Winner of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) House of Representatives primaries for the Odeda/Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode Federal Constituency of Ogun State, Olumide Osoba, has denied the report that Mr. Lekan Abiola, son of the late winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, the late MKO Abiola, was dropped for him.
Olumide, who is the son of former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, described the report as a blatant lie, politically designed to conceal the truth of the exercise held last.
He revealed that he had indicated interest to run for the National Assembly in the constituency long before Abiola’s son even registered as a member of the ACN in Ogun State and asserted that the party’s leadership in the constituency picked the person they trusted to uphold the ideals of the party and had, indeed, been working with, as its consensus candidate
Olumide stated that it was not also true that the party’s secretariat erupted in crisis, which later degenerated into free-for-all when he was announced as the consensus candidate of the ACN. He explained that he had left the venue of the primaries before the said crisis began, having been accredited and his matter resolved. Daily Sun gathered that Lekan Abiola had been trying to hobnob with the ACN in Lagos State for a long time and might have even sought to run for the House of Representatives before one of the leaders of the party reportedly advised him to go to Ogun, his state of origin, to contest
It was further learnt that he joined the Ogun chapter onl a few months after the time for indication of interest for the House of Representatives had elapsed. The party was said to have accepted him because while there was deadline for indication of interest to contest election, there was no such deadline for membership registration as anybody could become a member of the party at any time.
Daily Sun had confirmed that the free-for-all witnessed during the party’s primaries might not be unconnected with disaffection within the party over the choice of candidate for a totally different seat. Two aspirants, who were thought to be very popular were dropped for a totally different aspirant.
Speaking in a telephone chat, the younger Osoba said it was possible that the violence that marked the congress in the state began shortly after Mr. Segun Williams was announced as the candidate for the Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, as no protest followed the announcement of his name. There were insinuations that the fracas was masterminded by some youths believed to be supporters of one of the other aspirants shortly after Williams was announced as the party’s standard bearer.
The protesters chanted abusive songs, threw stones and broke all the louver blades in the secretariat that was commissioned recently. Leaders of the party, including the state Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello, Secretary, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso, and National Youth Leader, Prince Segun Adesegun, were held hostage for several hours within the secretariat. Before the pandemonium broke out, three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the state House of Assembly, who earlier defected to the ACN, picked tickets to contest the forthcoming elections. The trio are members of the G-15 legislators, who have been having running battle with Governor Gbenga Daniel
They are the former deputy speaker of the House, Mr. Remi Hassan, Mr Pelumi Olusola and Mrs. Adijat Adeleye, who picked the ticket for Odogbolu, Remo North and Ifo II State Constituencies resectively. But some loyalists of Lekan Abiola were not happy that their candidate was dropped at the last minute as a result of the consensus arrangement that produced Olumide Osoba. They alleged that the leadership of the party in Ogun State wass partial during the primaries, adding that if the three lawmakers that joined the party from PDP recently could be given ticket, their candidate too deserved the ticket