Osun West bye-Election: APC leaders lobbied me to work for them, but I refused ―Accord chairman

The chairman of the Accord Party (AP) in Osun, Mr Ayodele Fanibe over the weekend said leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state persistently lobbied him to work for their party ahead of the July 8 by election in Osun West Senatorial District.

He, however, said he rejected their overtures because he cannot afford to trade the political influence of AP for anything, saying no amount of pressure from the APC can make him to use his party’s structure to support their candidate, Senator Mudashiru Hussain.

Fanibe, who stated this shortly after he emerged as the state chairman of AP after the party’s congress held Technical College, Osogbo assured his party ‎members that under no any circumstances must he sell out the party to any politician or party.

According to him, “some leaders of the APC have been calling me to work for them, but I rejected their moves. What happened and is happening in Nigerian politics has thrown up Accord Party as the only party with credibility to save Nigeria from the recipe.”

While urging members of AP to support and co-operate with him so the party can becomes darling of the masses, Fanibe said “a new era has indeed come and the alternate party presently in the state is Accord Party and we are going to make it so, but it needs sacrifice which we must all make.”

‎He said there was need for Nigerians to embrace unity and peaceful co-existence, stressing that everybody and major stakeholders in the economic sector must collaborate with the federal government in its efforts to move the nation out of the present economic recession.

Fanibe, who prayed for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari who is on medical vacation in the United Kingdom posited that “together we can move mountains, reason we must ensure we are united no matter the differences because in Accord Party ‘ our slogan is oneness and progress.”

Earlier in his remark, the national chairman of Accord Party, Mr Mohammad Lawal, who was represented by Engineer Odor Iyere assured all members that the party will work towards achieving its goals from ward, local and state by strengthening its mobilisation in readiness for the 2018 gubernatorial and 2019 general elections.