Osun 2018: New Twist Emerges In PDP

 

• Adeleke, Ogunbiyi Tagged ‘Foreigners’
• ’Locals’ Join Forces

By Solomon Odeniyi

There is a new twist to the contest for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket ahead of the September 22 governorship election in the State of Osun, as the chances of Senator Ademola Adeleke and that of an Insurance Magnate, Akin Ogunbiyi were reported to be getting slimmer inspite their financial muscles.

Of recent, political spectators have zeroed down the contest to those with financial capacity, particularly Adeleke and Ogunbiyi, but the new development is relegating the duo to the background, as party members, particularly delegates have tagged them foreigners.

However a member of the PDP team who recently toured the nine federal constituencies to feel the pulse of party members said from all indications, members, particularly delegates have made up their minds to collect money from any of the aspirants, but vote for a perceived local person during the primary.

Some party delegates who spoke with this medium averred that the activities of the two aspirants have shown that they were too desperate to get the party’s ticket, hence when they eventually win the governorship election; there is likelihood that they would not be accessible to local people.

One of the delegate said: “Adeleke has never been part of us, not until when his brother died and he was asked to come and replace him in the senate and since then, he has not been making himself available not until when the governorship contest came.

“So, there is premonition that when he wins the election, the local people here will be sidelined and we are afraid that what Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is doing now by bringing in foreigners might repeat itself.

“On the Ogunbiyi’s side, we don’t even know him at all; he just came from nowhere and started spending money to get the party’s ticket. Someone we do not know and he too doesn’t know people, how will he be accessible.

“The rumour recently milling the round that Ogunbiyi is a protégé of Bola Tinubu has strengthen the fear that this man is not for us, but for the other side and that has been creating confusion within the party”, the source said.

Another delegate noted that this is the time for the party members, particularly delegates and party leaders to enrich themselves from the largesse of the aspirants and they would do so, but support a local person who will be known and accessible to members of the party when the party takes over the governance of the state.

Meanwhile, about three frontline aspirants from the West Senatorial zone in the party, including a former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon Adejare Bello and former ALGON Chairman, Akogun Lere Oyewumi who considered themselves financially inferior were reported to have started planning to join forces with a view to tackling their perceived ‘foreign base’ politicians.

The plan, according to a source was that, if any of the aspirants is presented as the party’s candidate and eventually wins the election, it would be better for them and their followers, having been together locally for a long time rather than picking someone who has never been part of the system.

However, one factor that has been working against one of the aspirants in the force, Akinbade, the source said was his defection from the PDP and political sojourn in Labour Party for some times before his return, saying all of the aspirants have been building on the loopholes they might found to campaign against one another.