The three aspirants, including Princess Jumoke Owoola (Ido Osi Constituency 2), Mrs Yetunde Adamu (Ikere 1), Mrs Mary Oso (Ado 2) and Mr David Adewole (Ekiti South West 2), described the report of the adoption in a statement made available to TribuneOnline on Thursday.
Princess Owoola, in the statement, said the said adoption of the so-called 26 APC members was a mere ruse, adding that it was an attempt to discourage other intending aspirants, who she said had godfathers, from making their contributions to their different communities.
Contrary to the reported adoption, she said there was no adoption, adding that the reconciliatory committee being set up by the leaders of the party in the State had just started working on the assignment of reconciling the various aspirants seeking to contest the legislative election in 2019.
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“There has never been any time some people were considered as consensus candidates. What happened weeks back was that we were told at one of the meetings at the instance of the party leaders to go for consensus to which we said no. We all agreed to go back and work with our people and meet later on the field.
“But why running to the media with such a list? Who signed it? At what level or forum was it signed? Some of us were at the party secretariat on Monday to meet the party chairman, his deputy and the state Women Leader. I can quote all of them telling us to attend the reconciliatory parley in order to table our grievances.
“I heeded the call of my constituency to vie for the House of Assembly seat and this was based on what I have done for my community. We are calling on our leaders to withdraw the consensus list and complete the reconciliation process. The party may have preferences but imposition will never work. What we want is justice, equity and fair play,” Owoola said.
For Mrs Adamu, “Handpicking candidates gives room for mediocrity and many communities are aggrieved with this consensus arrangement. I am fighting on principle and I am not against personalities.
“Dr Kayode Fayemi promised us direct primary. At what point did it change to consensus? The party should allow us to test our popularity on the field. I have suffered to make my party popular in my domain.”
In the words of Mrs Oso, “We should all sit down and decide on consensus. They ought to have called us because I don’t understand the kind of politics they are playing. Nobody has ever sat down in my constituency on such a matter. Why the handpicking of consensus candidates?”
Mr Adewole also lends his voice as he said, “The leaders in Igbara-Odo organised a screening committee for all the 11 aspirants and I came first as the consensus candidate. My name was sent to the party. But to my surprise, the person who came seventh in the screening has been picked as the consensus candidate.”
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