That Fred Ajudua, an alleged fraud kingpin craves for relevance, influence and power as much as the air he breathes is no longer in doubt. More than two years after he went into hibernation, the 2023 General Election gave Ajudua cause to wake up from his years of solitude. The 62-year-old returned to his elements, directing how he wants the political pendulum to swing in Ibusa, his hometown in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Although Ajudua is not a politician and has never sought political office, his influence in Ibusa politics cannot be ignored. He uses his connection and influence to decide the political outcome of those who care to pay homage to him or those he considers family, like his wife and mother of his only son, Princess Pat more popularly referred to as Adankele, who is a member of the Delta State House of Assembly and its current chief whip.
Princess Pat Ajudua had made attempts to contest for a seat in 2022 the House of Representatives, but her husband could not influence the decision of the delegates who instead gave the primary ticket to Ndudi Elumelu, who has since been sent packing from the lower chambers.
Like Lagos based Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, Ajudua is known to deploy politics of intimidation, thuggery and violence to achieve his political goals and many dare not complain about it, at least openly.
During this election season, a video showing Ajudua telling voters to stay away from polling units and instead sit in their home if they were not going to vote for his preferred candidates, who were contesting on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, went viral on social media. Naturally, some people in the crowd cheered as he spoke, perhaps, either for fear of their lives or to remain beneficiaries of his philanthropic deeds.
It is a well-known fact that it is impossible to find a family in Ibusa that Ajudua did not touch their lives positively. Again, just like MC Oluomo who has both the educated and illiterates in the Southwest as loyalists, Ajudua refers to himself as the ‘Architect of Modern Ibusa,’ the Onwa, (moon) to his people because he is the moon that shines its celestial light on them all.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
