Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
A former governor of Lagos state and National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Wednesday intensified moves to win more politicians in Oyo State to actualise the gubernatorial ambition of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebayo Adelabu,
Son of the late former governor of the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina, Adedapo stated this while addressing scores of political associates of his father, at their Felele residence in Ibadan, the state capital.
It will be recalled that about a week ago, another former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, who was spearheading a coalition against Adelabu’s ambition, was invited to a meeting in Abuja and he subsequently declared to align with the ambition of Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Adesina, a serving lawmaker in the House of Representatives, who just lost re-election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while taking stocks of the recently conducted presidential and National Assembly elections, said: “Bola Ahmed Tinubu called me yesterday (Tuesday) and I went. But, I did not go there alone.
“I went with some chieftains of the party. I only told him that we have to go back and seek the opinions of our people to know the direction where we are going. We shall do whatever we jointly decide to do. We can work with any candidate of our choice, but we still remain members of the ADC.”
According to him, it was the leadership of the party in the state that actually destroyed APC, saying, “and up till now, all we complained about that led to our exit from the party are yet to be addressed. The leaders want to destroy all the legacies of my father (Alhaji Lamidi Adesina). They are trying all sorts of things to destroy the good legacy that my father left behind.
“After eight years, the governor was invited to a radio station and when he was asked if there was anything during the eight years he governed the state, to immortalise my father. What he said was that he’s still looking into it,”
He, however said he had nothing personal with the governor who he described as his father but the right things should be done to recognise the efforts of the people.
Commenting on his loss at the National Assembly election, he said, “we have learnt our lessons. It was just about two weeks that we lost election; is it morally upright for us to be hobnobbing with other political parties. I, Dapo Lamidi Adesina, remain a member of the ADC.”
Outside the venue of the meeting, some party members were divided over the decision of the ADC leaders led by Senator Olufemi Lanlehin to form alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the state, Mr. Seyi Makinde.
One of the conveners of the meeting, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, a former Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North West Local Government Area (LGA), dismissed the rumour that some leaders of the party such as Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, Dapo Lamidi Adesina and some members of aggrieved Unity Forum had joined the APC.
He admitted that some members of Unity Forum had actually joined the APC but they had decided to remain loyal to the ADC leader, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, who recently stepped down his gubernatorial ambition under the platform of ADC for Seyi Makinde of the PDP.
