‘I thought I had something special with Baba Lere Paimo’

Back-stabbing of unimaginable proportion is what I would say to the statement credited to Baba Eda about me recently in the media.
“To have said I lacked enough respect for elders not only shocked me, but has further confirmed that human beings are naturally wicked and ungrateful.”
These are the words of Dele Odule while responding to Lere Paimo’s statement in an interview with the Sunday Tribune last week.

After 20 years of a relationship that began in 1993, Dele said he could not believe “a man I have held so dear in my life” could say this because of an election.

Baba Lere Paimo

“If I could be a truthful, respectful and nice son to Baba till 2010, only to be disrespectful, untruthful because I dared to contest ANTP presidential election, then the 17 years that things went on smoothly between us had been a farce.

“Of all the ANTP elders I was close to, Baba was number one. I was close to them all, but our relationship was special. Or so I thought.
“Anyway, it is Baba’s opinion of me and I respect him for that. But if I am not respectful, particularly before Baba Eda, I know that there is a higher court than that of justice and it is called the court of conscience which supercedes all other courts.”

Lere Paimo had said in the interview that he was not out to support Victor Ashaolu against Odule in the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (ANTP) botched election, but will “support whoever is ready to serve the association with pure mind, who will tell the truth and respect elders.”.
He then added that “Ashaolu has proven to be truthful. Not that Dele is not truthful, but he is not respectful.”