Olusegun Osoba

By Adejoke Adeleye/ Abeokuta

As the 2019 governorship election inches closer,Leadership of the Ogun West Elders Council has condemned a former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Ol usegun Osoba over the statement he made at the recent birthday ceremony of the former SSG, Deacon Poju Adeyemi. Osoba allegedly said “APC had not zoned governorship to any section of the state ahead of the 2019 polls”.

The Council that spoke through its Chairman, Alh Mohammed Olagbaye, in a press briefing at the state NUJ secretariat, Iwe Iroyin in Abeokuta, expressed their anger over “the statement credited to Chief Osoba, and which has not been refuted till now,is obnoxious and leaves a bad taste in our mouths.”

The elders said further: “When Former President Olusegun Obasanjo admonished us to unite and come come up with a single candidate, he meant well. But the problem is that of those who pretend to be our friends but are actually our enemies. They use us pawn in the state’s power politics. Unfortunately and sadly the Araba of Yewaland (Osoba) is a culprit.

Olagbaye cited instances whereby Chief Osoba has made the Yewa people work against themselves: “Firstly, to achieve his aim of becoming the governor of Ogun state in 1992, the Araba had a hand in the outing of two of our people from Ogun west, against the popular Yewa man, Professor Afolabi Olabimtan. Yewa votes were thus splited into three.

“Secondly, In 1988-1999, he swore to leaders from Ogun west and we believed him, that he would hand over to a Yewa man in 2003 as a result, we rallied round him and he won .But, in 2003 he reneged on his promise but our God fought for us and he lost woefully.

“Thirdly, in 2007 he reluctantly and grudgingly urged Engr Wale Bajomo, one of his diehard loyalists in Ogun west, and he ought to have put forward to succeed him in 2003 but unfortunately, a candidate from Ogun East was chosen .To Araba, no one else in Ogun west was qualified to be governor.

“Again, In 2011 Chief Osoba called leaders from Ogun west to come up with a single candidate. We conducted a shadow election and picked Tope Kuyebi based on chief Osoba’s approval, we started introducing the candidate to party leaders in Central and East senatorial districts. Suddenly Osoba came up with Biodun Akinlade who was then a PDP member in the House of representatives.

“We accepted the choice because we want a Yewa man as governor but Senator Ibikunle Amosun later emerged as the party’s candidate.” The council alleged.