Lamidi Adedibu
Encyclopedia
Lamidi Ariyibi Akanbi Adedibu (24 October 1927 - 11 June 2008) was an aristocratic
PDP power broker in Oyo State
, Nigeria
.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him as the "father of the PDP".
Adedibu was born on October 24, 1927 at Oja-Oba, Ibadan
, a member of the Olupoyi chieftaincy ruling house.
Adedibu entered politics in the 1950s, when he became a member of the Ibadan People's Party, and then joined the Action Group
under Chief Obafemi Awolowo
. Later he was a member of the National Party of Nigeria
(NPN) led by Chiefs Adisa Akinloye and Richard Akinjide
.
He became an increasing force in politics during the military reign of General Ibrahim Babangida
, during which the NPN exploited the open ballot electoral system into an instrument of electoral fraud.
His brand of politics was described as a blend of populism and raw thuggery that often compelled either violent loyalty or violent opposition.
It was said that nobody assumed any political post in Oyo state without Adedibu's approval, leading to him being called "the strong man of Ibadan politics".
His son, Kamorudeen Adekunle Adedibu
, was elected Senator for Oyo South in April 2007.
Senator Teslim Folarin
, elected to the Senate for Oyo Central was his protege.
Rasheed Ladoja
, who became governor of the state in May 2003, was another protege, although by August 2004, Ladoja and Adedibu were locked in a fierce struggle over allocation of government appointees.
Adedibu died at the University College Hospital in Ibadan on 11 June 2008, leaving the chiefly rank and title of the Ekarun of Ibadan
to be assumed by one of his subordinates in the clan's royal line of succession.
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
PDP power broker in Oyo State
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him as the "father of the PDP".
Adedibu was born on October 24, 1927 at Oja-Oba, Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, a member of the Olupoyi chieftaincy ruling house.
Adedibu entered politics in the 1950s, when he became a member of the Ibadan People's Party, and then joined the Action Group
Action Group (Nigeria)
Action Group was a Nigerian political party established in Ibadan on March 21, 1951, by the Ègbe Ọmọ Odùduwà led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The party was founded to serve as the platform for realizing his primary objective of mobilising the Yorùbá into one political umbrella...
under Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Obafemi Awolowo
Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician, trade unionist, author and statesman. A Yoruba and native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Nigeria, he started his career as a regional political leader like most of his pre-independence contemporaries and was responsible for much of the progressive...
. Later he was a member of the National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
(NPN) led by Chiefs Adisa Akinloye and Richard Akinjide
Richard Akinjide
Osuolale Abimbola Richard Akinjide is a Nigerian lawyer, politician and tribal nobleman. Born in the ancient city of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in the southwest of the country in the early 1930s to an influential family of warriors, he exhibited extraordinary brilliance while in school and...
.
He became an increasing force in politics during the military reign of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
, during which the NPN exploited the open ballot electoral system into an instrument of electoral fraud.
His brand of politics was described as a blend of populism and raw thuggery that often compelled either violent loyalty or violent opposition.
It was said that nobody assumed any political post in Oyo state without Adedibu's approval, leading to him being called "the strong man of Ibadan politics".
His son, Kamorudeen Adekunle Adedibu
Kamorudeen Adekunle Adedibu
Kamorudeen Adekunle Adedibu was elected Senator for the Oyo South constituency of Oyo State, Nigeria, taking office on 29 May 2007. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party .Adedibu is son of late Oyo State power broker Lamidi Adedibu....
, was elected Senator for Oyo South in April 2007.
Senator Teslim Folarin
Teslim Folarin
Teslim Folarin was elected Senator for the Oyo Central constituency of Oyo State, Nigeria, taking office on 29 May 2003, and was reelected in 2007. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party .Folarin obtained a BSc...
, elected to the Senate for Oyo Central was his protege.
Rasheed Ladoja
Rasheed Ladoja
Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja is a businessman who became governor of Oyo State in Nigeria on 29 May 2003 as a member of the People's Democratic Party . He was impeached in January 2006, but reinstated in December 2006...
, who became governor of the state in May 2003, was another protege, although by August 2004, Ladoja and Adedibu were locked in a fierce struggle over allocation of government appointees.
Adedibu died at the University College Hospital in Ibadan on 11 June 2008, leaving the chiefly rank and title of the Ekarun of Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
to be assumed by one of his subordinates in the clan's royal line of succession.