The All Progressives Congress,APC, governorship screening committee for Osun State, headed by former Edo State gubernatorial candidate,Osagie Iyamu on Thursday screened three governorship aspirants ahead of the February 19 primary election in Osun State.
The three aspirants were screened at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Including the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Yusuff Lasun, and former Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti who recently returned to the ruling APC in June 2020, from the Action Democratic Party.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the screening, Oyetola said his delivery in the past three years in office will guarantee his victory come July 16.
According to him, “Let me say this, my performance in office (in all areas of endeavour, in the area of infrastructure, health, education, security, and the economy) as I speak today is enough for me to win the primary in the party and to win the election.
“That means by every standard, we have done so well. So given the fact that within the last three and a half years I have been able to justify the confidence reposed in me by the people.
“I have been very much involved in the party, right from the time of AD till date. I’m not a novice when it comes to the issue of party. If my performance speaks for me, that is good and fine.”
Meanwhile a governorship aspirant and a former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Mr. Moshood Adeoti, disclosed that Governor Gboyega Oyetola was installed by a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, whom he described as an emperor.
Adeoti explained that he left the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) in 2018 to vie for the governorship position on the platform of Action Democratic Party (ADP) because the primary election of APC was scuttled at the eleventh hour.
According to him they had prepared between 75-80 percent for the primary before it was scuttled at the eleventh hour
“Ekiti state primary was conducted based on direct, but when it came to Osun, they changed it to indirect on the instruction of the emperor who happens to be the leader of the party
“He insisted that his cousin must be the governor. The person I’m talking about is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he said if his cousin was not returned he would not finance the election.
“The outcome was what you all witnessed, he actually lost the election in the first ballot by 353 votes and they said out of 310,000 units in Osun, and there was a rerun in seven units and it was the rerun that salvaged the party.” He stated.
Adeoti stressed that in 2018, everyone agreed that it was the turn of Osun West Senatorial District to produce the governor.
The governorship hopeful said before 2018, Osun Central had Chief Bisi Akande and Olagunsoye Oyinlola between 1999 to 2010 before was ousted by the courts and Rauf Aregbesola from Osun East was sworn-in 2010, and eventually spent eight years.
Adeoti stressed that the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke from Osun West was in the saddle for 20 months as the first democratically elected governor, saying since then, there had been clamour that it is the turn of Osun West.
He assured that he won’t leave APC even if Tinubu insisted that his cousin would go for another four years.
Adeoti said, “Let me add that we have just submitted our petition to the caretaker committee on two grounds: first, the date of the gubernatorial primary has been changed from 5th of March to 19th of February without any reason. In Ekiti state, it was extended from 17th of January to 27th but in our case they are bringing it back by two weeks preceding the national convention.
“Secondly, up till today governor Gboyega Oyetola is still a member of the CECPC led by Governor Mai Mala Buni. I don’t see how the primary will be free and fair if Oyetola is a judge in his own case.”
The third governorship aspirant, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuff, did not address journalists he hurried out of the national secretariat immediately after the screening.
