A statement credited to Akogun Lere Oyemumi, the Director-General of senator Ademola Adeleke campaign organisation that Dr Akin Ogunbiyi betrayed his principal during the last gubernatorial elections in Osun State has been strongly refuted and described as a shameless attempt to mislead the public.
This was contained in a statement issued by Ogunbiyi’s Idera de Movement, a copy of which was signed and made available to journalists in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State on Tuesday by Ismail Afolabi.
The statement says: “Our attention has been drawn to misinformation purportedly expressed by Akogun Lere Oyewumi during a radio programme yesterday. During the programme, in his usual way of making baseless claims and taking everyone for a fool, Akogun Lere alleged that Dr Akin Ogunbiyi betrayed Senator Ademola Adeleke.
“In entirety, Lere Oyewumi’s bogus lies would have been ignored save for the fact that the truth is sacred and error left uncorrected may become a reference point. If Lere Oyewumi is suffering from severe memory loss, majority of the principal actors and the concerned public are not oblivion of the truth and surely, understand the events leading up to and after the primaries of the PDP around this time last year.
“Dr Ogunbiyi and the Idera de Movement had put past issues behind, but it is apparent that this character is still trapped in the past and finds it difficult to accept the gospel truth that only God, not any mortal of this world, can make anyone become anything in life.
“Why Lere Oyewumi has chosen to make falsehood a hobby is best known to him but it is certain and well known that Dr Ogunbiyi never betrayed the Adelekes and he; Lere Oyemumi, reversely played crucial roles in the betrayal that played out against Dr Akin Ogunbiyi before and after the party primaries.
“To set the record straight, after the Abuja accord was initiated by the party leadership and signed by both parties, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi hosted Senator Ademola Adeleke and the leadership of the party in his country home in Ile-Ogbo at Ayedire local government area of the state where he publicly pledged his support for the PDP candidate. He further rebranded 10 of his campaign vehicles for senator Adeleke as earlier promised during his statewide consultations.
“The accord was short-lived and the memories have not been eroded in the mind of the people of Osun and those who care about the truth and nothing but the truth. A case in point was a red flag and earlier sign of betrayal which could be deduced from the disappearance of the Deputy Governorship candidate, Hon. Albert Adeogun when it was time to substitute his name in line with the reconciliation brokered by former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki before the governorship elections.
“Despite that perfidy which Lere Oyewumi was a party to, Dr Ogunbiyi didn’t cry foul and still campaigned for and supported the party and her candidate in cash and in kind.
“One does not need to be a seer to know that Lere Oyewumi cannot take 5% of what has been melted out on Dr Ogunbiyi by him and his allies and still be as calm and unrattled like Dr Ogunbiyi who is in politics to impact lives, to deepen his service to humanity and not to enrich his pocket.
“In 2014, for instance, when Lere Oyewumi was ‘dropped’ as the running mate of the governorship candidate of the party, the PDP did not lose out in Irewole with a little above 200 votes as it was the case in Ayedire in 2018. The party was defeated with over 10,000 votes.
“Therefore, it is below the base for Lere Oyewumi to deduce that PDP lost Ayedire local government during the last polls because Dr Ogunbiyi did not support senator Adeleke. As expected of him and contrary to Lere Oyemumi’s fictitious narratives, Dr Ogunbiyi mobilised and spent heavily to curry support for PDP in the area. Not only that, he also moved from coast to coast to persuade the people of Ayedire and its environs who were visibly angry with the serial betrayal of their son, and thereby prevented what could have been a serious protest from the axis.
“Lere Oyewumi should have told his audience that none of the terms of the Abuja agreement was fulfilled by the Adelekes and that he is a principal signatory to the flouted agreement. Obviously, beyond self-aggrandisement and ego massaging, serial lies being peddled by Lere Oyewumi to misinform the public cannot assuage his conscience.
“He should calm his nerves at least for a month and take time to reflect on the past. By doing this, maybe, he would realise that piloting an organisation with winners take all mentality is tantamount to failure, especially in politics where numbers count and alliances are required. Rather than advancing his blame game, Lere Oyewumi should also take time to reflect on why Hon. Adejare Bello, Professor Deolu Durotoye and several other political gladiators dumped PDP ahead of the 2018 polls. With the spate of lies and vituperations coming from the politician in recent times, it is evident that he is suffering from Post-Elections Defeat Syndrome (PEDS).
