By Adeleye Kunle
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in a verbal brawl yesterday over Amosun’s claim that his successor was rigged into office and must be removed.
Amosun broke his silence about the 2019 governorship election yesterday, alleging that Abiodun was rigged into office.
The former governor, who claimed Abiodun had since apologized, vowed that Abiodun would not be re-elected in 2023.
Amosun backed Adekunle Akinlade, who ran on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against Abiodun, the APC’s candidate.
Abiodun defeated Amosun’s choice by a margin of 19,517 votes.
Abiodun received 241,670 votes, defeating Akinlade, who received 222,153 votes.
Amosun, who represents Ogun Central in the Senate, declared more than three years after the election that his friend-turned-foe, Abiodun, did not win.
He spoke at the weekend in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, after receiving an award from the Abeokuta Club to commemorate the association’s 50th anniversary.
He went on to say that he had moved on because those responsible for the rigging had apologized to him.
“Thank God, Chief Osoba is here; we won convincingly during the last election.” They rigged and rigged until they had 19,000.
“A few of them came over to apologize to me. I can’t mention any names. That election was won by us. However, I have moved on. We finished our work and will continue to do so. “God will be with us all,” said the former governor.
Later, in an interview with journalists, Amosun declared that he did not support Abiodun’s administration and demanded that he be removed.
He also assured his supporters that the next course of action would be made public as soon as possible.
“Just wait; you’ll find out where we’re going next very soon.” You are aware of my position, and my position remains unchanged. I am not in favor of the current administration. “He has to go,” he said.
However, Akinlade, who was Amosun’s chosen candidate in 2019, is now the running mate for the PDP’s governorship candidate, Mr Ladi Adebutu, in the upcoming election.
In response, Abiodun stated that he would not be distracted by anyone who suffers from self-delusion, noting that “Ogun State is not anybody’s father’s inheritance.”
In an apparent response to Amosun’s allegation, Abiodun has stated that he would rather focus on his mandate than get involved in squabbles with anyone who wants to play God.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the grand finale of the Abeokuta Club’s 50th anniversary, the governor urged the people of the state to disregard his predecessor, insisting that he would not join issues with him.
“I will not be distracted by any person or persons who have a self-delusion problem.” I will not be distracted by anyone who fails to recognize that Ogun State is not the inheritance of anyone’s father; we are all stakeholders in this commonwealth known as Ogun State.
“I will not join issues with anyone who wants to play God; I will leave them to God; God can deal with anyone who challenges His authority and wants to play God.” “All I can say is that what we stand for in Ogun State is an administration committed to providing purposeful leadership and purposeful infrastructure development across the state,” he said.
Governor Abiodun, on the other hand, expressed his disappointment that a former governor and a sitting governor in 2019 would claim that the election was rigged.
“How can we, as outsiders, challenge an incumbent and then be accused of rigging out an incumbent in the same party?” Anyone can explain their failure in any way they want; anyone can also begin to pant and threaten to do whatever they want,” he added.
In response to Amosun’s claim, the APC chapter in Ogun State asked residents to pray for him because he is suffering from “political amnesia and out-of-office loneliness.”
The party described the ex-governors claim that Abiodun did not win the 2019 election as “an after-lunch belching of a man suffering from political amnesia and loneliness,” according to a statement issued yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye.
“The quoted statement was not only an insult to the psyche of the people of Ogun State, but it was also a sad indication that the former governor has yet to purge himself of extreme arrogance and intolerance, which earned him a suspension from our party even as a sitting governor.”
As a result, the APC urges the public, particularly our esteemed members, to pity and pray for the former governor, who is suffering from political amnesia, loneliness, and a complete loss of touch with reality.
“There is absolutely no truth in the former governor’s specious utterance, which is still stinging from his surrogate party’s electoral defeat in 2019.” Our party and candidate not only won fairly and squarely, but Prince Dapo Abiodun’s victory was also attested to by his co-contestants, many of whom later joined and are still members of the APC.
“After witnessing the frustrating exodus of his former political allies, who openly stated that they were tired of endemic lies, and his failure to wrest the party structures from the incumbent governor, Senator Amosun’s recourse to “elated” after-lunch belching is understandable and pitiful.”
