I’ve hope in Supreme Court, says Ladoja

Despite failing to achieve victory at the Oyo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, former governor Rashidi Ladoja has expressed the hope that he would win at the Supreme Court.

Ladoja lost the state governorship election to Governor Abiola Ajimobi last April but challenged the governor’s victory at both the tribunal and the appellate court.

Speaking with journalists in Ibadan on Sunday, Ladoja said he had high hopes in the judiciary and that his political relevance in the state was borne out of his performance when he was the state governor.

He said, “In life, you must not be 100 per cent sure of getting things done. I had 99.9 per cent in the tribunal and the Court of Appeal and I still have an amount of hope in the Supreme Court. I am still relevant in Oyo State because of my performance as a governor.

“The people have seen the sincerity of purpose in us. We cannot spend so much money like others but we still have our followers. People must be able to influence the leaders. A time will come when excellence will prevail but you must be involved in the politics. In politics, it should not be a do-or-die issue during election.”

Commenting on the state of the nation and performance of President Muhammadu Buhari so far, Ladoja said that the President needed more time to adjust to modern governance, adding that Nigerians must not judge him by what he achieved as military president.

“We should be patient with him. I am sure Buhari found the position differently from what it was in 1984. Let’s assume that he has things to learn. I am happy that he was bold enough to apologise to Nigerians recently; that is a sign of good leadership,” he said.

Ladoja also called on Nigerians to be bold enough to challenge their leaders and seek the truth from them when being misled instead of applauding unrealistic promises, noting, however, that pressure groups no longer functioned because of their dependence on government.

He said, “Politicians make unrealistic promises during campaigns but the people will never ask questions even when they know that the promises are impossible. We should ask how those promises will be financed. In Nigeria today, it is easy to win election by promising people three meals a day.

“The first set of leaders we had in Nigeria had good vision and intention because of their colonial background. But when the military came in, which coincided with when the nation had money, the system took a new dimension. The checks and balances died between 1966 and 1979 when civilian rule returned.

“Just as we were adjusting to new life, the military came again in 1983 and left in 1999. The Non-Governmental Organisations now depend on government to be functional,” the former governor said.