Olusakin Babalola
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Sunday announced the option of indirect primary election to pick law
Makers and gubernatorial candidates for his party in the next year's general elections.
All the aspirants commended the Governor's decision echoing that it was the only way to save the party from defeat.
Mr.Olaide Olalere an aspirant to the State House of Assembly moved a motion in support of Governor Ajimobis position which was endorsed by all others
Sunday's meeting offered a cosmetic resolution to the controversy on either the direct or indirect primary would be adopted for the party.
Though there appeared to be a consensus on the part of about govrermorship 25 aspirants,the Minister of Communications,Barrister Adebayo Shittu who has been at loggerheads with the State Governor since he became a governor kept away from the meeting.
Our man reliably learnt that the Minister was not invited because of an alleged anti party activities .
Sunday's meeting was also the climax of the party's position though no communique was issued to the press as th e governor spoke off hand with a directive that all political office holders insisting on taking part in the indirect primary must resign their appointment Monday this week.
There was no dissenting views from all the aspirants as two of them spoke in favour of the Governor's position.
Yesterday's meeting dwelt more on candidates for states and National Assemblies election while that of Saturday was exclusively for the 25 governorship aspirants with the exception of Adebayo Shittu who had earlier threatened that the party would lose the Gubernatorial election except he was the one
Ajimobi on Sunday recalled the life time of Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and late Lam Adesina who would pick candidates for the party without any aspirant raising any eye brow.
He said that the aspirants should appreciate that he was a democrat by his choice of indirect primary which would come out with the best and unite the party for the coming elections.
The governorship aspirants numbering twenty five earlier stormed the Agodi Government House as early as 8 ‘o clock in the morning following the governor’s call to have a closed-door meeting with them and the party leadership in the state.
Describing the meeting as cordial, Ajimobi hinted that the meeting provided an opportunity to rob minds with the aspirants as one family in determining the fate of who would emerge as the party’s flag bearer.
: “It was a family meeting and spoke frankly with ourselves on the need to for unity and the progress of the party.” “We also express appreciation to the commitment of the aspirants in galvanising the party; in expanding our horizon, in making sure that through the show of force, as they will say in the military, we have been able to establish that APC is the only party in Oyo State. All others ate subsidiary parties.” “
Therefore, when you have this position, there is the tendency for people to begin to fight for offices and we now appealed to all of them that we should work as one family.” “Whatever they prefer either direct or indirect primaries or consensus, the leadership of the is ready to accept. It is a democracy and we want to ensure that we practise democracy in the truest sense of the word.” The governor added that: “I must report back to you that we are happy about the response we got our people (aspirants). They are very happy with us and they all agreed that we should all come together and have indirect primaries. And for me, that spirit of brotherhood was very pronounced in the meeting.”
However, the governor has ordered all serving political aspirants in his cabinets to resign. This he said, would allow them to focus more on the various political consultations. He noted that some people do not have time for the job, adding that he wanted people who have focus on the job they have been appointed to do..
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