How Bola Ige died trying to return to Alliance for Democracy

Bola Ige

Bola Ige was a die hard Awoist. He was highly respected but never suffered fools gladly. He had a caustic tongue and a legendary power of oratory.

In his life time he was famous for his fluency in Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. He was a Yoruba born in Kaduna.

In 1979, he was elected Governor of Oyo State under the Obafemi Awolowo led Unity Party of Nigeria. Other Unity Party of Nigeria Governors were Pa Adekunle Ajasin, Olabisi Onabanjo, Lateef Kayode Jakande and Professor Ambrose Alli.

In Party Hierarchy, after the leader were the governors. As at 1999 when the fourth Republic was to be ushered in, Chiefs Awolowo, Ajasin, Onabanjo and Professor Ambrose Alli were no more.

Only Bola Ige and Lateef Kayode Jakande remained standing. Serving under Sani Abacha had discredited Lateef Kayode Jakande, leaving Bola Ige. Being human, he must have fancied his chances of being elected President of Nigeria. He was said to have written the Constitutions of both the Alliance for Democracy and the Peoples Democratic Party as an eminent jurist.

To his surprise, when the pick was made of the Presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, the party he eventually joined, Olu Falae got the nod. Olu Falae had served as Minister of Finance and Secretary to the Government of the Federation under IBB.

This irked Bola Ige to no end. In the end Obj flying the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party was elected President and not Olu Falae of Bola Ige's Alliance for Democracy, in an election where it was decided that a Yoruba man had to emerge President to atone for the death of MKO Abiola, a Yoruba man.

Feeling disgruntled and betrayed by his Party, Bola Ige flirted with his friend Obj's government. Against the advice of Afenifere who were not happy with the choice of OBJ, Bola Ige joined Obasanjo's government , first as Minister of Power and Steel and later as Minister of Justice.

Obj as a Yoruba man flying the banner of his Party Peoples Democratic Party, had a very thin following in Yoruba land and he was not happy about it. 

In 2001, Bola Ige felt he was too far from his base and threw in the towel saying he was resigning from Obj's government to return to his Party to reorganize it.

He spoke too soon. He resigned on a Friday and by Sunday, he was killed at home. Till today his killers have not been found. The most interesting part of his murder at home, was that he had Police guards but as at the time his killers struck, his Police guards had dropped their weapons and conveniently gone out to eat. How curious?