Ogun 2019: Group faults Adeola’s endorsement, cautions stakeholders’

The Ogun West Peoples Council (OWPC), has urged stakeholders in the zone to unite their efforts ahead of the 2019 governorship race, stating that back door endorsement of aspirants may have negative effect on the Ogun West chances.
This is just as the group faulted the purported endorsement of a serving senator representing Lagos West, Solomon Adeola by a leader of a group.
The president of Ogun West Consultative Forum, Mr. Kayode Ajibola, who is also a chieftain of the Action Democratic Party(ADP) in Ogun State, had on Tuesday in Ilaro, endorsed the lawmaker for the governorship race in 2019.
But in a statement issued on Wednesday in Sango Otta and signed by the Ogun West Peoples Council (OWPC) chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Ahmed, the group played down the endorsement of Adeola, saying that the action is preposterous, erroneous and an affront against the people of Ogun West.
The statement read in part: “The Ogun West Peoples Assembly is appalled like every indigene of the zone on the purported endorsement of Senator Yayi especially at a time when stakeholders from Ogun West are genuinely seeking a way to present a common front for the zone ahead of 2019.
“Whilst we are not opposed to any aspirant or their ambitions, we are only concerned about a coordinated and united Ogun West front for the Oke Mosan Government House, which has eluded the zone since the creation of our dear state 41 years ago.
“We want to state that such endorsement under the guise of Ogun West Consultative Forum is in a bad taste and it’s counterproductive to our collective effort because it has no systemic, moral or objective basis.
“The truth is that you cannot put something on nothing. On what basis was this done? What were the criteria of assessment? What benchmark informed such wild, ludicrous endorsement? Did they take time to assess other aspirants from the zone?”
While calling for calm among stakeholders and residents of the zone, the group said Ajibola should have come out clean that he is using the endorsement to offer Adeola a governorship platform of the ADP.
“We have no problem with the ADP or any political party adopting any aspirant, but we are opposed to some elements using our respected Ogun West emblem and movement for pecuniary interests.”
Ahmed urged all aspirants and stakeholders from within and outside the zone to ignore the endorsement, which it termed ‘a charade and roadshow’, adding that Ogun West will collectively put its best foot forward for the guber race.
“We have it on good authority that the Ajibola-led Forum had about seven months ago sought audience with the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the 2019 governorship election.
“Apparently, when both the governor and the APC didn’t oblige them the audience, they chose to go against the principle of reasoning, fairness, objectivity and equity which the governor and the APC stand for.”
The group salutes the courage of Hon Suraju Adekunbi, Hon Abiodun Akinlade, Mr Tolu Odebiyi and other aspirants for their commitment to Ogun West Agenda.