OSUN 2023: PDP Guber Ticket Triggers Fresh ‘War’ Between Adeleke, Ogunbiyi

PDP Guber Ticket Triggers Fresh ‘War’ Between Adeleke, Ogunbiyi

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Aspiration for the 2023 governorship ticket in Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State has triggered a fresh war between Senator Ademola Adeleke and businessman cum politician, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi.

PDP fielded Senator Ademola Adeleke in 2018 governorship against the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adegboyega Oyetola.

Senator Adeleke polled 1,562 while Ogunbiyi got 1,569 votes during the party’s primary.

Ogunbiyi rejected the outcome of the party’s primary alleged that the election was rigged in favour of Adeleke. He held that some infractions compromised the integrity of the exercise and made the results clearly unacceptable, include the non-adherence to the clear provisions of the electoral guidelines and unfortunate manipulation of the accreditation, voting, sorting and counting of the votes cast by delegates at the primaries.

However, the two camps later reunited towards the 2018 governorship election after they negotiated and agreed to a pact. After Adeleke lost the governor seat to the candidate of APC, there has been uneasy calm in the camp of the two political gladiators.

Following, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) slated July 16, 2022, for the Osun State governorship election, the current party structure of PDP led by Hon Sunday Bisi has disclosed that Senator Adeleke did well in the 2018 election, thereby, he will be presented by the party in 2022 Osun State guber election.

The Director, Media and Publicity, Osun PDP, Oladele Oluwabamiji had told our correspondent that, majority of party stakeholders are indeed, rooting for the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the party candidate in the forthcoming governorship election, noting that Adeleke performed excellently in the 2018 governorship election as the party’s candidate, where he defeated the APC candidate on the first ballot before the run-off.

Osun State Federal Lawmaker, representing Ede/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Hon Bamidele Salam reechoed the will of the party’s structure out ruling the chances of the party trusting Dr Akin Ogunbiyi to cliche the governorship ticket of the party in 2022.

Salem said, “I know Dr Akin Ogunbiyi very well; he is a brother that I respect so much, but you know that when we talk about politics, we talk about the name, influence, networking, Ogunbiyi is nowhere near the Adelekes. I give him due honour, he is a very good and capable man but he can also be very useful in other areas but certainly not as the governor in this time around.”

A statement signed by the Director of Strategy,
Idera de Movement, Kunle Omolere, stated that Dr Akin Ogunbiyi is eminently qualified and possesses the required qualities to lead the PDP to victory.

“Ogunbiyi is better placed and, given his track record of service to humanity and growth, having stimulated several businesses from nothing to stardom will make a good governor if saddled with the lofty responsibility than accidental diploma holder.

“It is shameful and rather ridiculous seeing Bamidele and other supporters of the absentee aspirant banking on irrelevancies, guilt and manipulation to push his ambition instead of rolling out the unique selling points of the man, if he has any, apart from his good dancing steps.

“PDP delegates and the general public have seen through and know the aspirant who will not make a good governor if given the chance. They know the aspirant with the improbable academic record.”