From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
A gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State and former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, has described a group, the Ogun West Consultative Forum (OWCOF), as “fraudulent and anti-people”.
Responding to the group’s claim that it screened six Ogun West gubernatorial aspirants before picking Sen. Olamilekan Adeola as its endorsed candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election in the state, Akinlade, said that he was never invited nor did he attend any screening exercise.
This came barely 24 hours after the two-time gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka, tagged the screening exercise “a sham”.
Akinlade, therefore, wondered why the group would use his name to promote a selfish agenda.
The former lawmaker made these known in a statement made available to journalists in Abeokuta on Friday.
He explained: “On Sunday, November 19th, I received an text message from Mr. Kayode Ajibola, who claimed to be writing on behalf of the said group because he wrote in the text message that he is the chairman of the said group.
“The group, in the short text message, congratulated me on my installation as the Vice Patron of the prestigious Abeokuta Club. They later went on to invite me for an interactive session in less than 24 hours at Ilaro.”
He noted that he honoured the invitation but advised them to seek audience with Governor Ibikunle Amosun and work hand in hand with him to achieve the desire for Ogun West Governor in 2019.
This, according to him, became necessary as the governor had declared support for an Ogun West man to succeed him.
He, however, expressed his worry that the group which membership included a professor and business men could tell the world outright lies afterwards, saying “Yewa-Awori people are not known for such fraudulent act”.
“I don’t know why such men should tell lies. There was never any screening that I was invited to and it’s a great surprise that my name could be mentioned among those that the group purportedly screened.
“However, this could have been an error of commission or mistaken identity because I have had cause to call almost 70 per cent of the members who denied knowledge of such pronouncement which included my name.
“I want to use this medium to thank our brothers and sisters from Ogun East and Central for their support for Senator Amosun on his pronouncement for justice, equity and fairness. I hereby advise that people should not get desperate to the point of causing confusion in the polity and to play the game according to the rules. This is because in Ogun West, we are known to be decorous and peace loving,” Akinlade submitted.