Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ogun West Senatorial district, have denied allegation of being ‘bought’ in support of Senator Olamilekan Adeola’s ambition in the district.
The leaders, at a press conference held in Ilaro, over the weekend, equally denied allegation of planning to foist the lawmaker, currently representing Lagos West in the National Assembly, as the senatorial candidate.
They declared that the leadership of the party in the district remained cohesive, peaceful and prepared to be victorious in the 2023 general election.
Addressing the meeting which also include members of the Governor’s Advisory Council, the former chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB), Alhaji Muftau Ajibola, faulted claims by Senator Iyabo Anisulowo and Chief Mary Ogunjobi, on behalf of a group, Committee of Concerned Ogun West Patriots under the umbrella of Ogun West Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders in the APC, accusing the party leaders of working to skew the party’s senatorial primary in favour of Adeola.
“We make bold to say that Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola is one of our members in Ilaro Ward 1 of Yewa South local government. As far as Yewa and Ogun West is concerned, he is not a foreigner or stranger. Besides, even an Ibo man or Hausa man who satisfies the provision of the constitution of Nigeria is qualified to run as a senatorial aspirant or candidate in Ogun West talk less of somebody who is a proven native of the land.
“As leaders and elders of the APC in Ogun West, we will not stand by and allow any qualified aspirant who can add value to the race to be excluded on the basis of personal animosity and hatred. Rather, we will support a transparent process that will throw up the best Ogun West senatorial flag bearer for our party who can win comfortably in the general election. The claim of illegality around the aspiration of Senator Adeola by the group is alien to the constitution of the APC and that of Nigeria,” he stated.
Ajibola, however, flayed the members of the group for referring to themselves as the “genuine elders, leaders and stakeholders” of APC in Ogun West”, saying “how can a meeting where not a single elected official of the party participated claim to be genuine or speaking for the party”?
Ajibola said, “The Ogun West APC has its elected executives with its recognized elders most of whom are members of the Governor’s Elders Advisory Council. Those who sat down on Wednesday 18th to issue the said communique do not belong to this category. Some of them are not even members of the APC. They should therefore be regarded as mere interlopers looking for underserved recognition.
“We wish to observe that some of those being celebrated in the communique issued by the committee are people opposed to the aspiration of Governor Dapo Abiodun to run for a second term. As leaders in our senatorial district, we have prior to now endorsed the governor for a second term as a reward for the good work he is doing in our district in particular and the entire state in general.
“We have always worked for the best to represent us in Ogun West and in the 2023 elections, our position is that the best of the lot should fly our flag and represent us. Let nobody who has benefitted from such support in the past now rise against the house in an attempt to pull it down. We will strongly resist such unguided moves, and hereby warn such aspirants and others to retrace their steps otherwise, sooner or later they will meet their political Waterloo.”
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