Adekunle-Akinlade

Adejoke Adeleye/ Abeokuta

Councillors elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) across the 20 Local Government Areas of Ogun State, has denied pledging their support for Prince Dapo Abiodun as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the 2019 general elections.

The councilors declared that they firm in their support of Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade (A.k.a Triple A) as the duly elected gubernatorial candidate of the party for the 2019 general elections.

The councillors who made this known at a special meeting held to review their last meeting with  Governor Ibikunle Amosun on the 2019 Budget debunked stories of ever meeting and declaring their supports for Abiodun, whose name has been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the Ogun APC gubernatorial candidate. .

Speaking on behalf of the Councillors across the three Senatorial Districts, Hon. Ololade Kazeem, Hon. Jide Opafola and Tunde Makinde, alleged that the mandate freely given by APC members in Ogun State to Akinlade on October 2, 2018, was “stolen”.

According to them, the direct primary election which produced Akinlade as the APC governorship candidate was conducted throughout the wards in Ogun State and witnessed by security agents and officials of INEC.

They further described the primary election, conducted by the election panel committee set up by the National Working Committees (NWC) and which returned Dapo Abiodun as the party’s candidate, as “fraudulent and a daylight robbery”.

They, however, demanded a return of Akinlade’s ‘stolen mandate’ as the ‘rightful candidate’ of the party.

The Councillors dissociated themselves from supporting and endorsing Abiodun, submitting that “ghost councillors endorsed him”.

Also, some members of a transport union protested at the Arcade Ground in the Govenor’s office in support of Akinlade as the APC Ogun gubernatorial candidate.

The protesters claimed they voted for Akinlade as the APC gubernatorial candidate because Governor Amosun believes he is the only person he trust that would continue from where he stops on the Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.

The group urged the National leaders of the party to return the ‘mandate’ to Akinlade because he is the ‘man in whom they trust.’