“At the state dinner in Shagari’s honour that night, Governor Alli complained about the incident, that a minister overruled his order even though he is the state Chief Security Officer”.
BY MAHMUD JEGA
The viral post on social media regarding President Shehu Shagari’s visit to Bendel State [today known as Edo and Delta states] in 1980, which I read today, contained some material inaccuracies which I want to point out for the sake of political history. In 1980, I was not an official of any government but an early university student, and also an avid reader of newspapers, especially political news.
The real story was this. In early 1980, Shagari, who was sworn in three months earlier, commenced a nationwide tour. For whatever reason, he decided to start from Bendel State’s capital, Benin City. It was not true that Governor Ambrose Folorunsho Alli, though a member of the opposition Unity Party of Nigeria [UPN], told Shagari that he was not welcome in Bendel State. No state governor can tell the president not to come to any state. In fact, Bendel State Government under Alli made preparations to receive Shagari in the state. When Shagari landed at Benin Airport, the governor and all his key officials were there to receive him
Trouble was, two days earlier, Governor Alli signed a proclamation banning rallies and processions throughout the state. Although he said it was to preserve peace and security, it was widely seen as a partisan political act in order to stop NPN chapter in Bendel from organizing a rousing welcome for Shagari. NPN Bendel chapter was very strong; its candidate Chief Daniel Okumagba only narrowly lost the governorship election to Alli in July 1979. Of the five states that UPN won that year, it won with landslides in Lagos, Ondo, Ogun and Oyo but only narrowly in Bendel.
Bendel NPN mobilized thousands of supporters, led by dancing and singing troupes, to the airport but police locked the gates in obedience to the governor’s ban. When Shagari arrived, he had in his entourage his Minister of Police Affairs, Prof Emmanuel Sunday Osamor, who was himself a Bendelite.
According to newspaper reports at the time, the state NPN chairman complained on the tarmac that their supporters had been locked out, so there and then, Osamor told the Police Commissioner to open the gates. He did, and NPN supporters flooded the tarmac.
At the state dinner in Shagari’s honour that night, Governor Alli complained about the incident, that a minister overruled his order even though he is the state Chief Security Officer. In his speech, Shagari said [evasively], “Governor, you and I should concentrate on governance and we should leave politics to the politicians.”
I recall this entirely from memory, but anyone who is deeply interested can search the newspapers of 1980, especially Daily Times, New Nigerian, Tribune, Sketch, Punch and Vanguard.
