Otunba Alao Akala, a former governor of Oyo State has announced his withdrawal from the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated Sunday.
While announcing this in a statement signed by his media aide, Jeremiah Akande, Akala blamed what he described as the high-handedness and imposition of candidate on delegates who will vote at the Primary Election by Gov. Abiola Ajimobi.
He alleged that the governor has perfected plans to Impose one Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe on delegates as he has sent his foot soldiers around to coerce and intimidate delegates to vote for the said Tegbe tomorrow at the party primaries against their free will.
The statement reads, “The Former Governor of Oyo state and Gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the State Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has called on the National Leadership of the Party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other Leaders of the party to come to the aid of the Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress which is on the brink of collapse due to the high-handedness and Imposition of candidate on delegates who will vote at the Primary Election of the party taking place on Sunday by Gov. Abiola Ajimobi.
“Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala wishes to state categorically and put the leadership of the party and the General Public on Notice that Governor Abiola Ajimobi has perfected plans to Impose one Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe on delegates as he has sent his foot soldiers around to coerce and Intimidate delegates to vote for the said Tegbe tomorrow at the party primaries against their free will.
“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, a true party man and committed loyalist to any cause he believes in wishes to state categorically that he is not a push over in the game of Politics and as a well grounded and groomed politician who has occupied the number one seat of a Politically conscious state as Oyo state will not be part of any move or attempt to subvert the true will and wish of the people by the selfish interest of an Individual.”
“The General Public should also note that Gov. Abiola Ajimobi has clandestinely offered Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala the Ministerial slot of Oyo state in an attempt to pitch him against Barr. Adebayo Shittu, an offer he has rejected in its entirety as he is not one to be tailored or shown the way round in the game of Politics.
“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has therefore decided to “STAY AWAY” from tomorrow’s macabre dance taking place at a yet to be disclosed venue due to the Insensitivity and selfishness of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi who is hellbent on Imposing his stooge as his successor.
“In view of the above, His Excellency has also directed that all his teeming supporters, well-wishers and party faithfuls who believe in him should stay away from the sham taking place tomorrow and await further directives.”
Two other pilots survived the incident. But Baba Ari reportedly died due to complications from injuries sustained upon impact on the ground.
Baba Ari’s colleagues said he was trained to engage in air-to-air combat while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Officers and men of the Air force who are mourning his death described him as one of the finest of the fighter pilots involved in counter-insurgency operations in North-East Nigeria and other places.
Conforming the contributions of the deceased pilot to the war against Boko Haram, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar, yesterday tweeted in tribute that the pilots had been programmed for training on a higher performance aircraft that the NAF is about to acquire.
He also confirmed that all the three pilots were able to eject from the aircraft before the crash, but Baba Ari later died due complications from injuries sustained from the ejection.