Prominent leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun West Senatorial District have asked one of the party’s presidential aspirants, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not to impose a Lagos Senator, Olamilekan Adeola, on them.
According to a report by the Guardian Adeola, popularly called YAYI, has been working underground to emerge as the senatorial candidate of Ogun West in the 2023 general elections, amidst stiff resistance from a section of the party within the district.
Speaking on behalf of the party leaders in Ogun West, also known as Yewa, Chief Sikiru Adegbite, said it was unthinkable that Adeola, who started his political career in 1999, as a member of Lagos House of Assembly, and later became a member of the House of Representatives and now a second term senator representing Lagos West, is being pushed by Tinubu to become senator in Ogun West.
“It is an open secret that Adeola, who has some supporters running a strange ‘West to West Campaign’, is being prepared not to only emerge as Ogun West Senator in 2023 but to also take over from Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027.”
The leaders, under the aegis of Ogun West Stakeholders Forum, after their caucus meeting yesterday, in Ilaro, said the plan for Adeola to move over to Ogun State will only lead to serious crisis in the party. The group allegedly claimed that there was no evidence that Adeola hails from Yewa.
Adegbite noted that: “The people of Yewa consider it an insult that a non-indigene, who is not electorally qualified here, will be imposed on them by the party’s leadership, when there are bonafide and loyal party members in Yewa.
Why will anyone ask Adeola to come from Lagos West to cause crisis in Ogun West? “When he started his West2West campaign and empowerment programme in Yewa, we thought he was gambling, but with allegation that Tinubu is his chief promoter, with the ultimate goal to becoming Ogun governor in 2027.
“It is true that we have not produced governor since 1976, when the state was created and we are determined to succeed Governor Abiodun, but not with a stranger, whose genealogy cannot be genuinely traced to anywhere in Yewa land.”
The group wondered how a serving senator in Lagos would also desire to hold the mandate of Ogun West at the same time.
“We hereby call on Tinubu not to encourage such a gamble that is immoral and illegal. We must express our dissatisfaction and disgust at this level.”
