Adekunle Akinlade, the running mate of Ladi Adebutu in the 2023 Ogun State governorship election, has stated that it would have been disastrous for the state if his principal Adebutu had won.
Akinlade, who ran alongside Adebutu on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, made these remarks yesterday (Saturday, August 24) at a forum in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, expressed his relief that their ticket lost to the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Unhappy with the election result, Adebutu had challenged Abiodun’s victory in court but ultimately lost at the Supreme Court.
Following this legal defeat, Akinlade and Adebutu reportedly had a falling out.
Speaking at the Abeokuta forum, Akinlade referred to the election outcome as “a calamity averted” for Ogun State, recounting how a religious leader had prayed that the PDP’s victory be prevented if it would bring misfortune to the state—a prayer which Akinlade believes was answered.
Reflecting on the situation, Akinlade said: “Looking back, I say Alhamdulillahi that Allah spared Ogun State from such a disaster. If Ladi had emerged victorious, it would have been a tragic time for our people.”
He further criticized Adebutu’s capabilities, accusing him of lacking the mental strength and temperament needed to govern.
Akinlade went on to make sharp personal criticisms, claiming Adebutu behaves like a child despite his age and relies on weekly allowances from his elderly father, questioning Adebutu’s decision to announce his intention to run again in 2027 on the same day the Supreme Court dismissed his case against Abiodun, describing it as irrational and disrespectful to his hometown’s sitting governor, Dapo Abiodun.
In response, Adebutu’s media aide, Afolabi Orekoya, dismissed Akinlade’s comments as petty and ungrateful.
He criticized Akinlade for trying to “blackmail” the PDP and promised to address Akinlade’s remarks more thoroughly at a later time, calling him “the most unfortunate thing that happened to PDP.”
