The Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday, disclosed that one of the secrets of his electoral success at the 2019 governorship election was the advice offered him by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, during his campaign in 2015.
Makinde spoke at the Alaafin’s palace in Oyo, when he paid a working visit on the monarch.
The governor made the visit on his way to inspect the abandoned 10,000 metric ton silo embarked upon by the immediate past administration and the Ajila Value Adding Ventures Limited, Awe,
In his brief remarks at the palace, the Governor said unknown to many, he has and still enjoys the fatherly support of the first-class monarch and he has always been treated as such.
Noting that although he had visited the Alaafin in 2015 to seek for his support and blessings at the polls, Makinde said it was only the Alaafin who told him the truth of the situation on ground and offered him advice on how to go about it.
Makinde added that putting the advice into use in the 2019 elections subsequently helped his ambition.
He told the monarch about his mission to the vicinity but thought it wise to pay the traditional homage on him before continuing the visit.
Makinde said, “We are actually on our way to Awe for inspection, but there is no way I will come around here without first visiting the palace.
“I have told Kabiyesi that in two weeks time, I will come and visit him properly because we are actually at work now. 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.
“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 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.”
