- By Our Reporter
The last may not have been heard on the crisis rocking the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State following the choice of the party’s deputy governorship candidate.
Although the party has presented Mr. Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji as its gubernatorial candidate, the choice of the deputy governorship candidate has continued to cause trouble within the party.
Initially, the leadership of the party was said to have settled for a former Chief Whip of the state House of Assembly, Hon Tunde Olatunji, but it was learnt that some top members of the party were not favourably disposed to his (Olatunji) choice.
Olatunji, who hails from Edunabon in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun East senatorial district, was said to be the choice of a few leaders of the party, while the majority are against him.
Others whose names had earlier been pencilled down as possible deputy governorship candidates, according to sources within the party, are Engr Remi Omowaye, a former Commissioner for Works in the state and Hon Timothy Owoeye, who was a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Others are Hon Sunday Akere, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state and Engr Olalekan Badmus, who was also a Commissioner in the immediate past administration of Mr Gboyega Oyetola.
While the duo of Omowaye and Owoeye hail from Ilesa in Osun East senatorial district, both Akere and Badmus are from Osun central senatorial district.
It was gathered that the party is yet to decide on the choice of the deputy governorship candidate and this is causing a lot of internal wrangling within the party as some individuals within the party believe that Olatunji may eventually scale through the hurdles he’s currently facing and subsequently be the running mate of Oyebamiji.
A section of the party holds the view that the camp of Senator Iyiola Omisore should produce the deputy governorship candidate of the party, having been screened out of the governorship race in a controversial circumstance which has made him boycotted all activities of the party in recent time.
Omisore who is reportedly angry with the party over the manner at which he was schemed out of the gorvernorship race has not participated in any activity of the party in the recent time, a development which is making observers to raise aspersions over his stand in the party.
Just on Monday, the Elders caucus of the party otherwise known as Igbimo Agba visited Omisore at his country home in Ile-Ife.
The visit, sources said was to persuade the former deputy governor and also plead with him to reconsider his stand in the party as there are insinuations in some quarters that Omisore may not work for the APC in the August 8 governorship election.
Although the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Bola Oyebamiji, did not follow the members of the APC Elders Caucus to Omisore, it was learnt that his case was presented to Omisore and pleas were made on behalf of the party leadership.
It was rumoured that the former Governor of the state and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola who reportedly championed the ambition of Oyebamiji, is not on good terms with Omisore.
Also, the position of the former Governor of the state, Chief Adebisi Akande, is not known on the internal crisis in the party, even though he’s believed to be the one that can resolve the matters in the party.
In a statement released by Omisore on his verified Facebook page, the former Deputy Governor acknowledged the visit of the members of the APC Elders Caucus, though failed to explain the basis of the visit.
