Adebayo Adefarati (; 14 February 1931"Adefarati, AD Presidential candidate dies at 76", ''Vanguard'', 30 March 2007. – 29 March 2007) was a Nigerian politician who served as

governor of Ondo State The governor of Ondo State is the head of government of Ondo State in Nigeria. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the Ondo State Government. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto b ...

from 1999 to 2003.

Life and career

Adefarati was appointed commissioner twice under the

Afenifere Afenifere is a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, with Chief Abraham Adesanya as its leader and Chief Bola Ige as deputy leader. Other founding members were Pa Onasanya, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Adegbonmire, Okurounmu Fem ...

leader Chief

Michael Adekunle Ajasin Michael Adekunle Ajasin (; 28 November 1908 – 3 October 1997) was a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Ondo State from 1979 to 1983 on the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) platform during the Nigerian Second Republic. Background ...

. He was the State Commissioner for Works and Transport (between 1979 and 1983). Adefarati was also a prominent member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a leading organization in the fight against the military during the rule of

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (; (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military dictator and statesman who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist as military head of state from 1993 following a palace coup d'état until his death in 1998. Abacha's seiz ...

. Political intrigues during his term as governor culminated in the alienation of many of his erstwhile comrades, figures like

Olusegun Mimiko Olusegun Rahman Mimiko ( ; born 3 October 1954), is a Nigerian medical doctor and politician who served as governor of Ondo State from 2009 to 2017. He was the senatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party for Ondo State, Ondo Central District ...

, Chief Rufus Giwa, Akerele Adu, Olu Agunloye, Chief Yele Omogunwa, Chief Niyi Omodara, Olatunji Ariyo and Chief Bamidele Awosika. This state of affairs worked against him when he bid for a second term as governor and enhanced the likelihood of victory for

Olusegun Agagu Olusegun Kokumo Agagu (; 16 February 1948–13 September 2013) was a Nigerian politician who was a governor of Ondo State from 29 May 2003 until February 2009, when a court voided his re-election as governor on account of electoral irregula ...

at the polls in April, 2003. Claims made against Adefarati included disillusionment with his administration and a lack of transparency in the selection process adopted by the Alliance for Democracy in the selection of its gubernatorial candidates at that election. Adefarati's relationship with Chief Ruben Fasoranti and Chief Olu Falae was only being repaired during the election, which limited the impact of the duo in his favour during the Nigerian general elections of 2003. Many of his detractors were to regret their actions later when Olusegun Agagu was himself removed from office by a coalition that included many of the previous players and was replaced by

, thus vindicating Adefarati. During the 1999 Ondo State gubernatorial election, Adefarati was elected governor from 1999 to 2003. He was later a presidential candidate for the Alliance for Democracy party in the April 2007 presidential election,"Nigeria death fails to halt poll"
BBC News, March 29, 2007. but died in Owo,

Ondo State Ondo () is a States of Nigeria, state in Points of the compass, southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State (Nigeria), Western State. Ondo borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast fo ...

, at the age of 76 of an undisclosed ailment a few weeks prior to the election. He had not been considered a major candidate, but his death raised the possibility that the election would be delayed. A spokesman for the

Independent National Electoral Commission Independent National Electoral Commission may refer to: *Independent National Electoral Commission (Burundi) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Guinea) The Inde ...

said that this would not happen, and that the party could name a replacement candidate.

Personal life

Adefarati was a native of Akungba Akoko and was married to Adetutu Adefarati. As an

Oloye ''Oba'' ('King' in the Yoruba language, Yoruba language) is a pre-nominal honorific for kings in Yorubaland. Traditional rulers with dynasties of Yoruba origin, across the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria, and Togo, frequently make use of it. ...

of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

, he held the traditional titles of the Otunba Elekole of Ikole and the Bobajiro of Osu-Ilesa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adefarati, Adebayo 1931 births 2007 deaths Yoruba politicians Politicians from Ondo State Governors of Ondo State National Democratic Coalition (Nigeria) politicians Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria) politicians People from Ondo State