• He told me I will win the 2023 election, and be sworn in — President
President Bola Tinubu and the Presiding Overseer of the Community Citadel Church, on Sunday, revealed the critical roles played by the late Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in sustaining the agitation against the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, as well as Tinubu’s election in 2023. The two leaders, who spoke at different events on Sunday, acknowledged the role Awujale played in the successful registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 as well as the election of the President in 2023.
President Tinubu, who spoke at the 8th Day Fidau of the late monarch, held at the Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode, organised by the Ogun State, said that the Awujale was very bold and courageous in supporting his presidential ambition in 2023. He said that the late monarch was a man of conscience and dignity, adding that the Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Dr. Sikiru Kayode Adetona, was a man of great conscience and dignity.
According to Tinubu, his presidential bid in 2023 was successful because of Awujale’s support and the blessings he received from Oba Adetona, and the support from Nigerians. The president said: “I came to him, and he blessed me. He told me that ‘you are winning that election, and you will be returned to office.’ Today, he is no more. He is gone. The richness of his wisdom is uncommon, as espoused by Governor Dapo Abiodun in his address.”
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He also added: “You always learn a lot from Awujale. For me to stand before you today, I thank God Almighty, that I stand before you as a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our history would not have been completed, carefully and rich, if I have failed in the last election. I was successful because of your support, and because of the blessing of the late Awujale.” He also recalled the role played by the late monarch in encouraging the successful agitation against the annulment of the June 12 presidential election in 1993.
“I could recount June 12 episodes in his palace, they are for real. Our resistance, our determination to reverse the annulment of June 12. Baba was steadfast, resolute, and very encouraging,” he said.
Also speaking at the headquarters of the Global Community Citadel Church, the Presiding Overseer, Pastor Tunde Bakare, equally revealed how the late Awujale facilitated the merger of legacy parties that formed the All Progressives Congress in 2014.
Bakare, who spoke on a topic titled “A Major Shift in the National Focus,” said that the passing of both former President Buhari and Oba Adetona on the same day was significant. He recalled how he (Bakare) approached Awujale to speak with Tinubu to lead the merger, which he agreed to, adding that if the late monarch, who died at the age of 91, had not facilitated the merger talks, the APC would not have emerged.
Bakare said: “Without Awujale’s pivotal intervention, APC would not have emerged as a political party. Kabiyesi convened a key meeting at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, and brokered the agreement that led to the formation of the APC. So, he remained, to the very end, an elder statesman, a patriot, a mentor, a loyal friend, and a rare gift to this nation,” he said.
The cleric noted that the merger that formed the APC was the first time there would be a handshake between the progressive North and the progressive South which had not materialised in the past.
The governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who also spoke at the 8th Day Fidaus, described the late Oba Adetona as an irreplaceable monarch who displayed rare distinction throughout his reign.
“Oba Adetona lived his life to the fullest. His reign was extraordinary for 65 years. It was 65 years of transformative impact. He was more than a monarch. He was an inspirational leader. He upheld the dignity of Ijebu culture. His reign brought peace and prosperity to Ijebuland. He was not just a ruler. He was a moral compass,” he said.
In his sermon, the Chief Imam of Gbagura, Professor Kamaldeen Balogun, spoke on the inevitability of life and the need for all mortals to remember the day of their return to their Maker. He equally described the late monarch as a very truthful, consistent, and God-fearing personality, who was born in Islam and died in the same religion.
Eminent personalities who attended the fidaus included the governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, his Ondo State counterpart, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq.
Others present included the Deputy Governors of Ogun, Lagos, and Oyo states, former governors Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Ibikunle Amosun, members of the National Assembly, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Ministers, traditional rulers, among others.
