Why Dauda Adegbenro was Premier for only 8 days
Today, 51 years ago, Alhaji Dauda Adegbenro, the 'Premier of Western Nigeria who never got to govern, passed away.
Alhaji Dauda Soroye Adegbenro was one of the most intriguing political figures of the First Republic and mostly described as the 'Premier that never had an opportunity to serve' because he was only in office for eight days.
Adegbenro, a railway clerk and UAC employee, metamorphosed into a powerful politician, minister and the man at the centre of one of the biggest constitutional crīses of Nigeria's First Republic.
He entered politics in the 1940s and eventually became closely associated with Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group. He grew to becoming one of the prominent figures of the Action Group, the powerful political party that dominated politics in the old Western Region.
He served in the Western Region House of Assembly and later represented the region at the federal level. He also later held important ministerial responsibilities, including portfolios relating to Lands, Labour and Local Government.
THEN, CAME THE 1962 POLITICAL CRISIS
1962 was the year that changed everything. The Western Region of the country was in turmøil, it descended into a bitter political crisïs resulting from the Action Group leadership and the struggle between Obafemi Awolowo and S. L. Akintola. Then, Adegbenro emerged as Awolowo's candidate to replace Akintola as Premier of the Western Region.
He was actually sworn in as Premier by the Governor of the Western Region, Sir Adesoji Aderemi, on 21 May, 1962, but he barely had an opportunity to govern.
The Federal Government declared a state of emergency in the Western Region, effectively bringing normal regional government to an end on 29 May, 1962. He was a premier for only eight days.
The crisïs became one of the defining political confrontations of the First Republic which contributed to the deep political divisions that eventually helped destabilise Nigeria's First Republic. Adegbenro later served in the Federal Government during the Nigerian Civil Wãr era.
The Balogun of Owu and Ekerin of Egbaland eventually withdrew from active politics around 1971. He passed away on September 28, 1975, at his residence in Lafenwa, Abeokuta, after a brief ïllness. He was about 66 years old.
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