…Lampoons Osoba for allegedly betraying region
From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Ahead of the 2019 general election, a group, the Ogun West Elders Council, has appealed to all the political parties in the state to pick their gubernatorial candidates from the Ogun West senatorial district.
The council, which bemoaned the inability of the zone to produce a governor since the inception of the state, also declared that the senatorial district was tired of being used as pawn in the politics of Ogun State.
The group, speaking on Thursday, through its chairman, Alhaji Muhammed Ajibola Olagbaye, at a press conference, in Abeokuta, however, lampooned a former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba, for ‘betraying and frustrating the zone’s various quests to produce governor since 1992.’
While lauding Governor Ibikunle Amosun and former President Olusegun Obasanjo for their staunch support for the zone to break the jinx in 2019, Olagbaye alleged that the recent statement credited to Osoba that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had not zoned the governorship seat, showed he never meant well for Ogun West.
Olagbayue added that despite several promises by Osoba to support the zone to produce governor in the past, particularly in 2011 and 2015, he had only used Ogun West to settle his political scores.
“To us in Ogun West, the statement credited to Chief Osoba, and which has not been refuted till now, is obnoxious and leaves a bad taste in our mouths. When former President Obasanjo admonished us to unite and come up with a single candidate, he meant well.
“But the problem is that those who pretend to be our friends but are actually our enemies. They use us as pawn in the state’s power politics. Unfortunately, and sadly, the Araba of Yewaland is a culprit”. Olagbaye stated.
He, however, pointed out that the zone was aware of plans by some people, he termed “irredentist enemies” of Yewaland, to sponsor non natives to emerge as gubernatorial candidate from the region.
“We are not unmindful of the fact that our irredentist enemies out there are already at work, sponsoring candidates meant to divide us. Already, we are aware of “Atohunriwas”, “Tekobos”, etc. We will bluntly and vehemently reject those candidates. Where Amosun goes, we will go. Our people are wiser now. They know who their friends are, and who their foes are”. He declared.
Olagbaye, therefore, admitted that Ogun West, unlike Ogun East and Ogun Central, is heterogeneous, and disclosed that a machinery has been set up by the Council, to prevent multiplicity of gubernatorial aspirants/candidates by the region