Ogun guber: Again, ex- gov Amosun, successor at daggers drawn

 

 

Former governor of Ogun state, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, is about to rock the boat again like he did when he supported Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2019, KEHINDE OSASONA writes.

Basking in the euphoria of being a sitting governor who wielded power of incumbency and influence, former Governor of Ogun state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, had prior to the 2019 elections boasted that he would hand over power to Adekunle Akinlade as his preferred candidate on the platform of the All progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement by the former Commissioner for Information, Adedayo Adeneye, the governor stated that he was committed to supporting the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I remain committed to our great party, APC, and I stand with and for our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari. I am in no doubt that come May 29, 2019, the Almighty God will make Mr President triumph and ensure that I hand over the reins of governance of our great state to the popular choice of the majority of our people, Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade.

“I restate my unwavering commitment and total support for the mandate freely and expressly given to Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade,” Amosn stated.

However, against the governor’s wish and despite doing everything within his power to have Akinlade on the ballot, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) went on to ratify Dapo Abiodun as the party’s governorship candidate for the state.

Consequently, Amosun started looking for a safe harbour where his preferred candidate could get a governorship ticket and finally settled pitched his tent, alongside his followers with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Abidon, subsequently, emerged the winner of the governorship election leading with 241,670 votes against his closest rival, Akinlade, of APM, who scored 222,153 votes.

Déjà vu

The election season is back and the former governor appears to have renewed hostilities against the APC-led government in the state by declaring for support Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Amosun is, however, not being taken seriously in the political circle as questions were being raised on how he would achieve what he failed to do as a popular governor with infrastructural strides and power of incumbency.

It is on record that he could snot beat the party hierarchy in Abuja then hence it was unlikely that would achieve in 2023 what he couldn’t achieve in 2018.

It is worth noting that Governor Abiodun had also beaten his opponents at the Justice Yusuf Halilu-led election petition tribunal.

However, dissatisfied by the pronouncement, the APM and its candidate went on appeal at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, and later at the Supreme Court, where they also lost.

‘He’s a betrayer’

While expressing reservation over Amosun’s stance against his aspiration in 2018, the Ogun state Governor, Abiodun, described his predecessor as a betrayer, who has failed to appreciate all he did for him.

Abiodun, who was addressing some party leaders and supporters in the state, said after he lost the 2015 Ogun East Senatorial election to Senator Buruji Kashamu of the PDP, Amosun promised that he would nominate him for a ministerial slot to compensate him for his contributions to federal and state campaigns.

His words: “Before the campaign, I facilitated electricity for some areas in Ogun Waterside. I bought buses for traditional rulers, Christian and Muslim leaders. You would think I was running for governor.

“But I did this because party members were not receiving support; they were getting tired and needed encouragement. As it happened, we lost. Everyone was surprised; we worked hard, we spent money.

“We went to the tribunal and won but Kashamu went to see them at the top. So we lost the appeal. Amosun made no contribution; never showed care or concern while we were struggling to win back my mandate.

“After that, Amosun told me not to worry that I will be the minister from Ogun state. It later became clear that he simply made that comment just to send me away.

“At this time, his (governorship) election was two weeks away. I asked him what he would give House of Assembly candidates to assist their campaigns as well as to help him mobilise the grassroots for victory. We have 11 Assembly positions in my district (Ogun East).

“Amosun replied that he would send them N1 million each. I protested. I told him that would not achieve anything but he didn’t listen. I personally gave those 11 candidates N10 million each.

“Then, despite losing my own election, I personally gave Amosun $1million which was N220 million then. We were up against a powerful PDP and I didn’t want APC to be disgraced.

“Amosun won election and abandoned me. He did not offer me any slot in his government. He didn’t even say ‘Dapo, bring sweeper or cleaners for employment’. He made someone else, Kemi Adeosun, the minister.

“Recently, he begged me that I should come and take senatorial ticket. I said but he knows I have governorship ambition. I then asked who he had in mind to succeed him. Amosun said he was still thinking but that he wants to bring someone from CBN.

“I asked why he would do that. You want to bring someone who doesn’t even know party people to lead them? He is fighting me now because I want to be governor.”

… It’s dirty politics

Miffed by the former governor’s renewed moves to oust him, Abiodun has come out to describe his posture as dirty politics.

Abiodun, who maintained that: “He is governor today because of the divine intervention of the Almighty God who ensured his victory in 2019, added that being a governor was not anybody’s inheritance.

The governor reminded his predecessor that his adopted candidate lost woefully during the last general elections, even when he was still in office as the governor.

Abiodun, who decried the former governor’s open declaration to work for the emergence of a governorship candidate of another party, said he would fall once again as he did in the 2019.

…Amosun fires back

While reminiscing on the 2019 fiasco, Amosun in a recent interview fired back at his successor accusing him of rigging his way into power.

The former governor while speaking at an award ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Abeokuta Club, insisted that he was not in support of Abiodun’s administration.

He maintained that all efforts must be made to vote the Abiodun-led government out of power in 2023, adding that those who orchestrated the rigging have apologised to him.

“They rigged, rigged, and ended up with 19,000. Some of them came to apologise to me. I can’t be mentioning names.

“We did our work. We won that election. But I have moved on. We will continue to do what we have to do. God will be with all of us,” he stated.

He’s over-stretching his luck

In an exclusive interview with Blueprint Weekend, a Political Analyst, Malik Aofolaju, said the former governor, who is not new anti-party, may be over-stretching his luck.

Aofolaju, in a telephone interview, described Amosun as a drowning yester-year man; just as he likened him to a powerless man trying to stop a moving train.

“At a time when the APC has set all machineries in motion to get every available vote, it amounts to a political suicide for any member no matter his status to want to stop it.

“By so doing, Amosun and his co-travellers may be incurring the wrath of his party and if not dealt with now, may be later in the future because if APC formed power at the centre, the new President may not pamper him or allow him to get away with his anti-party activities like Buhari does,” Aofolaju stated.

Ex-gov suffering from political amnesia

The APC in Ogun state has also taken a swipe at the former governor over his outburst.

The party in a press statement by the Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, described Amosun’s claim as: “After-lunch belching of a man suffering from political amnesia and loneliness.”

“The attention of our party has been drawn to a statement reportedly credited to the immediate past Governor of Ogun state and the Chief Promoter of the APM, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

“The quoted statement was not only an insult to the psyche of the people of Ogun state but also a sad indication that the former governor is yet to purge himself of extreme arrogance and intolerance that were his trademarks, which earned him suspension from our party, even as a sitting governor.

“The APC, therefore, calls on the general public, and particularly our esteemed members, to pity and pray for the former governor as he obviously suffers from political amnesia, loneliness and absolute lack of touch with reality,” the statement read.