rapport that was later developed between Akala and Ajimobi, the rift between the former governor and the king would still have remained the same.

 

It was gathered that what Governor Ajimobi actually did was to use the appointment of Olamijuwonlo to end the Akala and Oba’s fight and in turn get the support of both of them for his future political steps.

 

A few days after Olamijuwonlo’s appointment was announced by the governor, former Governor Akala  said to have stormed the king’s palace unannounced to pay his respects and the Oba was also said to have prayed for him, signaling the end of the war.

 

-Akin Alade