Ibadan People's Party

Ẹgbẹ́ **Ibadan Peoples Party** (IPP) ni wọ́n dá sílẹ̀ ní ọjọ́ kàẹ̀ẹ́dọ́gbòn oṣù Kẹfà, ọdún 1951 láti ọwọ́ àwọn èèkàn kùù tí wọ́n jẹ́ ọmọ bíbí Ilẹ̀  Ìbàdàn. Ẹgbẹ́ náà jẹ́ ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú fún gbogbo elédè Yorùbá lásìkò 1950s.  Ẹni tí ó jẹ́ Alága, adarí àti olùdádílẹ̀ fún ẹgbẹ́ náà ni Olóyè Augustus Akinloye, àti àwọn lààmì-laaka mìíràn bíi; Olóyè Adegoke Adelabu, Olóyè Kola Balogun, Olóyè T. O. S. Benson, Olóyè Adeniran Ogunsanya àti Olóyè H. O. Davies. Bákan 
náà ninàwọn agbà ẹgbẹ́ mìíràn náà tún ni Olóyè S. A. Akinyemi, Olóyè S. O. Lanlehin, Olóyè Moyo Aboderin, Olóyè Samuel Lana, olóyè D. T. Akinbiyi, olóy S. Ajunwon, Olóyè  S. Aderonmu, Olóyè R. S. Baoku, Olóyè Akin Allen àti  Olóyè Akinniyi Olunloyo.

## Ètò ìdìbò ọdún 1951

Lẹ́yìn tí wọ́n dìbò ilé ìgbìmọ̀ aṣòfin tí ó wáyé ní inú oṣù kọkànlá ọdún 1951 tán, àwọn ọmọ ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú Action Group (Afẹ́ni -fẹ́ra) tí wọ́n wọlé aílé ìgbìmọ̀ aṣògin jẹ́ méjìdínlógójì nínú àwọn ọgọ́jọ tí wọ́n jọ díje dupò nínú ìdìbò kínní ní ọdún 1951. Àwọn ọmọ ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú Action Group jáwé olúborí nínú ìdìbò náà pẹ̀lú. Ní ìlú Ìbàdàn ní tìrẹ, àwọn ọmọ ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú Ibada Peoples Party ni ó kò gbogbo ìjókòó ilé ìgbìmọ̀ aṣòfin ní  ẹkùn mẹ́fẹ̀ẹ̀fà tiwọn.  Nípa Èkó ńkọ́? Àwọn ọmọ ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú NCNC náà kó gbogbo  ìjókòó ilé fún ẹkùn tiwọn náà. Ṣáájú ètò ìdìbò náà, ẹgbẹ́ Action Group àti ẹgbẹ́ NCNC ń jà dupò ọmọ oyè tí yóò ṣojú wọn níbi ìdìbò náà. Èyí ń wáyé bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ wípé Olóyè Anthony Enahoro ni ó jẹ́ ojúlówó ọmọ oyè ẹgbẹ́ lábẹ́ àbùradà NCNC ṣáájú kí wọ́n tó dá Action Group sílẹ̀. Láti lè ṣe lámèyítọ́, ọ̀gbẹ́ni   Harold Cooper, tí ó jẹ́ agbẹnusọ lìjọba órí ọ̀rọ̀ àwùjọ pàṣẹ pé kí 
àwọn ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú kọ̀ọ̀kan ó ṣe  àtẹ̀jáde orúkọ àwọn ọmọ oyè  wọn níbàámu pẹ̀lú ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú wọn síta fáté rí. Ẹgbẹ́ Action Group nìlan ni ó tẹ̀lé àlakalẹ̀ yí , orúkọ àwọn ọmọ oyè wọn ni:  **[[Obafemi Awolowo]] àti M.S. Sowole** láti ẹkùn Ijebu Remo Division. **Ọ̀gbẹ́ni  S.O. Awokoya, Rev. S.A. Banjo àti V.D. Phillips** láti ẹkùn Ijebu Ode Division .  Olóyè Bode Thomas Abiodun Akerele, A.B.P. Martins, T.A. Amao àti SB Eyitayo** láti ẹkùn [[Ọ̀yọ́]].  **Ladoke Akintola,  JO Adigun, JO Oroge, S.I. Ogunwale, I.A. Adejare, J.A. Ogunmuyiwa àti S.O. Ola** láti ẹkùn     Ọ̀ṣun. **P.A. Ladapo àti G.A. Deko** láti ẹkùn Òndó.  **Dr. L.B. Lebi, CA Tewe àti SO Tubo** láti ẹkùn Òkìtìpupa. ** SL Edu, AB Gbajumo, Obafemi Ajayi àti C.A. Williams** láti ẹkùn [[Ẹ̀Pẹ́]].  **O. Akeredolu-Ale, SO Gbadamosi àti FO Okuntola** láti ẹkùn [[Ìkẹjà]]. **Chief CD Akran, Akinyemi Amosu àti Rev. GM Fisher** láti ẹkùn [[Àgbádárìgì]]. **J.F. Odunjo, Alhaji A.T. Ahmed, CPA Cole, Rev S.A. Daramola, Akintoye Tejuoso, SB Sobande, IO Delano àti A Adedamola** láti ẹkùn [[Ẹ̀gbá]]

Àwọn tókù ni:** J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A. Fafunmi, Adebiyi Adejumo, A. Akin Illo àti P.O. Otegbeye** láti ẹkùn [[Ẹ̀gbádò]] , **Rev S.A. Adeyefa, D.A. Ademiluyi, J.O. Opadina, àti S.O. Olagbaju** láti ẹkùn [[Ifẹ̀]], ** E.A. Babalola, Rev. J Ade Ajayi, S.K. Familoni, S.A. Okeya àti D Atolagbe** láti ẹkùn [[Èkìtì ]],  **Michael Adekunle Ajasin, A.O. Ogedengbe, JA Agunloye, LO Omojola àti R.A. Olusa** láti ẹkùn [[Ọ̀wọ̀]] Western Ijaw Division – **Pere EH Sapre-Obi àti MF Agidee ** láti ẹkùn ìwọ̀ Oòrùn Ijaw, ; Ishan Division – ** Anthony Enahoro láti ẹkùn Urhobo , **WE Mowarin, J.B. Ohwinbiri àti JD Ifode** láti ẹkùn Warri, **Arthur Pres-O. Otere** láti ẹkùn Kukuruku – D.J.I. Igenuma.

Micheal Adekunle Ajasin láti ẹkùn Ọ̀wọ̀ tí ó fi mọ́ Akókò nígbà náà kò báwọn gbégbá ìbò látàrí ìṣọ̀kan ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú wọn. Ó yẹ̀bà fún Alàgbà  A.O. Ogedengbe àti R.A. Olusa kí wọ́n lè díje dipò aga méjì ninú mẹ́ta tókù nílẹ̀, èyí tíbwọ́n borí ninú ìdìbò náà, bákan náà ni Olóyè D.K. Olumofin náà láti inú ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú NCNC jáwé olúborí sórí àga kan tókù. Àwọn mẹ́ta tíwọ́n jẹ́ akọ̀wé ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú Action Group (Ẹgbẹ́ Afẹ́nifẹ́re) tí wọ́n díje dupò fúnra wọn náà jáwé olúborí pẹ̀lú, àwọn ni: . Alhaji D.S. Adegbenro, láti ẹkùn Egba; J.O. Osuntokun, láti ẹkùn Ekiti ati S.O. Hassan, láti ẹkùn Epe. 
Nígbà tí ìbò yóò fi kásẹ̀ nílẹ̀ ní ọdún 1951, ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú Action Group ti ní àwọn ọmọ oyè tí wọ́n ti jáwé olúborí nínú ìdìbò náà tí wọ́n tó méjìdínlógójì nínú ìjókòó méjìléláàdọ́rin nílé ìgbìmọ̀ aṣòfin.

Àwọn tókú tí wọ́n dìbò yàn ninú ẹgbẹ́ ìṣèlú AG ni: Joseph Folahan Odunjo láti ẹkùn Ẹ̀gbá,  Alhaji AT Ahmed, Rev. S.A. Daramola àti Aráẹ̀mọ  Adedamola.  J.A.O. Odebiyi, D.A. Fafunmi àti A. Akin Illo láti ẹkùn Ẹ̀gbádò tí ó ti di Yewa nísìnyí; E.A. Babalola àti Rev. J. Ade-Ajayi láti ẹkùn Èkìtì; Badagry – Olóyè  CD Akran tí ó padà di Ọba àti  Rev. G.M. Fisher láti ẹkùn Agbádárìgì; SO Gbadamosi àti O Akeredolu-Ale láti ẹkùn Ikeja; Rev. SA Adeyefa àti SO Olagbaju láti ẹkùn Ifẹ̀;  AO Ogedengbe àti RA Olusa láti Ọ̀wọ̀; láti  Epe Safi Lawal Edu; C.A. Tewe láti Òkìtìpupa M.F. Agidee; Ishan – Anthony Enahoro, àti Warri – Arthur Prest láti aIjaw central

In addition to the Action Group and the NCNC, there were local/divisional parties such as the Ibadan People's Party (IPP), led by Chief AMA Akinloye; Ondo Improvement League, and Otu Edo of Benin. At the end of poll, the standing of the parties was as follows: Action Group 38; NCNC/Independents 25; IPP 6 and Ondo Improvement League 2. Otu Edo candidates won the three Benin seats, namely, Chief SO Ighodaro, Chief Humphrey Omo-Osagie and Chief Chike Ekwuyasi. Chief Ighodaro opted for the AG, while the latter two went to the NCNC. And of the six IPP elected members, only Adegoke Adelabu joined the NCNC. The rest of them: AMA Akinloye, Chief DT Akinbiyi (who later became the Olubadan of Ibadan), Chief SO Lanlehin, Moyosore Aboderin and SA Akinyemi, opted for the Action Group. The NCNC National Secretary, the late Chief Kola Balogun had sent declaration forms to the IPP assemblymen asking them to declare for the NCNC but Chief Akinloye returned all the forms uncompleted.

The three AG secretaries who had run as independents – Adegbenro, Osuntokun and Hassan, five IPP members, one Etu Edo, and one Ondo Improvement League, Chief F.O. Awosika; and Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola (Independent, Ijebu Ode) had swollen the number of the AG elected members. All the transactions had taken place before the inauguration of the Regional Assembly on 7 January 1952. These were not known members of the NCNC, nor did the party publish their names on the list of its candidates. For over a half century, the NCNC is yet to provide evidence to back its claim that it had won the West Regional election in 1951.

Mr Cooper absolved his department of responsibility for the controversy generated by the NCNC after the election. At a post election news conference in Lagos he said that "Of the winning candidates, the names of 38 were on the list sent to me by the Action Group. The six successful candidates at Ibadan were all among those who had been identified to me as representing the Ibadan People’s Party. No claim of any kind had reached us about the party affiliation of the remaining successful candidates." Why did the NCNC not send a list of its candidates for the poll to the Government PR Department before that poll? The records of the poll conducted in the West and all over Nigeria by the colonial administration are available at the National Archives and can be accessed by any honest researcher. In this matter, it is facts that speak, not what some political/ethnic partisan said or did not say, as shown below.

NCNC probably underestimated the effect of clear policy & programmes of action contained in Action Group's manifesto. Its prescription of Devolution of powers & a Federal system of gov6was what endeared it to the polity, as well as its programme on education, health & infrastructural deficit developments.

## Body politic

The Ibadan electorate did not take kindly to the defection of its elected representatives on the platform of IPP to the Action Group. They used the opportunity of the 1954 federal elections and the 1956 regional elections to express their aversion of the Action Group. In the 1954 Federal elections, when both parties went head to head; the NCNC won 22 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeria while the AG secured 19 seats. In Ibadan, the capital city of the Western Region, the ruling party AG secured just one out of the five federal seats up for grabs. The loathing of the AG by the Ibadan electorate was further demonstrated in the regional elections, which was held on May 26, 1956. Despite the fact that the election was held after the AG had been in power for five years, and had implemented significant social projects, particularly in the area of education; the results for 1956 were: 48 seats won by the AG and 32 seats by the NCNC. However, a closer scrutiny of the actual votes cast revealed that, the margin of victory between the AG and the NCNC was just 39,270 votes. The AG got 623,826 or (48.3%) of total votes, while the NCNC got 584,556 or (45.3%) of the total votes cast. The battle lines had been drawn; the ensuing mayhem and ruthless machinations that encapsulated the Ibadan political scene, degenerated and continued to spiral out of control until 1966, when the military seized control of the government, and banned all political parties in Nigeria.

## Àwọn ìtọ́kasí
 THE MISREPRESENTATION OF NIGERIA BY NIGERIANS AND OTHERS By: Alkasum Abba .
Some facts and figures were drawn from the book, by Yusufu Bala Usman and Alkasum Abba, entitled; The Misrepresentation of Nigeria: The Facts and the Figures, CEDDERT, Zaria, 2005 reprint.