Why Ladi Adebutu Needs to Respect Institutions

Some people begin life on a high note and win the world’s admiration early enough. Others start life in a valley and have to work themselves until they reach the zenith. The latter wins the admiration and approval of observers and keeps them for a long time. From his recent doings, Ladi Adebutu belongs to the earlier class and persistently demonstrates a need to be schooled in humility.

A video has been making the rounds in which Adebutu, the governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, criticised the council of monarchs in Ogun known as the Yewa Awori. Adebutu was responding to a recent report that the aforenamed council had unanimously and openly prayed for Senator Olamilekan Adeola (alias Yayi) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is vying for the Ogun West senatorial seat.

According to Adebutu, the Yewa Awori monarchs were not fair. For one, Yayi is already representing the Lagos West senatorial district. Secondly, Yayi belongs to APC while Adebutu is in the PDP. Thirdly, Adebutu believed that Yayi is not as true an indigene of Ogun as his preferred candidate, Ganiyu Dada, who is also contesting for the Ogun West senatorial position but as a PDP member. With these few points, Adebutu considered himself to be right in his assessment of the matter, going so far as to label the monarchs as partial.

In response, one of the monarchs, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, the Eselu of Iselu, Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun, lambasted Adebutu. Akinyemi referred to Adebutu as a serial loser who does not deserve the Ogun gubernatorial position. He said that Adebutu does not respect his seniors and that is the reason for his predictably constant political miscarriages.
Indeed, Adebutu started strong on his political journey. Alas, he has fallen so far from grace that it is a wonder he is still spoken about sympathetically in some quarters.