Gov Amosun denies defection rumour, says I stand with Buhari

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has debunked the rumours making the rounds that he plans to defect from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to another party on account of the recent primaries in the state.

In a statement signed by Ogun State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Otunba Dayo Adeneye and made available to the Daily Times, Amosun described the news report in a segment of the media as a figment of imagination of the writer(s).

The governor wondered how he could be expected to quit a house he jointly built with other patriots.

He said: “It is true that enormous pressure was brought to bear on Governor Amosun to move to another party because of the glaring injustice meted out to some party members at the recent primaries,

but the governor maintained his stand that he would not decamp, especially on account of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose judgement and sense of justice, as the leader of the party, he cherishes and values immensely.

“For those who know Amosun over the years, his struggles are usually not about his own person but equity, justice and fairness for all, especially the downtrodden masses. President Buhari represents this spirit and Amosun will stand by him and with him at all times,” the statement added.

Some sections of the media had reported last week that Amosun had threatened to pull out of the APC if the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party failed to uphold the candidacy of his anointed governorship candidate, Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade.

This came a few hours after Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos); Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Umar Ganduje (Kano); Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and Kashim Shettima (Borno) met with President Muhammadu Buhari to seek his intervention in the contentious primaries in the states.

According to reports, Amosun reportedly issued the threat during a meeting with some party leaders and his loyalists across the 20 local government areas of the state held at his private residence located inside Ibara GRA, Abeokuta.

The Ogun State governor, according to source, made it clear that he could not work with Abiodun, who he said lacked the wherewithal to win a senatorial district, let alone the whole of Ogun State, insisting he would rather bid APC goodbye rather than accept his candidacy.