2023: Accord will make history in Oyo —Adelabu

The Accord Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has said the party will spring surprises and make history in the 2023 general election.

Adelabu gave the explanation during a radio programme tagged ‘Political Circuit’ monitored in Ibadan on Saturday.

Adelabu, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) deputy governor, was the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2019 general election in the state.

He had defected from the APC to the Accord party where he secured the governorship ticket, after alleged irregularities in the APC primary election.

The governorship candidate said that Accord was not a third, but main force in the 2023 general election in the state.

Adelabu said that such forces like the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had in the past won elections in Anambra, Ondo and Nassarawa respectively.

The governorship candidate said that the circumstances in Oyo State at the moment were even more positive than in the three aforementioned states, where the parties grew organically.

He said that former governor Rashidi Ladoja expressed joy when he informed him of his readiness to pursue his governorship ambition in Accord come 2023.

Adelabu said that Ladoja had years back contested the governorship on the platform of Accord with huge followership, though he came second in the election.

“I went tell Baba Ladoja that I am going to Accord to pursue my governorship ambition. He was so happy that he will witness the first governor on the platform of Accord in the state.

“He was excited because he is synonymous with Accord in Oyo State. This is because he contested on the Accord platform and secured almost 300,000 votes. 

“Why won’t he be happy? He was very happy and has been very supportive. He knew I was coming to Accord to complement the existing structure in Accord with my over 300,000 votes I had in 2019,” he said.

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He said that his group moved to Accord to complement its existing structure, saying Accord is a container with its content as 80 per cent of APC members in the state.

The governorship candidate said that the candidates fielded by Accord were largely drawn from the APC with their huge following.

“I can tell you authoritatively, and it has yet to be proven otherwise, that 70 to 80 per cent of APC members are following us to Accord,” he said.

Adelabu said that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) was also divided, saying several groups have pulled out of the party while some are waiting for the final whistle.

He did not rule out possible collaboration when they have an agreement on morals, values and ideologies, adding there was nothing of such now.