The series of alignments and mergers in the run-up to Saturday’s governorship election in Oyo state continued on Tuesday with some members of the breakaway faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), known as Unity Forum, stating their resolve to work for the victory of the ruling party’s candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
This agreement has reached a meeting of members of the forum at a meeting held in Ibadan.
In attendance at the meeting were members of the Unity Forum like Mr Fatai Ibikunle, Mr Isiaka Alimi, Dr. Hammed Ayinla, Dr. Adebayo Adewusi, Chief ‘Goke Oyetunji, Chief Tijani Balogun, Mr Lekan Kazeem, Mr Azeez Adeoye, Chief Sunday Owoade, Chief Emmanuel Oyewusi, Mr Lasun Adebunmi, Mrs Victoria Adegbuyi, Mr Sikiru Anibire, Mr Ganiyu Alade, Mr Kayode Obisesan, Mr Abiodun Alade, Chief Mathew Fashola among others.
According to a member of the forum, Mr Fatai Ibikunle, the resolve to support Adelabu followed a meeting the forum had with National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu where an agreement was reached on the need for unity in the interest of progress of the party in the state.
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Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Ibikunle gave the assurance that all the issues that led to the schisms within the Oyo APC were presented and treated accordingly with a far-reaching agreement reached by both parties with a view to facilitating victory for Adelabu, on Saturday.
“Immediately after the February 23 elections, serious-minded stakeholders across party lines took stock and realized that no group or political party was in a vantage position to win the March 9 gubernatorial poll.
“The APC, at the national level, also discovered the need for urgent realignment and reconciliation with the estranged Unity Forum became an option for the good of the entire state.
“The unanimous decision is that we will all mobilize across the geopolitical zones of Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa to actualize the dream of Oyo State not falling into opposition for obvious reasons.
“Although the majority of us are not hitherto in the APC, the agreement takes good care of our members who hold either ADC or ADP tickets for House of Assembly but details of this will be made public later,” Ibikunle stated.
It would be recalled that the forum, which is made of many aggrieved Oyo APC faithful, had broken away in the wake of crises which engulfed the ruling APC during its congresses in May last year.
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