Ogun guber: Abiodun, Akinlade renew hostilities in APC

Ogun guber: Abiodun, Akinlade renew hostilities in APC

Ahead of the 2023 Governorship Election in Ogun State, a new twist was introduced into the battle for the gubernatorial ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state when Hon. Adekunle Akinlade obtained the nomination forms of the party to challenge Governor Dapo Abiodun. ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, reports that old rivalries are daily being renewed in the Gateway State.

FRESH moves to stop the re-election bid of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State by opposition groups within the ruling All progressives Congress (APC), thicken last the week with some people calling on then national leadership of the party to disqualify the governor from participating in the governorship primary election  in the state.

And in a move that sets the stage for a ‘return match’, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) during the 2019 general elections, obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms under the platform of the APC to contest the gubernatorial primary election of the party later this month.

Akinlade’s move confirmed months of speculations within the party that the camp of former governor Ibikunle Amosun are bent on working against the re-election of Governor Abiodun in spite of the latter’s endorsement by the leadership of the party in the state. There had been speculations that the Amosun camp planned to draft either Akinlade or Senator Lekan Mustapha into the governorship race to counter Abiodun’s re-election bid.

But last Thursday, Mustapha and hundreds of his supporters declared their allegiance to the mainstream APC led by the State governor, Prince Abiodun. During the event, Senator Mustapha commended the governor for spreading projects to all sections of the state, declaring that his senatorial district benefited from various road projects of the present administration more than previous ones in the last 16 years.

“I am in total support of governor Abiodun’s second term bid. We are here for work, for the progress of the party, but we must work in unity. There are many things to showcase when the campaign starts. I can assure that we will work hard for the party to win”, Mustapha said.

Receiving the Senator and his supporters at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun commended them for retracing their steps and reuniting with the mainstream, saying their return would strengthen the party to face the challenges ahead.

According to Akinlade, he threw his hat into the ring to sustain and complement the infrastructural strides of past administrations. The former lawmaker said he had phoned other aspirants in the state, congratulating them for joining the guber race.

He asserted that the desire to serve should be selfless, devoid of acrimony and divisions, saying “this is the time to reset our focus and reposition the future of our dear State.”

But supporters of the governor disagree with Akinlade. As far as Abiodun’s loyalists are concerned, Akinlade and his backers are out to spoil the chance of the APC in the state. Alhaji Raji Sanusi, a chieftain of the party, described the decision of Akinlade to challenge Abiodun at the primary as the ‘outcome of many months of plotting against the ruling party by people claiming to be APC members but working for the opposition in the state.”

Sanusi, who is the convener of Ogun Progressives Agenda (OPA) accused a factional group within the party of refusing to accept the leadership of the governor since 2019 and doing everything possible to undermine the current administration in the state. “Even when it is obvious that Governor Abiodun is performing well and winning the trust and confidence of the good people of Ogun state, these sore losers continue to pretend as members of the ruling party while looking for ways to make the APC lose elections,” he said.

Describing his aspiration as a daunting task that must be done, Akinlade said, “Yes it is daunting and almost scary without the usual safety net, but this is one mandate that we all must undertake with clear conviction and determination to succeed. As l call on you once again, I must say that what kept me going in the last three years was your love, prayers, encouragement and sacrifices.”

For Governor Abiodun, there appears to be nothing to be worried about as he expresses confidence that his performance in his first term will earn him another term. “For the avoidance of doubt, I am running for a second term in office, and I have announced that I will be running with my deputy, Mrs. Noimot Salako Oyedele. We are running on the records of our achievements in the last three years. We have been open, transparent, inclusive, and accountable and brought dividends of democracy to every nook and cranny of Ogun State.

“Despite COVID-19 and its constraints, we achieved landmark achievements across all sections for which we have received recognition globally. It allowed us to redouble our efforts and ensure that people can feel us meaningfully in all areas. We shall not rest on our oars. The future of the next generation is the foundation we are laying. All good hands must be on deck,” the governor said.

Political observers say the struggle for the governorship ticket will be a fierce one in spite of the obvious fact that Akinlade and his group lack what is needed to win the primary election having repeatedly lost out in the struggle for the control of the party after the 2019 general elections. Many pundits fear that the group may resort to legal technicalities and other approaches beyond the primary election to wrestle the ticket off the grip of Governor Abiodun. And recent developments in the party appear to be justifying these fears.

There were indications during the week that some individuals within the party, on the prompting of some chieftains opposed to Governor Abiodun, are planning to approach the courts for injunctions against the governor and the leadership of the party in the state. According to reliable party sources, a group within the party, loyal to former governor Ibikunle Amosun, is still dissatisfied with the recognition of the Yemi Sanusi-led State Working Committee (SWC). Of course, both Amosun and Akinlade have denied any knowledge of such moves.

“It is this same people who are behind these new moves to disturb the peace of the party ahead of the 2023 general election. Their plan is to stop the governor from getting re-elected. They plan to work against the party if they fail to have their way at the primary elections. But the leadership of the party knows their antics and we are prepared for them. The governor’s achievements are enough to win him re-election. So, we are not bothered about their plans. What we find worrisome is their resort to lies and blackmails. These should not be coming from people who claim to be party loyalists,” our source, a state official of the party, said.

But a source within one of the opposition groups in the party told our correspondent that the governor’s camp insistence on depriving other groups free and fair primary elections across the state is at the root of the new crisis. Our source, a former state official of the ruling party, said the Yemi Sanusi-led state executive committee is being used by Governor Abiodun to witch-hunt perceived political enemies of the governor.

“If there is problem in the APC in Ogun state today, blame the governor and his people. They are the ones who refused to allow for peace in the party. They are working hard to ensure that those they perceive as supporters of Amosun and other people not in agreement with the governor are edged out during the primary elections,” our source claimed.

Similarly, a member of the APC, Ayodele Oludiran, in a petition to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, raised issues with Governor Abiodun’s university qualifications while also claiming that the governor was jailed in 1986 for credit card fraud in Miami Dade, Florida, USA. He wants the governor disqualified from contesting the APC primary election. Expectedly, opponents of the governor within and outside the party have been latching on the contents of the petition to hit hard at Governor Abiodun with the aim of reducing his chances in the race for the governorship ticket of the party.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications, Remi Hassan recalled that this is not the first time the allegations would be surfacing, saying “in the build-up to the 2019 elections, issues around the credentials of the governor became a subject of litigation up to the Supreme Court level but the governor won the case. So, we are sure that there is nothing to worry about this time again. The allegations are baseless.” A chieftain of the party, while speaking to The Nation on the current move against the governor also assured that the allegations are not enough to stop Abiodun’s re-election.

“These are what I call the same old stories. You will remember that these were the same allegation these same people raised against him in the build up to the 2019 governorship election. He went on to win the general election after beating them to the gubernatorial ticket of the APC. They went to court with the lies and they lost all the way to the Supreme Court. What new thing are they hoping to achieve by raising these dead and unfounded claims again,” the chieftain, a former member of the House of Representatives, asked.

Meanwhile, a law chamber, Afe Babalola &Co, has urged the National Chairman of the ruling APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to disregard the petition. The law firm, in the letter responding to the petition, described it as full of spurious and unfounded allegations meant to mislead the party into disqualifying the governor from participating in the 2023 gubernatorial election, saying it “was a deliberate move to deprive him of the opportunity to set the records straight and knowing full well that the petition was characterized by falsehood and malice.”

The firm said the allegation of discrepancies in Governor Abiodun’s INEC Form CF001 for 2015 and 2019, is a statute-barred, arguing that the allegation can only form the basis of a cause of action in court 14 days from the day the governor filed and deposed to the forms, adding that the alleged contradiction in the two INEC Forms cannot longer be a ground to disqualify Governor Abiodun in the upcoming 2023 gubernatorial election, Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 are spent and cannot be used to determine the eligibility of the governor to contest in the next governorship election.

Recalling that court cases were filed in court and petitions filed at the Governorship Election Tribunal seeking to disqualify the governor based on allegations of falsehood and inconsistency in the two INEC Forms, the firms said both the Tribunal and courts were unanimous in their decisions not only that the allegations were status-barred, but held that the said Forms CF001 of 2015 and 2019 did not contain any false statement. “The Supreme Court of Nigeria had also affirmed the decisions of the Tribunal and the Appeal Court, by dismissing the petition of false statement against the governor,” it added.

On the allegation that the governor had been convicted for an offence in 1986, the chamber said the petitioner failed to attach any court judgment to the petition to this effect, hence, the allegation was baseless, asking the APC top echelon to discountenance as such. It added that “he never bore the name ‘Shawn Michael Davis’ or any other name however described. His name is reflected in all his certificates and other former documents. We urge Your Excellency to disregard the petitioner’s unfounded allegation.”

Concluding, Afe Babalola & Co said “Your Excellency, it is not in doubt that all the allegations in the petition relate to our client’s Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 are baseless and unfounded. As shown above, the High Court of the FCT, Governorship Election Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court have all held that the said allegations are unfounded and status-barred so that there would be no basis for disqualifying our client.Therefore, we urge the party not to be distracted or misled by unfounded allegations aimed at preventing the party from presenting our client, who is the best candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election, as the party’s flag bearer. We also urge the party not to give credence to any rumour which may scuttle the party’s chances in the said election.”