Ex-Oyo governor, Alao-Akala dies at 71

A former governor of Oyo State and the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, is dead.

The APC chieftain died at the age of 71.

Alao-Akala was a former governor of Oyo State and a candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the 2019 governorship election in the state.

The news of his death was confirmed by a source close to the family.

Alao-Akala, who hails from Ogbomoso was born on June 3, 1950, and he had his elementary education at Osupa Baptist Day School, Ogbomoso, and proceeded to the Kamina Barracks Middle School, 5th Battalion of Infantry in Tamale, Ghana.

He was enlisted as Cadet Inspector of Police in June 1974, at the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja. He was later recommended for overseas training at the Hendon Police College, in London, among others.

The former governor also participated as a Nigerian delegate at two INTERPOL conferences in Nice, France, and in Málaga, Spain. From the position of Station Officer in the Nigeria Police, he became the Administrative Officer, Federal Operations at the Force Headquarters, Lagos.

He later rose to the position of Operations Officer, FEDOPS, Lagos. He became the Personal Assistant to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police and subsequently the ADC to the Inspector-General of Police.

The Ogbomoso born politician started his political career as a member of New Dimension. He contested and won the chairmanship seat of the Ogbomoso North Local Government along with seven councilors under the platform of APP in 1998. He was elected the vice-chairman of ALGON, Oyo State Chapter between 1999 and 2002.

Alao-Akala founded the Ogbomoso Unity Forum, a political association that later joined the PDP. He was the Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government from 1999 to 2002.

He served as the Deputy Governor of Oyo State from May 2003 to January 2006. Following the impeachment of then-incumbent Governor (Rashidi Ladoja), Alao-Akala was sworn into office in January 2006 and served for 11 months. In December 2006, the impeachment was overturned by the Supreme Court, and Rashidi Ladoja was reinstated.

Alao-Akala later contested and won the governorship election in 2007 under the platform of the PDP and became the Executive Governor of Oyo State, serving a full term till May 2011.

In October 2018, he defected to the Action Democratic Party (ADP) where he won the governorship ticket to contest for the office of governor in the 2019 general elections.