By Oyoinsight Editor Former Oyo State Governor, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja will be the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan land. No doubt, Ladoja’s name, more than a supermajority of his predecessors, is a household one across the state, thanks to his extensive foray into partisan politics, serving first as a Senator representing Oyo South senatorial district and later as Governor.
But more than just his political background, Ladoja comes to the throne of his ancestors after a lifetime of experiences across many facets of life. In this piece, OYOINSIGHT.COM highlights some of these experiences.
First Class Engineer
Ladoja kickstarted his professional career as an Engineer with Total Nigeria where he made his mark for over a decade. His excellent professional journey was preceded by an outstanding performance at the University of Liège, Belgium where he studied between 1966 and 1972, graduating with a First class degree in chemical engineering. Before Liege, he studied at the prominent Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo between 1964 and 1965.
In 2000, Ladoja became a director of Standard Trust Bank Limited. He prominently made his wealth from his investments and footprints across various sectors. A popular line on his entrepreneurial journey and the source of his wealth read: “Ladoja made his money through many ways: an engineer, a farmer whose food crops are sold not only to the people of Oyo State but also beyond, a shipping company owner and generally a business mogul.”
Short-lived Senatorial, Troubled Governorship Tenure
Ladoja was first prominently elected to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1993 during the short-lived Nigerian Third Republic. In 2003, he was elected governor of Oyo State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a victory many attributed to his mix of business acumen and administrative discipline. His administration set out to address key challenges in the state, particularly in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Ladoja believed in policies that would directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens, with a focus on human development.
Ladoja’s tenure as governor, however, was not without its battles. His political ordeal began with the infamous impeachment saga in 2005, spearheaded by the late Lamidi Adedibu, the political godfather of Ibadan, and supported by his deputy, Adebayo Alao-Akala. Their power struggle reached a fever pitch when Ladoja resisted Adedibu’s political demands, leading to his impeachment.
Although controversially removed from office, Ladoja fought his removal in court and, in a landmark ruling in 2006, the Supreme Court reinstated him as governor, a momentous victory that underscored his resolve. Ladoja’s relationship with Alao-Akala remained strained after their fallout.
When Akala succeeded him as governor following the 2007 elections, the animosity between them grew, each accusing the other of mismanagement and betrayal. Akala’s administration attempted to erase Ladoja’s influence in the state, but Ladoja remained a formidable figure, consolidating his support through the Accord Party. Their rivalry defined much of the political tension in Oyo State during that period.
Unsuccessful Attempts To Return To Agodi
After the 2007 elections, Ladoja made many attempts to return to Agodi. He was the governorship candidate for Accord party in Oyo State during the April 2011 and 2015 elections, he lost to the late Abiola Ajimobi on both occasions.
In 2017, he merged his Accord Party into PDP. Dispute in PDP made him and other allies (from Labour Party, All Progressives Congress APC etc.) to move over African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2018. After a brief sojourn in ADC which proved to be a marriage of strange bedfellows, Ladoja with his followers moved to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in December 2018.
After the Presidential and National Assembly elections in 2019, Ladoja led the coalition that collapsed the structure of his candidate, Sarafadeen Alli, the ADC’s candidate, Femi Lanlehin, among others, for eventual winner, Seyi Makinde of the PDP.
Humility Expressed Through Ankara
As Ladoja’s political career evolved, he became associated with a number of unique features, prominent among them is his style of dressing: he’s always clad in free-flowing Ankara dresses, accompanied by farmer-styled native cap.
In a 2024 interview, he traced his adoption of this fashion style to a tour of Benin Republic, with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, before their eventual falling out leading to Ladoja’s impeachment.
“I have been wearing Ankara particularly when I was governor of Oyo State and Obasanjo was President of Nigeria. We both travelled to the Benin Republic. Obasanjo was wearing Ankara and I remember the President of that country at that time, Kereku, telling his people, ‘Look at the President of the greatest nation in this region. He is wearing Ankara. You people have been wasting your money buying imported fabric. His country is rich and he himself is rich yet he chooses to live simply by wearing what is produced in his country.
“That was when I saw the sense in what he said and I decided to stick to my wearing of Ankara manufactured in Nigeria. But all along, dressing so gorgeously does not really make you a big or important person. I feel more comfortable dressing the simple way I do,” Ladoja explained. 11 years later, he still feels comfortable dressing that way.