Oyetola can’t be a judge in his own case – Adeoti

• Adeoti, Lasun kick as APC shifts Osun primary

‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja

Daily Courier – Two gubernatorial aspirants in the forthcoming All Progressives Congress APC Governorship primary in Osun have submitted petitions in protest to membership of the incumbent governor who is seeking reelection and the sudden shift in the primary election from March 5 to February 19.

One of the aspirants, Alhaji Fatai Adeoti spoke to journalists on the new twist shortly after facing the screening committee at the APC national secretariat (Buhari House) yesterday.

Adeoti said, “we have just submitted our petition to the caretaker committee on two grounds: first, the date of the gubernatorial primary has been changed from 5th of March to 19th of February without any reason. In Ekiti state, it was extended from 17th of January to 27th but in our case they are bringing it back by two weeks preceding the national convention.

Secondly, up till today governor Gboyega Oyetola is still a member of the CECPC led by Governor Mai Mala Buni. I don’t see how the primary will be free and fair of Oyetola is a judge in his own case.”

Adeoti maintains that the incumbent must step down due to his poor performance in the areas of security and welfare of the citizens. “The party and government in Osun are in serious problem. In 2018, with all the shenanigans he won with a difference of 432 votes. The situation is not helped by the chairman who has compounded the situation of things. He is from the same local government as the governor, Boripe local government. But nothing has been working since the governor has been on the saddle. All you see and hear are newspaper hype. He has concentrated his amenities and road construction in only his local government alone. in my local government, Iwo which is the most populous local government, he is just trying to construct one road.

“Two issues are central to any government, the security and welfare of the citizens. On this, in the governor’s federal constituency, Boripe/Ifelodun and Odo Otin, there is no functioning commercial bank. this is to show you the level of insecurity in the state. We both served in the last administration, where we bought twenty eight APCs but as we speak non is functioning. He refused to service them. In the past, when three banks were robbed in Ikirun, we apprehended all of them but now nothing is being done.

In the area of welfare, like I said a local government as big as Iwo has not enjoyed anything.

I’m promising that all these laxities will be things of the pass if I assume office.”

Reacting to his exit from APC in 2018, the former secretary to the state government of the state of Osun said: ” Your question should be why did I leave the party in 2018. We had prepared between 75-80 percent for the primary before it was shuttled at the eleventh hour. Ekiti state primary was conducted based on direct but when it came to Osun they changed it to indirect on the instruction of the emperor who happens to be the leader of the party. He insisted that his cousin must be the governor. the person I’m talking about is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he said if his cousin was not returned he will not finance the election. The outcome was what you all witnessed, he actually lost the election in the first ballot by 353 votes and they said out of three hundred and ten thousand units in Osun, and there was rerun in seven units and it was the rerun that salvaged the party.

“In 2018 everyone was of the concensus that it was the turn of West senatorial district.
Before 2018, Central had Chief Bisi Akande and Olagunsoye Oyinlola between 1999 to 2010 when the latter was ousted by the courts and Rauf Aregbesola was sworn-in 2010. He spent eight years from East senatorial district. We all felt it is now the turn of Osun West. In the aborted third republic we had our own man late Senator Isiaka Adeleke in the saddle as the first democratically elected governor for only twenty two months before it was aborted by the military. Since we have been clamouring that it is the turn of Osun West and up till now we are still clamouring.”

He maintained that no amount of pressure will make him leave the party. “I won’t leave APC. I was the party chairman in AD and later in ACN till 2010 before I was appointed as the secretary to the governor. I left then because of what they did to me as a formost chieftain of the party not just in Osun but in the entire South West” he said.

The ex deputy speak, Yusuf Lasun and the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola also presented themselves before the screening committee with the latter submitting his protests against the shift in the date of the gubernatorial primary. The governor on the other hand, says membership of the caretaker committee was a call to serve and since he was not going to be a member of the primary election committee, “I don’t understand the fears” he said.