Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo South Senatorial District, comprising commissioners, members of the state House of Assembly, local government chairmen, youth and women leaders, on Saturday reiterated their call on Governor Abiola Ajimobi to run for the Senatorial seat of the district in the 2019 elections.
At the event tagged The Clarion Call of Mission of His Excellency, held at the state party secretariat, Oke Ado, they said they were compelled to ask Ajimobi to contest, because the APC wanted him to become a titular leader of the party after leaving office as governor.
Saturday’s event, which followed a similar rally held in Lanlate in February, was attended by Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Michael Adeyemo and other lawmakers like Kehinde Subair, Olusegun Ajanaku, Bolanle Agbaje, Olusegun Ajanaku, Akeem Abimbola, Jimoh Rafiu; Chairman APC Oyo South Senatorial District, Mr Adefisoye Adekanye; Director of Mobilisation, APC, Mr John Ige; Women Leader, Oyo South Senatorial District, Mrs Olabode Balikis.
Others were the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, and his finance counterpart, Mr Bimbo Adekanmbi; Special Adviser to Governor Ajimobi on Political Matters, Dr Morounkola Thomas; Caretaker chairmen of local government areas in Ibadan and Ibarapa zones, with the chairman of Ibadan North West Local Government, Mr Bosun Ajuwon, speaking on their behalf.
State secretary of the APC, Mr Mojeed Olaoya, who led the various addresses, said the party could not afford to lose the experience, wisdom and knowledge of Ajimobi after his term as governor, hence he should contest in 2019.
Pointing to the achievements of Ajimobi, which he described as unequalled in the history of the state, Olaoya said party members would go the long haul to beg Ajimobi to see reasons to heed the clarion call to contest.
Olaoya also identified political permutations that the Senate Presidential seat would be zoned to the South-West in 2019, and that Ajimobi was best positioned to clinch that position if he was elected senator.
“No governor has been able to equal the achievements of Governor Abiola Ajimobi. In the current Senate, most of the Senators from the Senate President to others are former governors for one or two terms. “We cannot afford to lose the noble experience, wisdom, idea of the governor after his eight years in office. Importantly, he is leader of the party and we don’t want him to be just a titular leader. We have had the experience that if a former governor is not put into function, they just remain titular and a toothless bulldog. We want Ajimobi to still be at the corridors of authority or power.
“In Kwara state, Bukola Saraki remains a leader of repute not just a titular leader. We want a similar thing in Abiola Ajimobi. That knowledge must continue. The constitution does not allow him to go for a third term as governor but the constitution allows him to go to the Senate as many times as possible.
“With the calculation of politics in 2019, we foresee the possibility that the Senate President position will be zoned to the South West. When this is done, not just anyone will be Senate President. And I know that nobody can compete with Abiola Ajimobi if it is zoned to the South West. This is because Ajimobi is a material for the South West.