Babafemi Ojudu, special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on political matters, has revealed the deal a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu struck with Sunday Adeyemo alias Sunday Igboho in 2009.
Sunday Igboho has been largely involved in the crisis between herdsmen and residents of Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Ojudu said in an article on Monday that Tinubu persuaded Igboho not to interfere with the May 2009 rerun election in Ekiti after learning the Peoples Democratic Party was planning to disrupt the polls.
An Appeal Court in Ilorin had ordered a rerun in some polling units after PDP’s candidate Segun Oni initially defeated Fayemi of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2007 governorship election.
Ojudu said Tinubu had him strike deals with some high-profile thugs such as Ade Basket in Akure and Fada Geri in Ondo not to cause trouble on election day.
“The biggest headache for us then was Sunday Igboho who we learnt has been hired and paid by a Senator from Osun to come and cause mayhem in Ekiti. Tinubu instructed we must get him at all cost,” he said.
Ojudu said the search for Sunday Igboho began six days to election. He later met the man at a small hotel not far from Premier Hotel and scheduled to meet with Tinubu.
He said Sunday Igboho met Tinubu the Thursday preceding the election at night at Sunview Hotel in Akure.
“’Igboho,’ he quoted Tinubu as saying, ‘I have heard a lot about your bravery. The Ekiti people have suffered too long under the rule of PDP. They are looking for change. I learnt you have been hired to make this impossible. I have invited you to plead with you to allow the poll to be conducted peacefully. If after that the PDP wins fine. If the ACN wins, all well and good.’
“Tinubu went on and on lecturing him on the beauty of democracy and unencumbered electoral process. By the time Tinubu finished with him, he became sober and contrite. ‘Baba’, he said, ‘I have heard you and I am pleased with what you have said. Whatever you want me to do I will do even though I have collected money from the other side.’
Ojudu said Sunday Igboho claimed to have been groomed by the late strong man of Ibadan politics Lamidi Adedibu.
He also said Sunday Igboho hatched a plan that would make him leave town before election day without suspicion.
“He then said that he will be in Ekiti on the eve of the election but when it is 2.00 am I should put a call through to him. He will put his phone on speaker and I should tell him I am a police AIG and that the police has discovered his presence in Ekiti and will be raiding in 30 minutes time,” he said.
“With that call he will tell his minders he can no longer stay. He will pack his boys and their lethal weapons and leave town.”
The plan was carried out successfully.
Ojudu concluded his article saying Sunday Igboho has a soft side that can be appealed to, calling for care in handling the herdsmen crisis.
