To Nigerians and indeed to the world, delectable Kemi Alao-Akala, was the one known to play the official wife of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala while the latter held sway as governor of Oyo State between 2007 and 2011.
However, the former governor has an older wife, with whom he began life as a police officer residing in Lagos. Florence Alao-Akala is a business tycoon, whom the entire family including her husband affectionately referred to as “mummy” or the “mother of the house”. She earned that appellation chiefly for her equanimous acceptance to concede the role of “First Lady” to the younger wife and her contentment to mind her business in Lagos, rarely showing up at the opulent Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.
But back in Ogbomoso, the Akalas’ home town is a more popular “wife”, Deborah, who unlike Florence, jealously competes for the enviable position with Kemi. In fact, she regards the other two as the “Ibadan and Lagos wives”, while she is the “authentic” spouse, with the native homestead as her domain.
Deborah is, however, an imbecile, one of the dregs of society, who has been nurturing the illusion for about 15 years, when she first met the flamboyant politician, who was then serving as the elected Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government under the defunct All Peoples Party (ANPP). She had been one of the beneficiaries of Akala’s legendary and unstinting generosity, which was part of the critical factors that accounted for his clout and political success.
Once she tasted of the man’s benevolence, mostly cash gifts, she turned his house and office into her haunts.
Everybody in the household and the neighbourhood knows her as “Akala’s wife” and often humoured her by calling her “First Lady”.
Indeed, Deborah has unfettered access into the palatial residence of the former governor, but always chooses to sit under one of the citrus trees in the expansive compound, with her walking stick, while awaiting her “husband” to emerge from the inner recess of the house to give her “chop money”.
Whenever Akala breezed into town, Deborah, who lives some three kilometres away, was sure to know and would promptly visit.
“I don’t know how she gets to know when I am in town, but once I am in, she is here”, the former governor toldSaturday Sun in an interview on the “love affair”.
The entire Akala clan and his political associates have all accepted the woman as part of them, due to the love and kindness the head of the house shows her.
Said Abraham Ojo, lawyer and media aide to the former governor: “We consider her as part of the family. We have no choice but to see and treat her that way, because that is what Oga wants. Even when we have social occasions, he directs that she should be given her own “Aso ebi”, which would be sewn for her and which she wears along with everybody”.
Saturday Sun learnt that when Deborah lost her mother about two years ago, Alao Akala bankrolled the funeral expenses as an “in-law” and acted as if he was Deborah’s true husband at the funeral.
There was a mild drama on Tuesday, June 3, when Akala turned 64. Deborah was there to felicitate with him along with both the mighty and low. Although the former governor cancelled the celebration, because he was still mourning the death of his driver, who was recently killed by suspected armed robbers, he received the throng of well-wishers.
And while seeing off some of the visitors, the poor woman sprang up excitedly, a big smile playing on her face on sighting him emerge from the house with his guests. She ran towards her “darling”, who warmly embraced her. The scene drew cheers and applause from bystanders. Akala then joked, apologising to her: “Deborah, I’m sorry, I’ve not come to see you o. It’s these gentlemen that caused it. They said they wanted to give me a new wife”.
To this, the erstwhile destitute vigorously shook her head in protest, stuttering: “No, no, I won’t accept that”. Everyone around laughed and she too joined in the general mirth, on seeing it was only a joke.
Answering questions later from Saturday Sun, on why she calls Akala her husband, Deborah said: “He’s my Jesus”, implying that the Peoples Democratic Party chieftain is her helper in times of need.
She probably spoke the minds of the crowd of poor town folks who normally flocked and set up camp at the Akala residence as soon as they got a whiff of his presence in town in order to solicit one favour or another. “They normally come like that whenever he (Akala) is in town. People who needed to pay hospital bills, school fees or looking for financial help to sort out their personal problems, or do naming ceremonies, because their wives just had babies. All of them come here because they know he will not turn them back”, said a former protocol officer to the governor, who was also on hand on the occasion.
You also learnt that food and drinks were sometimes served to the congregation, akin to the situation in the Molete, Ibadan residence of the late maverick and widely acclaimed strong man of Ibadan politics, Chief Lamidi Aribiyi Adedibu, whose daily feasting of alms beggars and his army of political troops was believed to have ensured their fierce loyalty to him and his preeminent control of the politics of the state during his life time.
You asked Otunba Alao-Akala, who had often openly confessed his ambition to be like his late political godfather if this was the succession strategy. The former police officer let out a knowing chuckle and shot back with another question: “What’s wrong in my maintaining my political structure? I am a politician who knows how to play the game. You will always find people around me, because I’m a grass rooter. But quite frankly, it goes beyond that. I’ve come this far because I never abandoned my people. I’m always in their midst and see to how they can be helped to meet their little, little needs. That’s how to get people to love you and why they will love you and not people who will go and you will not see them until the next election.
”I’m a thoroughbred Ogbomoso man. Even when I was a police officer serving in Lagos, I had a reserved place where Ogbomoso people visiting or coming to work in Lagos, stayed until they were able to find their feet in the city. I never had political ambition then. I didn’t even need to know you, relations or not, once somebody from the town referred you to me, that’s it. And there was no year I spent Christmas outside Ogbomoso. I always come home to celebrate Christmas. So, I am very popular with my people and that’s why, even though I did not belong to the big parties then contesting in the local government elections around 1998/99, my people gave me their support and I was elected local government chairman on the platform of the APP (All Peoples Party), when Alliance for Democracy (AD) held sway in the state.
“Baba Adedibu knew I was a factor needed to win the 2003 governorship election for the PDP and that was why I was made the running mate to Rashidi Ladoja, to sweep the overwhelming votes of Ogbomoso to the PDP and you saw it, we did it.
“The same thing in 2007 and even in 2011, I delivered my base. But for some factors which worked against us in the last election, PDP would have still been in power. But, I tell you, we have learnt our lessons and by the grace of God, we will sack this government in 2015, because the people are with us, they have not left us. They now know the difference between when we were there and their experience under this APC government which does not care about their interest and welfare”.
Otunba Alao-Akala said while it was still early to confirm or refute speculations about his interest to seek reelection, he disclosed that he was in extensive consultation with major stakeholders in the state, following representations and calls made to him by various sections of the people of the state to run in 2015.