Why I was attacked at Adeleke’s funeral – Aregbesola’s ex-aide

A former Special Adviser on Federal Matters to Osun State Governor, Idiat Babalola, who was molested at the burial of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke on Monday, said she was attacked over rumours of her ambition to become the next deputy governor of the state.

Babalola, in a statement in Osogbo, the state capital yesterday said when she arrived for the funeral in Ede, she suspected trouble when some hoodlums started making comments which suggested that her alleged ambition was to checkmate the governorship ambition of Adeleke, who had openly declared his intention to succeed Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Her words: “I am a proud daughter of Ede and Uncle Isiaka has been a mentor and we never had any disagreement till the news of his death was broken to me on Sunday morning. I immediately came down to Ede from Lagos.

“We worked together for the re-election of Governor Aregbesola in 2014 and for his own election into the Senate in 2015. Those who masterminded the attacks on me are people with poor understanding of the relationship between us and who act based on their own political permutations only.”

She further explained that she was at the burial with her father, Chief S.O.B Babalola, a prominent industrialist who is also a friend to Adeleke’s late father.

According to her: “Not long after we sat down for the prayers, I overheard some hoodlums saying something like I was planning to be deputy governor while Uncle (Senator Adeleke) has declared his ambition to be governor from the same Ede.

“And before we knew it, they grew more daring and unruly and brought down the canopy on the dignitaries present. It was the most unruly and irresponsible act I have seen in our land.”

She thanked Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun for mediating in the crisis.