As Dapo Abiodun soldiers on

THE crisis plaguing the party in the state Notwithstanding, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ogun State has said its candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has the best chance of winning the 2019 governorship poll in the state. The APC gubernatorial candidate has received support from various interest groups in the state. In October, 276 councillors from the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas in Ogun State declared their support for the APC governorship candidate. The state has 349 councillors. The councillors argued that as loyal party men, they would go with the party’s decision on the primaries held in the state. Drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state, the councilors, who spoke through Nurudeen Aka, Solarin Taofik, Somefun Olajuwon and Dapo Taiwo, begged the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to support Abiodun’s candidacy.They commended the governor for his contribution to building the party in the state, urging him to lead the campaign of the candidates of the party to victory in 2019.

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The Arewa community in Ogun Statealso declared support for the governorship candidate of Prince Abiodun at a press conference held at the residence of former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba in Abeokuta, Ogun State.Political Affairs Coordinator of the Arewa Community, Prince Hadi Sani, promised that the Hausa-speaking residents of the state would deliver 300,000 votes to the APC in the coming general elections. Sani said: “We are absolutely in support of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for Presidency and Prince Dapo Abiodun as governor of Ogun State. We have over 300,000 votes and all our votes are for Dapo Abiodun and President Muhammadu Buhari.” Also, leaders and members of the APC in Ikenne LGA of Ogun state, declared their support for the candidacy of Dapo Abiodun as the party’s governorship flag-bearer and promised to deliver massive votes to ensure victory for him in the 2019 election, the party made this declaration at a solidarity rally held in Ikenne-Remo, on Wednesday, October 31, in support for the national leadership of APC, which declared Abiodun as the winner of the governorship primary election in the state.The trio of Idowu Solaru, Mohammed Olaitan and Oyenuga Ayomide, addressing the party faithful, respectively described Abiodun as an experienced politician capable of turning around the state if voted as the governor.

Other party leaders, who spoke at the event equally called on members of the party to come together and work for the success of the party ahead of the 2019 elections. Some of these public shows of support and a lot of others, the Publicity Secretary of the newly-constituted, Ogun State Caretaker Committee of APC, Honourable Tunde Oladunjoye, said in Abeokuta recently, give the party’s confidence of its success at the polls next year. Oladunjoye said the Prince Abiodun would also take advantage of the great and sterling achievements of APC Presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ibikunle Amosun. “The APC is not coming from ground zero. President Buhari, with his national and global acceptance and Governor Amosun’s achievements in the state over the past seven years have indeed laid a good foundation for us. These are the selling and take-off points for us in Ogun State. We are all members of the same house under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, we will renew, realign and rebuild our party for total victory at the 2019 polls, by God’s grace,” said Oladunjoye.

The Publicity Secretary of the newly-constituted, Ogun state Caretaker Committee of the APC declared: “Abiodun, the APC governorship candidate, has paid his dues. He possesses the right character, integrity and experience for the office of the governor of the state. According to Oladunjoye, “Our candidate has a strong sense of purpose and determination. There is no iota of desperation in his project. His governorship intent is not for pecuniary reasons, because he doesn’t need to raise funds, haven been blessed to single-handedly finance his governorship intent. He also has the connection to make things work.” He maintained that Abiodun has demonstrated a great sense of level-headedness by urging the media not to promote enmity between him and the governor, maintaining; “We are like family.”

• Akinyele is a political analyst