Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu (24 October 1927 – 11 June 2008) was an
aristocratic
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word's ...
power broker in
Oyo State
Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
Former 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 ...
described him as the "father of the PDP".
Adedibu was born on October 24, 1927 at Oja-Oba,
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 member of the Olupoyi
chieftaincy
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categori ...
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
Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe O ...
. Later he was a member of the
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983).
History Formation
The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian ...
(NPN) led by Chiefs Adisa Akinloye and Richard Akinjide.
He became an increasing force in politics during the military reign of General
Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August, 1941) is a retired Nigerian Army general and politician. He served as military president of Nigeria from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He rose through the ranks to serve from 1984 to 1985 as C ...
, where he backed the candidature of Major General
Shehu Musa Yar'adua
Shehu Musa Yar'Adua (5 March 1943 – 8 December 1997) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who was the ''de facto'' vice president of Nigeria as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters when Nigeria was under military rule from 1976 to ...
Atiku Abubakar Atiku is a given name and surname. It may refer to:
Given name
*Atiku Abubakar (born 1946), Nigerian politician and businessman, Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007
*Atikur Rahman Mallik, Bangladeshi film editor
Middle name
*Abubakar Atiku ...
and Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila.
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 protégé.
Rasheed Ladoja
Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja (born 25 September 1944) is a Nigerian businessman who became governor of Oyo State in Nigeria on 29 May 2003 as a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). He was impeached in January 2006, but reinstated in Decembe ...
, who became governor of the state in May 2003, was another protégé, 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 (, ; ) 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 ...
to be assumed by one of his subordinates in the clan's royal