Former Oyo State First Lady and ambassador-designate to Austria, Florence Ajimobi, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, and Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker Adebowale Ogundoyin have rejected claims linking them to a plot to impeach Governor Seyi Makinde. In separate statements issued on Tuesday, the three denied any involvement in alleged meetings aimed at orchestrating the governor's removal. Ajimobi dismissed reports that she hosted or attended gatherings in Lagos or elsewhere to discuss impeachment, calling the claims "entirely false, baseless, and a deliberate act of disinformation." She described the allegations as politically motivated and an attempt at character assassination, adding that she has no role in the internal affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State. The controversy emerged following reports that Ogundoyin met with Ladoja and Ajimobi to plan the impeachment. Ogundoyin confirmed he was offered money to facilitate the process but said he rejected it outright. "No amount of money can buy my conscience or compromise my loyalty," he stated. He denied receiving funds from All Progressives Congress proxies, calling the claims fabricated. He clarified that his visit to Ladoja was traditional, meant to seek blessings for his gubernatorial ambition, and occurred weeks before the allegations surfaced. Ladoja also denied the claims, with his media aide, Adeola Oloko, stating the monarch is not involved in partisan politics and warned against involving the traditional institution in political disputes.
Florence Ajimobi's swift and forceful denial of involvement in any impeachment plot against Seyi Makinde exposes the fragility of political alliances in Oyo State, where reputations are easily weaponised. That she is now an ambassador-designate adds diplomatic weight to her position, making unfounded allegations not just politically damaging but potentially diplomatically awkward. Her insistence that she has no interest in PDP's internal affairs clashes with the persistent narrative that former political figures continue to operate behind the scenes, especially when gubernatorial ambitions surface.
The claim that Ogundoyin was offered money to impeach Makinde—while denying any transaction—reveals how deeply monetised political subterfuge has become in state governance. That such offers are now openly acknowledged, even if refused, signals a system where loyalty can be presumed purchasable. The timing matters: coming after Ayodele Fayose's claim that Makinde sought to remove the Olubadan, the narrative cycle suggests a state where power struggles are projected through third parties and traditional institutions.
Ordinary Oyo residents, particularly taxpayers and civil servants, bear the cost of this instability. Legislative-executive friction risks derailing budget approvals, infrastructure projects, and public service delivery. When lawmakers must publicly affirm loyalty, governance becomes performance over function. Farmers, traders, and students in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, and Oyo feel the impact through delayed projects and eroded trust in leadership continuity.
This episode fits a broader pattern in Nigerian subnational politics: the use of impeachment threats not as constitutional tools, but as pressure valves in intra-party control battles. From Ogun to Kaduna, the mere whisper of impeachment reshapes power dynamics, often without evidence. In Oyo, it underscores how succession anxieties—especially with Ogundoyin's declared ambition—can ignite manufactured crises.
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