- Our Reporter
A serious internal crisis now rock the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the choice of Deputy Governorship candidate for the party.
Already, a faction loyal to the former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is being aggrieved by the choice of the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Bola Oyebamiji, who emerged without a primary election.
Omisore is said to have shunned all the activities of the party since the emergence of Oyebamiji as the candidate of the party for the August 8 governorship election.
Oyebamiji had emerged through a circumstance perceived by Omisore and his followers to be controversial, as loyalists of Omisore alleged that there was a discrepancy in the manner in which Oyebamiji emerged as the governorship candidate of the party.
An evidence that Omisore was not being carried along in the affairs of the party evolved during the reception organised for the National Assembly members who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Senator Omisore was conspicuously absent at the reception programme held at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, as were his notable loyalists.
At the rally, the APC had announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his deputy, Senator Kashim Shetima, would be on ground to receive the new members, but both Tinubu, Shetima and other national leaders of the party were absent at the rally.
Also, Omisore was not seen anywhere close to the party secretariat, even as he has not attended any political function organised by the APC either in his native Ile-Ife town or at the state level since Oyebamiji was pronounced the governorship candidate of the party.
It was, however, learnt that some leaders of the party are making serious moves to reconcile Omisore with the former Governor of the state and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, who was alleged to have worked against the interest of Omisore.
It was rumoured that Omisore, a former National Secretary of the APC and Oyetola are at loggerheads and that might be responsible for how the Minister allegedly worked against his interest in the governorship race and supported Bola Oyebamiji, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state.
A new twist was, however, introduced into the crisis rocking the APC on Monday when Hon Tunde Olatunji was announced as the deputy governorship candidate of the party.
The choice of Olatunji as the running mate to Oyebamiji sparked a serious crisis within the party as many stakeholders of the party kicked against him, claiming that many leaders of the party were not consulted before the announcement was made.
Hon Olatunji, who was a former Chief Whip of the State House of Assembly, represented Ife North state constituency in the House from 2015 to 2023.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that some selected leaders of the party in conjunction with the party’s governorship candidate of the party announced the name of Hon Olatunji as the party’s deputy governorship candidate without carrying the national leadership of the party along.
Some notable leaders of the party, including former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Owoeye and former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr Remi Omowaye, among others, were said to be eyeing the position.
No sooner had Olatunji’s name was announced than the party was thrown into a serious crisis as some notable leaders kicked against his choice and claimed that he was not the choice of the entire leadership of the party.
But, the state chairman of the party, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, while perceiving the members of the party, said the party was yet to conclude on its choice of candidate for the post of the deputy governor in the August 8 gubernatorial election.
He said “I wish to state categorically that there’s no need for the raging skirmishes over the choice of the deputy governorship candidate of our party as it is an ongoing process embarked upon in order to meet up with the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The decision of who would be the deputy to our governorship candidate is yet to be taken by the leadership of our party which would be done to the knowledge of all the members of our party.
“We are assuring the esteemed members of our party that you would not be let down in this regard as your popular wish shall be our command in the interest of the continuity of the subsisting peace in our party.
”We realize the concern of all the members of our party and we promise you all that you would not be disappointed in any way in the systematic political journey of our candidate to the seat of power in Abere,” he added.
