Imposition of candidates, problem of Ogun APC ― Akinola

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Wasinmi, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr Bolaji Akinola, has said that imposition of candidates without recourse to democratic processes is a major problem of APC in the State.
Akinola said this while speaking to newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Tuesday.

“The way Governor Ibikunle Amosun carries on in Ogun State should concern any well-meaning party member. The governor neither consults nor allows the popular will to prevail. He imposes whomever he wants on the party and that’s it,” he said.

Akinola said during the APC ward, local government and state congresses held early this year, only those handpicked by Amosun were returned to office.

“I fully participated in all the congresses and I can tell you authoritatively that there was no voting anywhere except in Ifo Constituency 1, and that was because the deputy speaker of the state assembly, Taiwo Oluomo, who is the state lawmaker from Ifo constituency, defied Amosun and insisted that the right thing be done.

“During the state congress in May also, there were no elections. No party member can come out and say we voted for any candidate. All the party executives that emerged, from the chairman, Chief Derin Adebiyi, to the lowest position, were all handpicked by Governor Amosun the night before. They just announced their names to us,” he said.

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He said Ogun State indigenes have had enough of the governor and would resist attempts to impose unpopular candidate as his successor.

He said: “The real primary election in Ogun State APC was the one that produced Dapo Abiodun as our governorship candidate. Every other thing, including the so-called primaries conducted by the Derin-led exco, which purportedly produced Abdulkadri Akinlade, is nothing but a sham.

“Forget the propaganda dished out daily by the apparatus of the state government; people are unhappy with the Amosun-led administration and that’s why he is afraid of popular votes. He will rather write results than subject his candidates to popular votes.

“Akinlade is not a popular candidate and any attempt to impose him on the state will backfire against the APC as a party, but with someone like Abiodun, who was chosen by the popular will of the people, victory is sure.”