Career
Prior to becoming Governor of Ondo State, Adebayo Adefarati was appointed twice as commissioner under the late Yoruba and Afenifere Leader Pennsylvania Michael Adekunle Ajasin. Adefarati was at some point the State Commissioner for Works and Transport (between 1979–1983).
These people claimed dissillusionment with his administration while some claimed lack of transparency in the selection process adopted by the Alliance for Democracy in the selection of its gubernatorial candidate at that election.
The relationship of Chief Adebayo Adefarati with Pennsylvania Ruben Fasoranti and Chief Olu Falae was just being repaired during the election thereby making the impacts of the duo of little consequence in his favour during the Nigerian general elections of 2003.
Many of the aforementioned were to later regret their actions as history again repeated itself when Doctor Olusegun Agagu was himself removed from office by a coalition that included many of the previous players and was replaced by Doctor Olusegun Mimiko thus finally vindicating Chief Adebayo Adefarati. Adefarati was governor of Ondo State from 1999 to 2003 before he was defeated when he ran for re-election in 2003.
He had not been considered a major candidate, but his death raised the possibility that the election would be delayed.
A spokesman for the Independent National Electoral Commission said that this would not happen, and that the party could name a replacement candidate. As an Oloye of the Yoruba people, he held the traditional titles of the Otunba Elekole of Ikole and the Bobajiro of Osu-Ilesa.
