Oladunjoye Begged to Move Motion Expecting Rep Ticket –....Ogun APC Spokesman

The spokesman for the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, Mr. Wole Elegbede, tells SUNDAY ABORISADE that the consensus option adopted by the party is a unanimous decision of all stakeholders in the state

Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye alleged that the chairman of the party in the state threatened while asking him to move the consensus motion, but you denied his claims in a statement even when you did not attend the meeting. What is your reaction?

I was not at the meeting but as the spokesperson for the party, the chairman called an emergency executive meeting where we brainstormed on the issues that transpired at the stakeholders’ forum and I received a full briefing. I was mandated to issue the statement in order to put the record straight and correct the falsehood contained in the statement issued by Oladunjoye. Everything he stated in his press release was total falsehood. The chairman denied calling Oladunjoye aside to threaten him. He moved the motion on behalf of the Ogun East Senatorial District, endorsing the consensus governorship candidate of the party. Immediately after he moved the motion, Oladunjoye sent a text message to the chairman to give the endorsement, a wide publicity. It was later in the evening around 9pm that he came up with the issue of threat. I was wondering how the chairman could threaten him when many stakeholders were at the peaceful gathering.

Tell us what actually happened based from the briefing you received after the meeting?

What happened was that Oladunjoye, being a House of Representatives  aspirant from Ogun East, volunteered to move the motion in order to impress the party leadership so that they could endorse him as the consensus candidate at the forum. It was when he realised that the stakeholders from his constituency would not give him the ticket that he decided to issue his statement alleging that he moved the motion because his life was threatened. The argument of his people was that he had three appointments in this government. He was the Chairman of the consultative assembly for his local government. He was also a special assistant to the Governor and member, Governing Council of the Tai Solarin University of Education. His people said he should allow another person to go the House of Reps because he is not the only one in the area.

But he said he was specifically singled out to move the motion because he has been consistently advocating the emergence of an Ogun East person as next governor of the state.

I am not aware that he has been canvassing anything like that and I challenge him to produce any newspaper publication or tape of any broadcast material containing the interview he granted in that regard.

He said his views on the issue were actually published on his facebook page

I don’t believe him because I have never read anything like that from the social media.  A few days before the endorsement of the consensus governorship candidate, Oladunjoye was on Rock City FM in Abeokuta, where he praised the governorship aspirants from Ogun West, describing them as highly qualified professionals who could effectively succeed Governor (Ibikunle) Amosun and carry on the good works. How can he now turn round to say that he had been advocating Ogun East candidacy?

Oladunjoye alleged that the chairman was trying to save his face, hence he asked you to issue a statement instead of personally responding to his claims.

There were several people at the stakeholders’ forum that could have been called upon to move the motion. He was the one that indicated his interest voluntarily to move the motion in anticipation of getting the House of Reps ticket. There were several other members of the party from Ogun East that could have been called upon to move that motion that day. He was hanging around at the venue obviously to lobby the stakeholders. Why did he succumb to the chairman’s alleged threat as claimed by him?

He said he did that in order to save his life

His claims are very difficult to believe.

Don’t you think that the man has been vindicated with the APC national leadership rejection of the consensus arrangement done by the party in Ogun State because many other aspirants have obtained forms?

The national leadership of the party did not reject our consensus arrangement because it is one of the options allowed by the party’s constitution. What the National Working Committee of the party said was that if a state adopts a consensus arrangement, but some aspirants obtain nomination forms, then the idea of consensus has failed. Therefore, there would be a primary election. The NWC did not stop our consensus arrangement. Our position in Ogun State is that we will go for consensus first and that we will go for direct primary in only the few constituencies where aspirants had obtained forms. Most constituencies in Ogun State had actually settled for consensus; so, there would be no primary election in those areas.

Do you think that your party is well prepared with all these challenges you are facing now?

We are well prepared and our chances are very bright. We will win the governorship election; win the three seats in the Senate, all the seats in the House of Representatives and the majority, if not all the seats in the House of Assembly.

How will your party manage the conflict of interest between the senatorial bid of governor Amosun and the incumbent lawmaker from the zone in the Senate, Senator Lanre Tejuoso?

There is no crisis in respect to that issue. Senator Lanre Tejuoso has not indicated his interest to seek re-election. He was at the stakeholders meeting where we agreed to go for consensus. When they called for consensus, Tejuoso raised his hand in support of the idea. He has not obtained his nomination form as I talk to you today (Thursday evening).

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