Aggrieved by the outcome of Friday’s gubernatorial primary election on the platform of the Congress of all progressives (APC), Adebayo Adelabu, on Sunday, announced his defection from the party.
Mr. Adelabu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said he would bring all his supporters from the 33 local governments of Oyo state to the new party, which has yet to be revealed.
The challenger said he made the decision at an expanded meeting of his mandate group held at his campaign office in Ibadan, the state capital.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that Ayoade Adeseun and other leaders chaired the meeting.
Mr. Adelabu and many other aggrieved challengers described the latest APC primaries as “a sham”, claiming that the delegate list used was compromised.
He said no amount of intimidation, threat or harassment could stop him from his passionate ambition to revolutionize the state’s political, social and economic landscape.
“All I can say to the entire world for now is that I will run in the 2023 general election as a candidate for governor, no matter what.
“No amount of intimidation, threat or harassment can stop me from my passionate ambition to revolutionize the political, social and economic landscape of Oyo State through the machinery of government,” he said.
Adelabu said that he was already consulting with some political parties that would make themselves known as soon as possible.
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In his remarks, Mr. Adeseun said that they were ready to follow Mr. Adelabu to any political party where his dream of serving the people of the state would come true.
Mr. Adeseun, a former APC senator contender, assured Mr. Adelabu of his unconditional support in whatever party they eventually moved to.
“We cannot continue to tolerate the excesses and impunity of these people, whose stock-in-trade is kidnapping everything. We are the progressives and we will teach them politics,” he said.
Furthermore, Olusola Ayandele, Kunle Sanda, Isiaka Alimi, Goke Oyetunji, Gunju Ojo and Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye in their separate statements declared their willingness to ditch the APC.
They also pledged their unwavering support towards upgrading Mr. Adelabu’s gubernatorial ambition in any of the political parties they agreed to join.
Mr. Adelabu was the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state’s 2019 gubernatorial election, but lost to incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde, who also won his party’s PDP ticket for a second term.
Adelabu was reportedly endorsed by then state governor Abiola Ajimobi, now deceased, to emerge as the APC’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 election.
Teslim Folarin, a sitting senator, won the APC gubernatorial bid in the primary election held on Friday.
(YAYA)
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