Ogun 2019: APC Yet To Decide On Zoning – Osoba

A former Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, has debunked speculations that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has zoned the 2019 governorship slot to a section of the state.

Mr. Osoba made the clarification on Wednesday at a meeting with party supporters at his private residence in the Government Reservation Area, Abeokuta.

He said party members in the three senatorial districts of the state are eligible to contest for the slot, stressing that‎ no individual in the party, no matter highly placed, can determine where the next governor of the state would come from in 2019.

Mr. Osoba further explained that the party needs to embrace internal democracy in order to brighten its chances in the next general elections.

“As a party, there is nothing like zoning of office in the past. We give opportunity to everyone to aspire, but we always use maturity to settle it amongst us. That is unwritten, it is a convention. It is not the rule but nobody will go against the agreement.

“Now, so many things have divided us. The Ijebu now come together to be claiming the Ijebu agenda. We must leave the field open. We must examine the Yewa and Ijebu agenda.

“We are all in APC and nobody will leave the party for anybody. Go back and be united with the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members that just joined us.

“Go to the wards because it is the foundation. There is no more SDP. We are all APC. Let us bring more people to join APC. We should be in unity.”

Mr. Osoba had defected to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, with his supporters before returning to the APC after the 2015 elections.
He said there is no SDP anymore, insisting, “we are all APC.

“If there is no more SDP, we that were in SDP are back to APC, let’s bring people to join APC, we should bring in people from PDP, we should be in unity with the present administration.
He called for a transparent APC governorship primary in Ekiti ahead of next year’s election in the state which the party lost to the PDP in 2014.

“Anybody that wants to emerge should emerge. Don’t let us underestimate Fayose, you must fight him. We cannot afford to play with Osun either. Those two states are important.

“If we can do clean primaries in these two states and APC wins, then whatever happens in Ekiti and Osun must happen in Oyo and Ogun when it gets to our turn to deliver.

“Also, don’t ignore Ijebu agenda but let’s wait and see what the Ijebu agenda is all about and that will determine our next step,” Mr. Osoba said.