Oyo 2019: How attempt by APC Guber aspirants to pick consensus candidates failed

Plans by the over twenty (20) gubernatorial aspirants under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Oyo State to choose three (3) consensus candidates among themselves on Tuesday failed as the meeting ended in deadlock, DAILY POST reports.

The aspirants were on Tuesday called to a meeting at the State Secretariat of the party located at Oke-Ado in Ibadan, the state capital in order to pick among themselves, three aspirants who the party would adopt as consensus candidates to face the delegates ahead of the primary election of the party later this month.

At the meeting which was held behind closed doors for over three hours were Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the state, State Chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke and Secretary of the party, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya.

They also included over twenty gubernatorial aspirants of the party among whom were; Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan; Mr. Joseph Tegbe; Dr. Olusola Ayandele; Mr. Kehinde Olaosebikan; Mr. Kareem Ayodeji; Mr. Kolawole Asanike and Professor Soji Adejumo.

Others are Mr. Olalekan Alli; Mr. Isacc Omodewu; Mr. Soji Eniade; Mr. Bayo Adelabu, Dr. Morounkola Thomas; Mr. Akeem Agbaje and Mr. Sunday Dare.

The meeting was, however, shunned by the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu; former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Chief Niyi Akintola and Dr. Owolabi Babalola.

Shittu and Owolabi, DAILY POST reliably gathered had, however, purchased their nominationand expression of interest forms.

Ajimobi prior to the Tuesday’s meeting which he promised would last for about ten minutes but later took them over three hours, had promised the gathering that he would meet with the aspirants where they will all agree to pick three aspirants as the consensus candidates of the party for the primary election. He said that the three candidates will later slog it out among themselves when they face the delegates in the primary election.

Ajimobi said, “Basically, we are here, our objective is to move a motion for our party to progress. Today, we want to have a motion. Therefore, being here is simply to move that motion. All that we are saying is that, APC is that party in Oyo state. We parade the highest number of aspirants, not only the highest number, we parade the best in quality. And we have every cause to be proud. I want you to know that all of you in this party, you are lucky Nigerians.

“I want you to know that those who left our party are traitors and those who joined out party are comrades. I repeat it, those on the other side who left our party are traitors and those on the other side and joined our party are the Patriots. Let everybody struggle to find money for posters because anyone who does not have money for posters is wasting his time. I want someone to move a motion for the adjournment of this meeting.

“I will have a meeting with the aspirants, ten minutes, and I will have a meeting with other aspirants for Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly. Ten minutes each, It will not be more than ten minutes each, the gubernatorial aspirants will agree and pick three aspirants among themselves as consensus candidates of the party”.

But, despite the promise, the aspirants failed to produce three aspirants among themselves at the end of the meeting that lasted for over three hours.

DAILY POST correspondent who was at the venue prior and after the meeting observed that many of the aspirants frown their faces while steeping out of the meeting expect two of them whom it was learnt were favoured during the meeting.

The meeting it was learnt could not agree on the three consensus candidates as requested by Ajimobi before the meeting.

Ajimobi while addressing journalists after the meeting added that the party will have no option than to allow the aspirants go to the primary election if they cannot produce the three consensus candidates among themselves.

Ajimobi said, “Let them go and agree among themselves, but if they cannot agree, they will go to the primary election”.