Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Tuesday, identified the fatherly counsel given him in 2015 by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi as critical to his success at the 2019 polls.
Speaking during a stopover to Oba Adeyemi at his palace, Makinde said the Alaafin’s blunt analysis of his progress during his 2015 electioneering campaign was put to use during his 2019 electioneering journey.
Noting that many persons were unaware that he enjoyed a good relationship with the Alaafin, Makinde averred that Oba Adeyemi’s support and blessings had always been invaluable on his political journey.
“What many people do not know is the closeness between Alaafin and I. Some people have told me that they wanted to bring me to Alaafin but I just kept it to myself not telling them that, if they had known the kind of relationship between Alaafin and I, they would have been the ones to ask me to take them to him.
“During my campaign in 2015, it was only the Alaafin that told me the truth on how we have been doing and how we were not doing things right.
“All he told us were put to use in the 2019 elections that gave us victory,” Makinde said.
Makinde’s stopover at the Alaafin’s palace was followed by an inspection of the state of the Ajila Value Adding Ventures Limited, in Awe.
He assured the Alaafin that an elaborate visit will follow the stopover in the coming weeks.
“We are here to inspect projects on how our economy can improve and I am sure that when we finish the project, Oyo town will also know it for good.
“The facility will help our farmers have a good storage facility for the farm produce which will moderate practices especially prices when the need arises.
“We all know the truth about security but we have been able to manage the situation well and the only reason is for the cooperation between the government and the people and we look forward for more of such cooperation,” Makinde added.