Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
Abdulkareem Adebisi Bamidele Akande (born 16 January 1939) is a Nigerian politician, who was the governor of
Osun State
Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Ogun S ...
from 1999 to 2003, as a member of the
Alliance for Democracy (AD) party, and was the first interim Chairman of the
All Progressives Congress
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...
.
Background
Chief Adebisi Akande was born in
Ila Orangun
Ìlá Òràngún (or Ila) is an ancient city in Osun State, Nigeria, that was capital of an ancient city-state of the same name in the Igbomina area of Yorubaland in south-western Nigeria. Ìlá Òràngún is the more populous sister-city (and si ...
on 16 January 1939 in what is now the Osun Central Senatorial district.
.
He was elected on the
Unity Party of Nigeria
The Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) was a Nigerian political party that was dominant in western Nigeria during the second republic (1978-1983). The party revolved around the political leadership of Obafemi Awolowo, a sometimes polemical politician ...
(UPN) platform.
Akande was described as the nephew of Chief
Bola Ige
Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige , ( yo, Bọ́lá Ìgè; 13 September 1930 – 23 December 2001), simply known as Bola Ige, was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He served as Federal Minister of Justice of Nigeria from January 2000 till his assa ...
.
Governorship
image:NigeriaOsun.png, 200px,
Osun State
Osun State (; yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Ọ̀ṣun), occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states, to the north by Kwara State, to the south by Ogun S ...
, Nigeria
Akande was elected governor of Osun State in the 1999 Osun State gubernatorial election, running for the Alliance for Democracy and Reforms, Alliance for Democracy (AD) party, which had recently formed as a political arm of the
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
socio-cultural organization
Afenifere Afenifere was formed as a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, with Chief Abraham Adesanya as its leader and Chief Bola Ige as deputy leader. Other founding members were Pa Onasanya, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Adegbonmire, Oku ...
.
He succeeded Col.
Theophilus Bamigboye
Theophilus O Bamigboye (born 1951) is a retired Nigerian Colonel who served as Military Administrator of Bauchi State and then Osun State before the return to democracy in May 1999. He later entered politics, competing for governorship of Kwara ...
, who had been named as the military administrator of the State in August 1998, and who handed over power on 29 May 1999.
On 31 May 1999, Akande inaugurated the second Assembly in Osun State.
In January 2000, the Osun State government sacked 143 staff of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, following the governor’s earlier vow to trim the state’s work force.
Akande dissolved the state Council of Obas and Chiefs in 2001, on the ground that it was too large. The dissolution may have been caused by a dispute between the then head of the royal council, the Ooni of
Ile-Ife and Akande, in turn part of a face-off between Akande and the deputy governor,
Iyiola Omisore
Iyiola Ajani Omisore (born 15 September 1957) is a Nigerian businessman, engineer, and politician who served as Deputy Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003. Subsequently, he served as a member of the Nigerian Senate for Osun East from 2003 t ...
.
A November 2001 appraisal of Osun State said that Akande was battling an unfriendly work force, and the state was also troubled by long-standing violence between the
Ife and
Modakeke
Modakeke is a town in Osun State, South West Nigeria, with a population of close to 500,000 people. The Modakekes are also known as the "Akoraye" and have a history of valor at war and are prosperous farmers.
History
The founding of Modakeke i ...
clans. However, Akande had implemented his party's
programs for providing free education and free medical care, and had improved water supplies.
A different appraisal, two months later, noting the governor had recently survived an impeachment attempt, said that rather than improving social services and generating employment, after two years in power Akande had implemented massive staff lay offs in the public service, and had caused virtual collapse of public infrastructure.
On 24 December 2001, Akande's supporter,
Bola Ige
Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige , ( yo, Bọ́lá Ìgè; 13 September 1930 – 23 December 2001), simply known as Bola Ige, was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He served as Federal Minister of Justice of Nigeria from January 2000 till his assa ...
, the minister of justice, was murdered in his house in
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
.
[
A national daily, ThisDa''y'' newspaper said that the murder could have been linked to the feud between Akande and the deputy governor, ]Iyiola Omisore
Iyiola Ajani Omisore (born 15 September 1957) is a Nigerian businessman, engineer, and politician who served as Deputy Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003. Subsequently, he served as a member of the Nigerian Senate for Osun East from 2003 t ...
. The murder followed another murder the previous week of Osun State legislator Odunayo Olagbaju
Odunayo Omobolanle Olagbaju was a Nigerian legislator from Osun State. He was stabbed to death in December 2001 right in front of a police station in Ile Ife, Nigeria. In May 2002, eleven suspects were arraigned for the killing. In August, seven ...
, who was bludgeoned to death outside his home. Olagbaju was a supporter of Omisore.
Akande ran for re-election in 2003, but was defeated by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola
Ọlagunsoye Oyinlọla (born 3 February 1951) is a retired Nigerian general, he became governor of Osun State in Nigeria in May 2003, and was reelected in 2007. He was a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
On 26 November 2010 ...
of the People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to:
* People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
*People's Democratic Party (Belize)
*People's Democratic Party (Bhutan)
*People's Democratic Party (Chile)
* People's Democratic Party (Dom ...
(PDP).
Later career
In late 2003, rival factions of the AD held separate conventions. In the Lagos convention, Akande was elected as AD chairman.
In January 2006, the convoy of AD leaders who supported Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa faction instead of Akande as the party's national chairman was attacked by thugs in Osogbo
Osogbo (also ''Oṣogbo'', rarely ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorund ...
, the capital of Osun State.
In a February 2006 interview, former Senator Moji Akinfenwa
Mojisoluwa O Akinfenwa (1930 – 10 October 2019) was a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator for the Osun East constituency of Osun State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the Alliance for Democracy (AD) p ...
verbally attacked Akande and denied that he was head of the AD. Discussing Akande's feud with his deputy, Iyiola Omisore, he acknowledged that most of the funding for Akande’s governorship campaign was donated by Omisore, but said it was a serious error to have accepted him as a running mate.
In June 2005, Akande attended an International Conference on Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria held at the Imperial College
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
In October 2005, Akande visited the US to meet with AD supporters in the Nigerian diaspora.
Speaking in July 2006, Akande attacked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering. The EFCC was established in 2003, partially in response to pre ...
, which he implied was not acting impartially. He defended the AD, which he said was stronger even than it had been in 1999. He called for a more decentralized, federal form of government.
Speaking in February 2009, Akande said the only solution to hostage-taking in the Niger Delta
The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...
area was to give youths employment opportunities, and to involve them in decision making. He cautioned against a military solution, saying in the past the military had looted the nation's treasury and impoverished the people. Speaking in favour of democracy, he stated that when the AD governors accepted President Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...
's request to avoid local council polls, they fell into a trap. Obasanjo was able to select delegates who helped him win the 2003 elections.
In October 2009, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, blamed the poor performance of Osun State students in examinations on the administration of Akande, whom he asserted had neglected the schools.[
In September 2006, the Akande faction merged with other opposition parties to form the ]Action Congress Party
The Action Congress Party (ACP) was a political party in Ghana during the Third Republic (1979-1981).
In elections held on 18 June 1979, ACP presidential candidate, Frank Bernasko, won 9.4% of the vote and the party won 10 of 140 seats in the Nat ...
, which later changed their name to the Action Congress of Nigeria
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), formerly known as Action Congress (AC), was a Nigerian political party formed via the merger of a faction of Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several othe ...
.
In February 2013 the party announced plans to merge with the Congress for Progressive Change
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was a political party founded in Nigeria in 2009 in preparation for the April 2011 elections.
It was the 63rd political party to be founded in the country.
In February 2013, the party merged with the A ...
(CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party
The All Nigeria Peoples Party (abbr. ANPP) was a political party in Nigeria.
Under the leadership of Late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke who was its vice presidential candidate to General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2007 presidential elections. The party ...
(ANPP), and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is a political party in Nigeria.
Electoral history
At the legislative elections held on 12 April 2003, the party won 1.4% of popular votes and 2 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeri ...
(APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...
(APC).[Maram, Mazen (7 February 2013). "Nigerian Biggest Opposition Parties Agree to Merge". Bloomberg. Retrieved 11 February 2013.]
See also
Tunde Eso
Tunde Eso (born 16 August 1977) is a Nigerian journalist, social commentator, public relations specialist and publisher of Findout Newspaper. He is a 2018 PDP aspirant for Governor of Osun State. Eso is the founder of Youthocracy; a new system ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akande, Adebisi
Living people
1957 births
Yoruba politicians
People from Osun State
Governors of Osun State
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria) politicians
Action Congress of Nigeria politicians
All Progressives Congress politicians