APC Victory In Ekiti Unsettles Osun PDP

By Solomon Odeniyi

Since the announcement of the governorship election results in Ekiti State on Sunday which conferred victory on Dr Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), confusion has continued to pervade the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State of Osun.

A source within the top hierarchy of the PDP in the state said the result of the poll has unsettled the leadership of the PDP to the extent that it has begun to weigh options on how to present a more acceptable candidate to tackle the APC during the September 22 election.

The source, who pleaded anonymity said, “Don’t let me deceive you, we are confused by the result of the Ekiti election, because we had thought that PDP would win the election considering the efforts Governor Ayo Fayose put into the contest.

“Though, the APC engage in “see and buy” conduct of votes at the election but I don’t think that has much influence on the result, because our party also engaged in the same thing, but may not be as much as APC’s.

“I can tell you, we are confused, but we are strategizing to ensure that we deliver Osun because the people desire change here and I can assure you that the power of incumbency will not work here”, the source stressed.

Besides, a chieftain of the PDP in Osun State, Prince Abimbola Oyinlola, has warned of the dire consequences of fielding an unpopular candidate to face the APC at the polls, saying the result of the Ekiti election should be an eye opener to the leadership of the party.

In a statement on Sunday, Oyinlola noted that though all the aspirants eyeing the governorship seat were qualified, not all of them were popular with the electorate who are the eventual deciders.

“Seriously, our take home lessons from the Ekiti loss should be a deep reflection on how we can avoid the same mistakes. The only antidote that can guarantee us victory at the coming poll is the presentation of a popular and acceptable candidate to the voting populace.

He contended that though, there was a crack in the camp of Osun APC as occasioned by an alleged plans to foist on them an unpopular candidate, he warned that the seeming division in APC should not be taken for granted.

“Rather, we should gird our loins by giving the people of the state the best and an acceptable candidate they have been expecting from us. We must not bungle this golden opportunity through any shenanigan. Generations will not forgive us if we do”, he warned.

According to him, the outcome of the Ekiti election should not discourage party members and stakeholders but should rather serve as the needed verve that would enable the party to forge ahead in its march towards reclaiming Osun from the APC.