Osun guber: Friends of Oyetola picks form for his re-election

Some group of people who described themselves as friends of the governor of Osun state, Adegboyega Oyetola on Tuesday stormed the headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja to pick form for the reelection of the Governor, in the Osun State July 16, gubernatorial elections.

They said the sitting governor has performed excellently well in his first tenure and deserves another four years in office.

Addressing journalists, the leader of the group and lawmaker representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Senator Ajibola Bashir also noted that the Governor’s reelection will sustain the giant strides of the APC in the State.

The lawmaker who is also the Senate spokesperson said, “the reason for doing this is that as friends of Gboyega Oyetola, we have closely looked at his strides in governance and his achievements in the past three years and few months.

“He has performed credibly well in the area of infrastructure, social welfare, enhancements of the welfare of public service in the state and in the area of utilizing scare resources of the State for the benefit and betterment of the generality of the people particularly in compliance with section 14 of the Constitution which provides that the primary purpose of governance is security and welfare of the people.

“So when we get back to the State, we will formally present this form to him so that when he completes it by the grace of God, he will come and submit it”.

Senator Bashir further emphasized that the friends of the governor are not persuading him to seek re-election as he (the governor) at the maiden meeting of the traditional Council in the Oba traditional council that was held last week openly and publicly declared his interest to contest.

Fielding questions from journalists on whether the alleged party crises in the State will affect the re-election of Governor Oyetola, the lawmaker said the APC is well structured to address whatever challenges it is facing.

“I will not reduce the issue of our party to issue of personality. Political parties are institutions of democracy and they are run on the basis of the structure of the political parties as well as the leaders of the party.

“Today, in the State of Osun, the highest hierarchy of our party is constituted in what is called Egbe Igbimo agba which is headed by no less person than the founding Chairman of our party, Baba Bisi Akande and we also have former governors, deputy governors, members of National Assembly, current and seasoned politicians in that club.

“We also have federal constituency structures in all the nine federal constituencies. We have ward executives, local executives and unit executives.

“So, it’s about structures that win elections and not personality. So we believe that the existing structures of our party is such that the party that is really in existence today is the APC.

“Beyond the 2018 election, the first election and the only election that has been conducted under the leadership of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, is the 2019 general election and I challenge you to go to INEC website to download the results.

“There are nine federal constituencies in the State of Osun. Our party, APC had six out of that nine seats and of course if you do the percentage, that is about 65%, that’s B plus. Then in the Senatorial election in the three Senatorial districts, our party got two out of the three Senatorial districts, I think that’s also about 70% and of course in the House of Assembly, of the 26 seats we have in Osun, our party had 23 out of the 26 and all of them are still members of our political party.

“So when you have a political party that has in its fold two Senators, six House of Representatives members and 23 elected State legislators I don’t think it is beyond any doubt to say the party to beat in the State of Osun is the APC and the leadership of the party has provided structure to ensure that we deliver massively.

“We also know that the presidential election in 2019, Osun is one of the States that delivered for our leader president Muhammadu Buhari. So no doubt, the State of our party is strong, vibrant, cohesive and articulate to deliver for the party in the 2022 election”.