NASS Primary: Osun APC, PDP In Storm Over Candidates’ Selection

 

• Ogunbiyi, Erelu Take Battles To Abuja

By Kehinde Ayantunji

Last might not have been heard about the just concluded National and State House of Assembly political parties primaries conducted in the State of Osun as aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are not relenting on getting the parties’ tickets.

It is mixed feelings across party lines, as for those who secured the partie’s tickets through primary and consensus, it was celebration and commendation but for those who lost it is protest and threat.

Numbers of aspirants from the three senatorial districts are still at loggerhead with their party leadership over the choice of the state and national assembly candidates’ in the 2019 election.

Despite the Monday October 7 deadline for the submission of the candidate lists, many are still engaging in fierce battle to get the party tickets through substitution.

APC state secretariat located along Gbongan Road, Osogbo  last week witnessed protest from not less than five federal constituencies including, Osogbo / Irepodun/ Orolu, Ifelodun/ Boripe/ Odo Otin, Ila and Ife federal constituency.

The protest appeared more pronounced from Ifelodun, Ila, Ife, Odo-Otin, Isokan and Ayedade over the choice of the state and house of representatives candidates, while there are less controversy over the choice of the three Senatorial candidates of the party.

APC members from Ifelodun in their hundreds stormed the Oke-fia Government House to protest the choice of Hon Olalekan Afolabi as the party’s candidate for the Federal House of Representatives. He was accused of working less for the party in the just concluded election.  Afolabi is in his second time at the Osun State House of Assembly.

Party leadership during the weekend also has hundreds of protesters from Ife to contend with after the emergence of Hon Oladoyin Bamisayemi from Ife South as House of Representatives candidate for Ife Federal Constituency.

There is also tension in Orolu local government, as two aspirants, Hon Kamil Oyedele and Oyewo Bukola (Bukoil) from the same local government are laying claim to the candidacy of Osogbo federal constituency.

However, within the fold of PDP, the bickering during the last governorship election party’s primary is still evident in the choice of candidates for the state and national assembly, as the camp of the Ile-Ogbo born Insurance Mogul, Akin Ogunbiyi appeared to have been edged out in the choice of candidates.

Ogunbiyi in a party primary recently conducted lost Osun West Senatorial ticket to Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation’s Director-General, Akogun Lere Oyewumi while the former Deputy Governor Erelu Olusola Obada also lost the Osun East ticket to Chief Francis Fadaunsi.

But Ogunbiyi has rejected the outcome of the primary which he denied his participation saying the ticket has been conceded to him automatically by the party national leadership after the party primary governorship primary as part of the reconciliation move.

Ogunbiyi accused Oyewumi and the Adeleke campaign organisation of breaking the pact signed by secretly obtaining the form to contest for the senatorial ticket in the first place. But Oyewumi said Ogunbiyi has failed to fulfill his own side of the bargain for losing his Local Government to APC in the governorship election.

“This is one of the reasons why Omisore refused to work with the Adelekes because they can’t be trusted. They wanted a win-win and that made them to obtain the form without our knowledge. They betrayed the agreement,” Mr Ogunbiyi’s press secretary, Ismail Afolabi, lamented.

It however appeared that the PDP national leadership has equally abandoned Ogunbiyi for constituting convention committee for the federal constituency in the first instance.

Dr Adewale Kola from Ola-Oluwa local government,  a PDP chieftain and staunch supporter of Ogunbiyi while speaking with OSUNDEFENDER doubts the sincerity of the party’s national leadership.

Adewale said, “Automatic ticket that they promised Ogunbiyi appeared to have vanished,  it is obvious, the same national leadership that was part of the agreement was the same leadership who sent delegation to Osun to conduct the primary at a time Ogunbiyi was in Porthacourt for the party’s Presidential primary preparation. Ogunbiyi is just a victim; they are not sincere.”

Ogunbiyi and Obada have shifted the battle to the national secretariat where the party leadership has promised to protect their interests after the party’s primary that was keenly contested by Ogunbiyi and Adeleke.

However, following the horns locking across party lines, there might be some last minutes changes in the choice of candidate as political parties still have the substitution window till the end of October.