The chances of a senator representing Ondo Central senatorial district of Ondo State, Senator Tayo Alasoadura of clinching the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 26 governorship election are now slim following the refusal of some party chieftains to attend a meeting convened by the senator.
Alasoadura was said to have convened a meeting with party executives in Akoko North East local government and likely delegates about his ambition but was shocked that only few of them attended the meeting.
Those who shunned the senator was said to be holding another political meeting at a the exact time the senator was expected to meet them.
Those in the meeting convened by the executives include 20 members of the local government executives, 13 ward chairmen and other party chieftains.
Speaking with DAILY POST, the Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Ekunnusi Liadi said they decided to shun the meeting because of the anti-party tendencies of Alasoadura.
It will be recalled that Alasoadura was among the APC senators who went against the party’s directives and supported the ambition of Bukola Saraki of becoming the senate President.
Ekunnusi, who was furious while speaking tagged the senator as a betrayer and inconsistent man.
He lamented that he betrayed the party national leaders, particularly Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and he could not be trusted with the party’s ticket.
According to him, “How then can he now come to us again to gain from the party which he intentionally laboured to destroy and put to disrepute?
“The last time he came here, he embarrassed us, telling us that the Akokos are not ripe to be governor now; and also canvassing for our support to fight Tinubu in the south west”.
The vice chairman vowed that the people of the local government will never be a party to anything associated with Senator Alasoadura because of his disloyalty to the party and insults to the Akoko people.
Also, a chairman of a political forum in party Unity forum, Sunday Orunko, flayed Alasoadura for his excesses.
He alleged that the senator had been boasting that Akure would soon continue to rule the state as Igalas are ruling in Kogi state.
Besides, he accused the Federal House of Representatives member representing Akoko North-West/North-East Federal Constituency, Hon. Stephen Olemija of abandoning aspirants from the northern senatorial district, especially the Akokos, to pledge his support for an aspirant from the central district.
“In Julius Ceasar, it is said that ‘what glory followed Ceasar to Rome?’ Today, what have we achieved from Olemija despite all our sweat and labour to send him to the National Assembly? Alasoadura confirmed that Tinubu gave him N5 million during his campaign, yet he betrayed him; can we follow such persons?”
Orunko stated that Alasoadura and Olemija were two political failures that cannot hold any positive sway in the party, affirming that the latter, who is their kinsman and enjoyed the goodwill of the people to the National Assembly, have lost all political relevance in his base because his constituents have passed a vote of no confidence on him.
The APC Youth Leader in the council, Hassan Fesojaiye asserted that the youths and the electorates in the area will never associate themselves with Olemija and Alasoadura, claiming that they both represent, in the contrary, what the party stands for as progressives in the country.
Fesojaiye decried the criticism against Tinubu by Alasoadura, whom he said told them at the last meeting that they should support him to fight the National Leader from the south west because he only considers people from Lagos and Ogun axis for political appointments.
“These are the reasons why we: the 20 exco members in the local government, the 13 ward chairmen, other party leaders, chieftains and the entire youths, have decided to let the whole world know that we shall never associate ourselves with betrayals and renegades like Alasoadura and Olemija,” he said.
All efforts to speak with Alasoadura during his meeting in Ikare-Akoko proved abortive as his security guards never allowed our correspondent have access to the Senator.
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