Following reports on the announcement of Tajuddeen Adekunle Akinlade as Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s preferred successor in Ogun State, oil magnate and aspirant, Dapo Abiodun has kicked against the declaration saying the process of picking the anointed candidate was “undemocratic.”
The Heyden boss who had expressed his intention to become the next governor of Ogun State described Amosun’s decision as a move “basically aimed at hoodwinking the general public, thereby throwing up confusion into the political environment of our dear state, especially within the APC.”
The Ogun State governor on Thursday, September 6, 2018 had reportedly picked Akinlade in what was believed to be a consensus move after meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) major gubernatorial aspirants in the state.
But the billionaire oil magnate, in a statement made available to the media through Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization – DACO said, “Such resolution is expected to be taken by critical stakeholders, which includes all governorship aspirants, without excluding any.”
Here is the full statement as released by the DACO; “Our attention has been drawn to a misleading media report and total misrepresentation of facts, being sponsored by the governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and his puppet State Exco indicating that there was an agreement by some unidentified stakeholders to select the next Ogun APC governorship candidate through a consensus arrangement.
“This development is basically aimed at hoodwinking the general public, thereby throwing up confusion into the political environment of our dear state, especially within the APC.
“We received this news with rude shock and wonder why the proponents had chosen to tow a political path that is undemocratic, unjust and unfair to all other governorship aspirants within the party, as they were not duly consulted before such decision was reached by the governor and his political group. A consensus only obtains where there is only one aspirant which would still have to be affirmed and ratified by voting.
“The national body of our great party has made itself clear on the issue of primaries, and instructed that all the states being ruled by APC must adopt the direct primary election method and in a situation where such is not feasible, a resolution of any other alternative primary election process should be forwarded to the national body for proper ratification and adoption.
“Such resolution is expected to be taken by critical stakeholders, which includes all governorship aspirants, without excluding any.
“At this time and age, it is somewhat amusing that Senator Ibikunle Amosun will gather some aspirants of just one Senatorial district and unilaterally decide and announce a purported and sham consensus.
“It is worthy to note that at no point did Prince Dapo Abiodun and many other stakeholders of our dear state receive any official or unofficial invitation to attend the said stakeholders meeting where this issue was discussed.
“We hereby call on our supporters and the general public to completely ignore and disregard this make-believe political narrative being sponsored from within the government of Amosun against Prince Dapo Abiodun and a few others.
“Finally we would like to reiterate our full commitment and support for any primary election process that falls within the guidelines which was stipulated by the National Working Committee of our great party APC.”
The statement was signed by the Director of Media, Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization – DACO.
