In a press statement issued at the end of its meeting in Sagamu, on Tuesday, and signed by its chairman, Chief Olu Samodun and Prince Segun Aderibigbe as secretary, the group said it had been vindicated with the emergence of Abiodun as the candidate of the party in the last Wednesday governorship primaries which had further strengthened the course being championed by it in the last two years.
Other members of the Forum include Chief Bisi Rodipe; Chief Olu Okuboyejo; Alhaji Rafiu Songonuga; Prince Adeyemi Adefulu; Dr Rasheed Adenusi and Chief Adebisi Adesanya.
The statement said, “We the leaders of Ijebu/Remo Forum are delighted by the triumph of an idea we have championed at all levels for nearly two years that it was the turn of Ijebu and Remo to produce the next governor of Ogun State which cause has now been vindicated.
“This Forum has always believed that from the perspective of history, precedent, social contract, fairness and justice it was the turn of the Ijebu/Remo axis of the state to produce the next governor in support of which we had repeatedly appealed to all concerned that the effort to change the time-hallowed process was ill-advised and was bound to fail or could cost the APC the gubernatorial election.
“This Forum worked hard for the emergence of a consensus candidate from Ijebu and Remo and even though this was met with limited success, this did not remove the compass the Forum had established for this cause and the leadership is provided to our people to be able to actualize the cause.
“We are pleased to note that in the end, Prince Adedapo Abiodun, MFR, an experienced political activist from Ogun East emerged as the winner of the authentic primary and therefore becomes the flag bearer of the APC in the Ogun State gubernatorial election in 2019.”
It, therefore, called for support from other contestants and the people of the state, by voting Abiodun, as the governor of the state in the election next year, while stating that there was no victor or vanquished in the contest.
The Forum also appealed to the people of Ogun West not to see the Ijebu/Remo people as their enemies.
The group added, “We wish to thank all the other aspirants from the other parts of the state for the interest they showed in the pursuit of democracy. It is our view that in the current exercise, there has been no victor and no vanquished. We appeal to everyone to be sportsmen and to be gallant in the present situation. Our experience has taught us that everyone will have his day.
” We say to our compatriots from Ogun West, in particular, that despite the intensity of this contest, the Ijebu and Remo people are no enemies of the Yewa and Awori people.
“Ijebu and Remo people are a people with a deep sense of history, justice and fairness. We seek it for ourselves and seek it for other people. Indeed, from the history of Ogun State to date, we know we are friends and allies. We have, mutually, supported each other before and we believe God that we will do so again in future.”
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