Obasanjo makes U-turn as Third Force fuses into political party
…Ojudu withdraws from Ekiti APC guber primary poll
…Adeyeye dumps PDP after primaries in Ekiti
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s political group, the Coalition of Nigeria Movement (CNM), on Thursday, made a U-turn as it fused into African Democratic Congress (ADC), less than four months after it was formed.
The Daily Times recalls that Obasanjo proposed the third force movement as a non-partisan movement to “redeem” Nigeria from the “lice of poor performance” of the current administration, saying he will resign his membership of CNM once it is involved in partisan politics.
But Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, co-convener of the movement and a former governor of Osun State, announced the fusion of the CNM into the ADC at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday after dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oyinlola said during the conference that the decision to move into the ADP is an appreciation of the progressive essence of the party and its untainted existence on the terrain of the nation’s politics.
He said Nigerians should expect more from the movement, describing the fusion as “the first in a multi-layered action plan to give back the country to its much deprived people.”
He further said, “Between that time and today, a lot of grounds have been covered in achieving the set goals. One of such is what we are doing here today; the formal fusing of our movement into the African Democratic Congress and we stated in January during the launch of the CNM. We are taking on this task not minding the inconveniences and other expected and unexpected consequences of our efforts at reinventing the country.”
Speaking on behalf of the leadership and the over three million members of the CNM, Oyinlola noted that the ADC should be seen as the vehicle for national reinvention.
‘’I urge us to let us know that the task ahead is an arduous one that needs further strengthening of the forces of change,” he stated
Oyinlola added that the ADC is well placed to make democracy work for Nigerians and that it is “properly placed to join other patriots in moving Nigerians to join hands to make our country truly great.”
“As the CNM takes this momentous step of coalescing into ADC as a vital step in building a national consensus to reconstruct the country, we assure all Nigerians with their support and the understanding of like-minded persons and organisations across the country, Nigeria will be rescued,” he added.
In a related development, one of the aspirants in the Saturday rescheduled Governorship primary of the APC in Ekiti State, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has pulled out of the race.
Addressing a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Thursday evening, Ojudu said: “From what has happened since May 5 to date, it goes without saying that this is an unfair contest where the National Working Committee Chairman has clearly demonstrated that he does not care what happens to our dear party now and in the nearest future.
“We saw a Chairman who has conspired with one of the aspirants in the race to unleash mayhem on others, wreak havoc and violence on ordinary citizens and exposed the state to great embarrassment on national television.
“We saw an aspirant so unpopular to the extent that delegates called him unprintable names at the voting arena now being imposed on our people, not minding if this means we lose this state forever.
We do not believe in engaging in an unfair contest and I am not ready to step on blood to get to power.
“As I have reiterated at different times in the course of the campaign, this was never about me. It was not about an ambition but a mission to give a new lease of life to Ekiti State and the people.
“It was about safeguarding the future of our children, our grandchildren, great grandchildren and even generations yet unborn.
“Through the embarrassing events of last weekend’s botched Ekiti governorship primary election, its aftermath in the state, and the efforts of our revered leaders from the South-West this week to save our dear party from ruination in Ekiti State, I have learned many lessons.
“Key among the lessons is that you never can tell the man who will attempt to destroy what many others have built from one who will aspire to elevate that which is thrust into his hands.
“I must not fail to mention in particular my dear brother, Congressman Bimbo Daramola who worked assiduously with me in the attempt to find a solution albeit unsuccessfully, to what appeared as a stalemate – pushing for the Option A4 method of primary election, which the Chief John Odigie Oyegun opposed vehemently;
pruning the numbers of aspirants by getting a consensus candidate from among the aspirants from the Ekiti South Senatorial district, to bring to fruition the agitation of our brothers and sisters from the zone to have an opportunity to provide political leadership just like the other zones always had, with none of them ready to shift ground.
“There is no doubt that we all love this land, that everyone of you had best hopes and aspiration for this beautiful state we call ours and that above all, this state should wear a new look, be adorned with a new reputation and have a new image of itself.
“I want to especially thank Chief Bisi Akande, Aremo Segun Osoba and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for trying to help untangle the web that the Ekiti governorship primary election has become. All my life, I have fought injustice and sought the good of the whole.
“Therefore, this injustice perpetrated against Ekiti people by the NWC Chairman cannot be allowed to stand. This is why the fight will continue, not as an aspirant but as a party reformer.
“This movement continues but I would be stepping down immediately as a governorship aspirant to focus on this new mission.”
Meanwhile, post primary crisis of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has started as the former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, quit barely three days after the governorship primary.
Adeyeye, who said he was moving to another party to seek the votes of Ekiti people to develop the state, added that since he lost the PDP primary to Ayodele Fayose’s anointed candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka, he is being wooed by five different political parties.
The former PDP national spokesman promised to reveal the platform he would use to contest for the governorship election “in the next 40 hours.”
Adeyeye spoke with journalists on Thursday shortly after meeting with his supporters on the next platform for his governorship ambition.
He alleged that Fayose’s agenda was to do a third term in office by installing Eleka in a bid to perpetually corner Ekiti’s commonwealth.
According to him, he would have won the PDP governorship primary “if not for the way Fayose intimidated delegates by forcing them to wear aso ebi to the venue.”
He revealed that Fayose allegedly coerced the delegates to do same on local government basis to monitor how they voted which intimidated many of them.
Despite allegedly monitoring delegates, Adeyeye said many of the delegates voted against Eleka which enabled him (Adeyeye) to garner 771 votes.
He claimed that Fayose, who had boasted that he (Adeyeye) would not get up to 50 votes was shocked that he got 771 votes which allegedly made him (Fayose) to embark on an investigation of those who voted against Eleka.
Adeyeye accused Fayose of stealing Ekiti funds and using same to acquire property while majority of the people are wallowing in poverty.
The former minister claimed that Fayose has wasted N8billion Ekiti funds on chartered flights in the last three and half years while the flyover project was jerked up from N5billion to N17billion.
He said: “I am leaving the party because party can change but your state cannot change, party can change, your hometown cannot change.
“I can’t be part of enslavement, I can’t be part of corruption, I can’t be part of those keeping our people in poverty but spend billions of Naira on chartered flights to Abuja every year but will be riding Okada at home.
“By seeking another platform, I want to tell him that he can’t be riding roughshod over Ekiti people and he cannot turn Ekiti to one-man rule.
“Our party leaders in Abuja were surprised at my performance at the primary despite the intimidation but I told them that I can change party, party may go into extinction but Ekiti will remain.
“I will not, because of party affiliation, allow Ekiti to be destroyed. That is why we will take decision today on where we are going.
“Since Tuesday, civil servants, teachers, local government workers have become sad. Ekiti has been enveloped in mourning.
“What is paramount in my mind is to liberate Ekiti. Today, we will not reveal where we are going yet but we’re are no longer where we were.”
But his reaction to Adeyeye’s decision to dump the PDP, Fayose said that he welcomed the decision.
He said: “We appreciate him (Adeyeye) for the time he has spent, for participating in the primaries. PDP has demonstrated to the whole world that we can offer a level playing ground.
“We have given a level playing ground to everybody and to every election, there will be losers and winners. I called him yesterday (Wednesday) and he was raining curses on me and he was boasting that he would fight me with everything he has.
“I am Peter the rock nobody can fight me. I have given everybody a level playing ground which actually no sitting governor will do.
“Having done the best in this circumstances, I leave everything to God. But I want to assure you that his departure will make no difference.
“To our teeming party members, I advise that this party has lost elections two times before -one to ex-governor Adebayo and another when Fayemi became governor. The party is more important, so we should stay together to win the election.”
