AJIMOBI DENIES LOBBYING FOR ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, SOUTH POSITION, AS PARTY LEADERS OPPOSE HIS NOMINATION

Segun Showunmi in Ibadan

The former Goivernor of Oyo State Abiola Ajimibi has declared that he did not lobby for nomination of the position Deputy National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC) South, adding that the appointment came because the party at the highest level believes Ajimobi has something to offer the party.

Penpushing reports the media aide of Ajimobi Bolaji, Tunji made the explanation following a purported media reports that his boss  has been nominated as the new Deputy National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC) south,

The statement noted that Ajimobi has distinguished himself as a technocrat, whose distinguished career took him to the highest level of his professional career in an international organisation.

“He has also distinguished himself as a noteworthy politician who was Governor of Oyo State on two consecutive time, unprecedented terms. And as Governor,  the people of Oyo State  agreed that his records of achievements are unassailable and also unprecedented.”

Pennpushing further reports that, Tunji maintained that his boss dubbed as the father of modern Oyo State, saying that if his party finds him worthy of that position as the Deputy CFhairman (South) of his party, so be it as a statesman who has contributed immensely to the development of the party.

“People are bound to raise one concern or the other, but we should always disagree to agree. However, we should always set the records straight on matters like this.The position of Deputy National Chairman ( South) is a party position zoned to the South made up of the South-west, South East and the South South’.

‘The South then gave the slot to the Southwest. At the time, all the South West States were under the control of the APC except Ekiti state, hence the party elders and caucus gave it  to Ekiti at the time in order to strengthen the party   and  ensure  that the State had a coordinator and presence at the party’s highest level of decision making.”

Penpushing also reports that, in another development, the Ekiti State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as untrue reports by certain section of the social media in Oyo State that the former Governor of the State, Abiola Ajimobi has being endorsed as the next Deputy National Chairman of the party.

The All Progressives Congress( APC) Director of Media and Publicity, Elder Sam Oluwalana, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti  on behalf of the State Chairman of the party, Barrister Paul Omotosho, said that the meeting held at Oshogbo, the Osun State capital, where the purported endorsement was made, did not mention of any sort of endorsement at the meeting and the report was reckless and smacks if mischief and misinformation on the part of the writers.

The statement reads; that “I was present at the meeting and nobody said anything about endorsing anybody for the position at that meeting, we made our position clear that our state has to serve out its tenure and that we are endorsing Senator Gbenga Aluko for the position.

“The South West chairman of the party , Pastor Oluwajana received a petition which we submitted at the meeting and promised to forward same to the National Secretariat if the party. That was all that transpired at the meeting. For anybody to say or report anything to the contrary is not only false, but pure mischief”. said.

Penpushing also reports that the immediate former Minister of Communications in the country, Barrister Adebayo Shiitu has warned that endorsing former Governor Ajimobi will only bring misfortune and source of embarrassment to the state.

The former Miniaster  tagged the former Senator as an anti- democratic agent, who denied members of the party in Oyo  State the dividends of democracy in his eight year reign in the State,emphasizing, “Ajimobi’s choice would be a very bad luck for our dear party, APC, in Oyo State and South West Nigeria as a whole.

“That somebody whose bad luck led to APC losing Oyo State to the less fancied PDP in the 2019 gubernatorial and State Assembly elections in the State is now being recycled and foisted on APC in Yorubaland is most insensitive’.

“What democratic credentials is Abiola Ajimobi bringing on board when, as a two time Governor, the self-styled ‘constituted authority’ never, for once, allowed democratic party primaries to hold in Oyo State APC and, over his said two terms as Governor, only organised what, at best, was a kangaroo local government election of officials who were merely hand picked by Ajimobi to become APC Candidates.”