In this exclusive interview, the immediate past Chairman of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) and Principal Partner at Abike Chambers, Abiola Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), speaks with Gbenro Adesina about his humble beginnings in Isale Osi, Ibadan, his journey to the Inner Bar, and his thoughts on Nigeria’s constitutional reforms, leadership, and integrity. He also shares his views on true federalism, state police, and what it takes to lead with honour and purpose.
Q: Who is Abiola Isiaka Olagunju (SAN)?
A: I am a native of Ibadan. I was born at SW1/290, Opere’s Compound, Isale Osi, Ibadan. Interestingly, Isale Osi has produced a governor in Oyo State and Olubadan in the person of Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. I attended Christ Gospel Apostolic Primary School, Oke Foko, Ibadan, and Community Grammar School, Ring Road, Ibadan. For my A-Level education, I attended Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife, in the old Oyo State. Afterwards, I proceeded to the University of Lagos (Unilag), Akoka, Lagos, where I studied Law. I was called to the Bar on December 15, 1993.
Q: Were your parents rich? Trader
A: They were neither rich nor poor. My father, Alhaji Muyideen Salawu Olagunju, was a community leader. He was educated and held a standard six certificate. My mother, Alhaja Misitura Abike Olagunju of Ojularede Compound, Ede, Osun State, was a cow intestine seller – she sold cow intestines in the Gege Area of Ibadan. I was my mother’s lastborn and my father’s last son, the 10th of eleven children. I was a child of old age. By the time I grew up, my father was already old and couldn’t do much anymore. However, I am glad to say that virtually all his children attended secondary school, and many were graduates. Among his children are an accountant, a banker, and a university administrator.
Q: What was life like in the interior part of Ibadan where you grew up?
A: It was fun in the sense that one grows steadily and independently in areas like Isale Osi, Popoyemoja, Aladorin, Foko, Oja’Aba, Beere, Odinjo, and Born Photo, where I grew up. I am a true “born-photo” boy. We had exposure to the good, the bad, and the ugly. I was lucky because I was the lastborn, and I had older siblings who guided me to make the right choices. About 80 percent of my primary school classmates never attended university. It wasn’t because they lacked the intellectual capacity or the desire, but largely due to a lack of guidance and mentorship. When I finished secondary school, I wanted to attend The Polytechnic, Ibadan, to study Mass Communication, but my brothers rejected that idea. They insisted I go to university and study Law because they wanted me to become a lawyer. I had no option but to follow their advice, and I do not regret it. In fact, I remain grateful to them for that guidance.
Q: You have delved into my next question, which centres on what inspired you to study law. Kindly expatiate on it?
A: As I said earlier, I grew up in Isale Osi. In the compound (Agbo Ile) then, the family wives (Iyawo ile) used to say that I argued too much and therefore must become a lawyer. I didn’t take it seriously at the time. However, there are two people who God used as guiding angels for me, and I must not forget them. When I left Isale Osi, I moved to Agbowo, where I met two gentlemen who changed my life’s trajectory. Today, one is a Rear Admiral and the other is a Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army. They encouraged me to study hard and pursue a career in law.
Q: What shapes your value of leadership and integrity?
A: My parents were the first influence. When I was leaving home, first for the College of Arts and Science for an A Level programme and later for university, my mother warned me, “Ranti Omo Eni Ti Iwo Nse” (remember whose son you are). That warning guided me. It kept me away from bad company in school because I didn’t want to bring shame or problems to my parents. So, I remained focused. My father was unapologetically truthful. He spoke frankly and was a man of integrity and honour. Beyond my parents, I had such people as Chief Adeniyi Akintola, Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, and the late Bonajo Badejo, all SANs, who instilled great values in me. Badejo laid the foundation for my legal practice. I cut my teeth as a lawyer in his chambers, and he gave me the confidence to practice. Interestingly, while at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, I never thought I would be in private legal practice. My wish was to work as a corporate counsel in banks or Shell corporation because I admired my brother who was working in a bank in his suit. I want to look like that too. But during the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) , I was posted to Savannah Bank but I was rejected on the ground that the quota for the south west states had been filled up. I was then posted to a law firm, Bonajo Badejo & co at Surulere. It was during my service year at the law firm that I truly discovered myself as a private legal practitioner.
Q: Chief Wole Olanipekun proposed that Nigeria needs a new constitution, not the amendment being carried out by the National Assembly. What is your opinion on this?
A: I oppose the constant amendment of our Constitution. The constitution we keep amending is a militarised document. What we need is a truly homegrown constitution – one prepared by the people of Nigeria. The preamble of our current constitution says, “We, the people of Nigeria, having resolved…” The question is, when and where did we, as a people, sit to resolve anything? The Nigerian military drafted this constitution and imposed it on the country. You can’t put something on nothing. Until we have a sovereign constitution that reflects how Nigerians truly wish to be governed, we can’t claim to have a people-based constitution. The persistent agitations in various parts of the country show clearly that we have not, as a nation, genuinely discussed or agreed on our structure of governance. It is only a matter of time; Nigeria will eventually have a truly homegrown constitution.
Q: What reforms do you expect to see in a homegrown constitution?
A: I insist that Nigeria must practice true democracy and true federalism. What we have today is not a genuine federation. For example, civil servants’ salaries shouldn’t be uniform across the states; they should be based on each state’s resources and economic strength. We all know that Lagos State has more resources than Zamfara State, so it is illogical for both states to pay the same salary to their workers. States should pay salaries according to their financial capacity. Again, the power in the centre is too much. It should be reduced. In addition, too much power is concentrated at the centre. The federal government’s authority should be reduced so that the states can function more effectively and autonomously, as expected in a true federal system.
Q: How?
A: The 1963 constitution is homegrown, and I believe it should be amended and adopted. I strongly believe in resource control. Each state and its communities should control their resources. There may be regulations at the state, federal government, and local government levels, but ownership and primary control must rest with the people and the state. If there is a resource from Isale Osi, in my father’s compound, where I came from, I should have control over it. The state can then ask me to remit a certain percentage of the proceeds – not the other way round. Furthermore, Nigeria needs to approve state policing. I grew up knowing the local constabulary, who wore a knicker and a yellow shirt. State police will help reduce crime. You can’t bring somebody from Imo State to serve as a DPO in Oyo State, vice versa. Let there be state police.
Q: Is your true federalism referring to regional government or the American style of government, where states manage their affairs?
A: The key point is that we need a homegrown constitution. How do we achieve that? We must sit and talk and have an honest national dialogue. If we agree to adopt a regional structure, fine. If we agree that regionalism is no longer practicable and that each state should operate independently, that is also fine. What matters is that power and control must be structured. The present concentration of power at the centre is excessive. The constituent units of the federation must be subsequently empowered. For instance, it shouldn’t be the business of the federal government to issue licences for gold discovered in Oyo State. The community and the state should have that authority, while paying an agreed percentage of revenue to the federal government. We must as a nation address these issues sincerely.
Q: Will you suggest that before we think of any election, we first sit and come up with a homegrown constitution?
A: The time is too short to develop a homegrown constitution because it is a process. According to the Electoral Act, by November, INEC will release the schedule for the 2027 elections. We should focus on the 2027 election with the belief that immediately after the election, whoever emerges as the president will initiate the process of giving the country a homegrown constitution.
Q: What is your reaction to the controversy surrounding the presidential pardon of 175 convicts?
A: The truth is that the president has the constitutional power to grant mercy. However, such power must be exercised with proper guidance. In this case, a committee, which was set up for the purpose, recommended the 175 convicts to the president. I will not blame the president for pardoning wrong convicts, but blame the committee for recommending wrong convicts. The committee should have been very diligent in discharging its responsibility. Before recommending anyone for pardon, it must be certain that the convict has genuinely reformed, poses no threat to society, and is ready to add value upon reintegration. A convicted person shouldn’t be condemned forever. Our correctional centres exist to reform individuals and prepare them to become better members of society. There must be credible assurance that anyone being granted freedom has truly been rehabilitated and is fit to return to society.
Q: How did you feel when you were informed that you had been appointed as OYSIEC Chairman – does it come with excitement, pressure, or fear?
A: I wouldn’t call it excitement, and there was no fear. I saw it as a privilege – a call to duty and an opportunity to serve my state. I am not the only citizen of this state, so it was an honour for the governor to personally call me and ask me to serve. I thank God Almighty for helping me to accomplish what others could not have done within the five years of my tenure. I conducted truly free and fair local government elections. It was the support Governor Seyi Makinde gave me that helped me achieve tremendous success. Although I missed everything, particularly my legal practice, I dedicated my five years entirely to the OYSIEC job.
Q: In the elections you presided over, how can you claim that they were credible when the opposition couldn’t win in even one local government, and the ruling party won in all the local governments in a landslide?
A: Is there any law that says one party can’t win elections in a state? Secondly, what is the attitude of the politicians? Despite the campaigns and other efforts I made, how many of them participated in the elections? And those who participated – how strong were they? You will recall that in 2021, I appealed to all the political parties to participate in the election and assured them of free and fair conduct. We did everything possible, including the delivery of election materials to polling centres on time. The opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), did not participate in 2021, which allowed the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to win. Mind you, in some local governments, the ADC won in 2021. In 2024, it was even worse. Both personally and at the OYSIEC level, we did everything possible to conduct credible elections under my administration. We had the materials on ground and our staff were there. The problem was that the opposition did not show enough strength as they would have shown during national elections. Instead of calling for the disbandment of state electoral commissions across the federation, I would rather advocate for their empowerment. The government should empower State Electoral Independent Commissions (SEICs) like INEC. Their funding should come directly from the federation account. We were fortunate in Oyo State – the governor was very supportive, and I thank him for that. But in some states, it is not the same. If SEICs have independent funding, I can assure you that things will be better.
Q: As the Chairman of OYSEIC, what reforms did you introduce to the management of local government elections?
A: When we came, there was a serious confidence deficit among the people. People didn’t believe in local government elections. Our first assignment on assumption of office was to tour the 33 local government areas. As a result, we recorded 29 percent voter participation in 2021. It was still low, but it was a major improvement compared to the 11 percent participation recorded in the 2018 election. In 2024, we had almost 40 percent participation, which shows that people now understand the importance of the election. Secondly, an election cannot be assessed based only on what happened on the day of the election. The electoral process must be examined in three phases: pre-election, election, and post-election. When we assumed office, there was a paradigm shift. We engaged all 18 political parties that existed at that time. They all signified their intentions to participate, and they all took part in the election, which was commendable. On election day, we ensured the timely delivery of election material. There was no complaint that any local government didn’t receive election materials on time. A day before the election, all the local governments in the state received their electoral materials. In this way, we were able to raise the standard we met when we assumed office.
Q: Before rounding off, let us talk about the charge and bail concept. What does it mean?
A: I have never done it. Okay, charge and bail practice refers to a form of legal practice that is not considered serious. These are lawyers who stay around the court premises or police stations. Based on their relationship with the police, they are called to represent suspects who are brought to court. Most of them don’t even have offices. They simply hang around the court premises waiting to be called to represent suspects.
Q: What factors do you think are responsible for the charge and bail lawyers’ practice?
A: It has been there, it is not new. I met it in practice. Many of them are lawyers without notable mentors like Chief Wole Olanipekun, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, and Chief Niyi Akintola. If you need legal representation, go to serious and reputable legal practitioners. Why would you patronize charge and bail lawyers when there are serious-minded lawyers available?
Q: Is the system peculiar to Nigeria alone?
A: I wouldn’t know.
Q: Could you advise the younger lawyers and youth?
A: Nigerian young lawyers are part of the Nigerian youth. They need to be focused. It is good to aspire, have vision, and a mission, but they must remain focused. They should not allow themselves to be distracted.
Q: If you were to sum up your journey in one sentence, what would you say?
A: I will say Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, the man with the grace of God.
