2019: Ogun West Consultative Forum endorses Adeola as consensus candidate

THE Ogun West Consultative Forum, on Tuesday, endorsed the candidature of Senator Solomon Adeola, as the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the Ogun West Senatorial District in the forthcoming general elections in 2019.

The group which consisted of professionals and independent political volunteers from across the length and breadth of the district made the position known at a press conference, held at Ilaro, the political headquarters of Yewaland.

The chairman of Forum, Chief Kayode Ajibola, while addressing newsmen, said that zone had not been favoured to occupy the seat of power since the creation of the state in 1976.

Ajibola, a former state chairman of the Subsidy Re-Investment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), said the body had come together to deliberate and consult, on how the district would not lose out in the  governorship election in 2019, long before the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, supported the zoning of governorship slot to the District.

The group equally appreciated the nation’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for throwing his weight behind the ‘Yewa Agenda’.

They identified lack of political structure as one of their flaws which had been responsible for their inability to have produced a governor.

“We analysed why we are not getting the governorship seat. It was not as a result of the other senatorial districts nor wanting us, but because there is no political structure in Ogun West, as we can see in multiple aspirants.

“We have to prepare from now of whom we have to endorse and adopt.  Our endorsement will not stop other political parties from fielding candidates. We were compelled to start and plan ahead of the election. We must have a point man,” the group added.

The group chairman hinted that they had the mandate of the Yewa Traditional Council, the Awori Traditional Forum, the Olubara of Ibara, Oba Jacob Omolade, in carrying out of the assignment.

The group submitted that it interacted with six governorship aspirants from the zone, to ensure the chance of an Ogun West person becoming a governor.

Those they interacted with were: Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka; Chief Kola Lawal, a serving commissioner, Mr Tolu Odebiyi; the Chief of Staff to Governor Amosun; Senator Solomon Adeola; a current member of the Senate and Hon Abiodun Akinlade who was a former member of the House of Representatives.

Ajibola listed financial capability; platform; the people and the candidate as some of the parameters used to measure the aspirants.

He explained further that Adeola met all the factors and was therefore pronounced as the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the District.

“He is an independently sponsored aspirant. He is an experienced elected political office holder. He is the seating Senator of the most populous senatorial district in Nigeria. The population of Lagos West in which he is representing is more than the population of the entire Ogun State.

“He has an advantage. He has the experience, the structure, the people, and finance. He is making a very big sacrifice. Our position has nothing to do with political parties.

“Ogun West will not support any political party that will not field and Ogun West candidates,” the group added.

The body urged the people of the senatorial district and the entire people of the State, to harness their potentials to support Adeola.

A member of the group, Professor Tope Popoola, said that the exercise had become imperative for them to ensure that an indigene of Ogun West become governor in 2019.

He explained that all aspirants were carefully examined using some parameters with a view to tackling the challenges of multiple candidatures.

“We’ve been meeting regularly for the past nine months and our mission is to educate, inform and mobilize the people ahead of 2019,” he added.