Osun APC House caucus tackles Lasun over guber ambition
The governorship ambition of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, is under serious threat as members of the Osun State House caucus has accused him of flouting the directive of the state leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that all aspirants for elective positions in the state should stop electioneering campaign.
Expressing worry over the Deputy Speaker’s disregard for the party, notable members of the Osun State caucus in the House of Representatives in Abuja, frowned at the public campaign made on the floor of the House on April 25 by the Deputy Speaker while eulogising the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke during the special session held in his honour.
Daily Times quotes Lasun as saying in his eulogy that the late Senator “came and saw, but I can’t tell you whether he conquered, because I can’t tell if he conquered death.”
Spokesman of the caucus, Rep. Israel Famurewa in his reaction told journalists that, statements made by the Deputy Speaker insinuating that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had singled him and late Senator Adeleke out and sternly warned both of them to desist from going forward with their campaigns to contest the 2018 governorship election in Osun State was misleading and false.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. What is on record is that there was a time when there was a frenzy of declarations of aspirations to be governor of the state of Osun by over 15 members of our party, including other members of the National Assembly.
“The party in its wisdom, so as not to heat up a fragile polity, issued a blanket suspension of campaigns for all political aspirations, from councilorship to presidential to all party members. This was announced by the state chairman of our party in September 2016 and still remains in force till date.
“While we believe that our colleague, the Deputy Speaker, Lasun Yusuf quite naturally would have been consumed by emotions while making his speech due to the pain of the loss of the distinguished senator, we call on him to call the press to set the records straight.
“To do so will be the part of honour and respect to the memory of the late senator,” Rep. Famurewa said.
Answering reporters’ questions on the next line of action to be taken by the caucus, if the Deputy Speaker fails to clarify his statement about the blanket ban placed on campaigns by the state chapter of the APC, Rep. Famurewa, declared that the caucus members will not shy away from taking the necessary steps to seek redress at the appropriate time.
Another caucus member, Rep. Adeyinka Ajayi while commenting on the crisis that trailed the death of Senator Adeleke, called for calm from all parties pending the final autopsy report.
He added that “people should stop making insinuations so as not to further heat up the polity. From all the facts we have at the moment, this is definitely not looking like a political assassination.”
Adeyinka Ajayi noted that the preliminary report showed that there was no sign of assassination.
