Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, on Monday, charged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their supporters, to keep their gun powders dry and prepare by all means possible to ensure his preferred gubernatorial aspirant, Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade, emerge as the candidate of the party.
The governor, who boasted that he was ready to do battle with any group of individuals within the party that wanted to “reap where they did not sow”, equally declared that Akinlade would win in the direct primary system.
He also vowed that he would not surrender Ogun to the ‘opposition’ within the party and issued a marching order to ward chairmen to deliver their wards or risk sanction.
Governor Amosun gave the charge while addressing his supporters drawn from the 236 wards in the state, at an emergency APC stakeholders meeting held at MTR Hall, Abeokuta, in further preparation for the gubernatorial primary.
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The primary election had earlier been slated to hold, on Sunday, but the state Chairman of the party, Derin Adebiyi, on Sunday evening, announced that the exercise had been postponed to another day, yet-to-be decided.
At the meeting, the governor, who was livid with anger, said that as the Chief Security Officer of the state, he could not subscribe to violence and asked his supporters to eschew such during the exercise, stressing he would mobilise his supporters to ensure his successor emerges from his own camp.
The governor continued, “These are people that did everything to destroy this party. God dealt with them that time, the same God will hammer them more this time around.
“So, just be rest assured that if we are patient, it’s not because of foolishness. And I have told them, we have the government, we have the party, we have the people.
“So, where are they going to go? If we do it one million times, it will be the same thing. You know some people have been running around.
“The disgrace they will get this time will be more than they got. So, don’t fight anybody. It is those that do not have the wherewithal to win election that resort to fight.
“We want direct primaries but before direct primaries can happen, some things must be in place.
“Until the day of the election, nothing happened and we said since nothing happened, we are not going to do direct primaries again.
“But because they are looking for ways and means of finding formula of searching for something that is not lost, it is ungodly for people to work to reap where they did not sow.
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“When we are there in the field, let anybody come with any kangaroo something, they will regret it.
“Even before being governor, the way we were brought up, anything that will be violence-related, we run away from it. I want to reap from my own sweat.
“I’ve heard that some characters are saying they want to kill them. Nobody is killing anybody here.
“If you love this Ogun State and the party, don’t de-market this party. If anybody says they want to kill them, it is their handiwork that wants to kill them.
“Nobody will do anything for anybody. Don’t fight anybody. It is those that do not have people that want to create problem but we are ready for them.
“In Ogun State, there is nothing like vote-buying. Please don’t touch anybody. The disgrace that God is giving to them, God will give them more.
“Calm down, come out any day that they say they want to do it, they will find out that it will be too hot for them to handle because you will find out that we outnumber them because it is like 95 to 5.
“So, everybody be ready. I’m not going to give anybody money to vote. But to move people from different places to the ward headquarters, we would do that.
“Party can create avenue, logistics for people to move from one place to another. That one I can give you. What I gave you the other time, I will give you another one.
“Don’t create any scene. We have 236 wards. On my honour, they are not going to have up to 10 wards. Where they think they have people, we will show them that we are on ground.
“I want everybody to be ready, we are ready, let us show those that are trying to help them manipulate that it is an exercise in futility. Keep your gunpowder dry,” Governor Amosun submitted.