ADP guber candidate Alao-Akala picks Prof. Olaiya as running mate

Former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala, the governorship candidate of African Democratic Party (ADP) in Oyo State, has picked Prof. Abideen Olaiya, as his running mate for the 2019 governorship election.

This information was contained in a statement signed by Mr Abraham Ojo, Alao-Akala’s Chief Press Secretary and made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olaiya, an Associate Professor of Crop Eco-physiology, was a governorship aspirant of Accord Party in the state before his appointment.

Alao-Akala said the renowned scholar was picked after due consultations with stalwarts and key stakeholders of ADP in the state.

Olaiya, an indigene of Ibadan, holds a doctorate degree in Agronomy from the University of Ibadan and lectures at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

He joined politics in 1995 and was in 1998 elected to represent Ibadan South East/North East at the House of Representatives on the platform of Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM).

Olaiya has since been participating actively in politics and other programmes, aimed at improving the welfare of the people in his immediate environment

The don is a devout Muslim and has served several Islamic bodies in leadership capacities since the past three decades.

Olaiya is a member of numerous academic and socio political organisations, and has to his credit, several journals and academic publications.