The crisis between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, is far from over.
Ogunbiyi, the party’s runner-up, had alleged that he was rigged out at the primary election conducted by the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson in Osogbo.
Ogunbiyi narrowly lost to Adeleke, polling 1,562 votes as against Adeleke’s 1,569 and had filed a petition against the Senator’s victory.
His camp has now accused Adeleke’s camp of deliberately avoiding reconciliation ahead of the September 22 election.
They said some PDP leaders, including Segun Odekunmi, Oyelayo Laoye, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa and other leaders, had recently gone to Ogunbiyi’s residence in Ileogbo in order to facilitate the reconciliation.
According to them, no member of the Adeleke family or camp showed up and the leaders left in disappointment.
Oginbiyi’s camp have also accused Dr Deji Adeleke (the candidate’s brother) of insisting that he would not beg Ogunbiyi.
The aggrieved aspirant himself had accused Senator Adeleke of not showing interest in resolving the impasse.
He recalled that PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, invited him and Adeleke to Abuja in August over the matter.
Ogunbiyi disclosed that the party told his camp to produce the deputy governorship candidate and that he (Ogunbiyi) should be given the Osun West Senatorial District ticket for the 2019 election.
Reacting, Director of Media of the Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Olawale Rasheed, said the claim that Deji Adeleke had vowed not to meet with Ogunbiyi was a lie.
He told Punch: “The Adelekes had at several occasions made attempts to get an appointment to meet Dr Akin Ogunbiyi who told Mr Dele Adeleke at the last PDP state-wide meeting of ward chairmen that he was not ready to meet the camp but that Dr Adeleke should instead go and meet with the people behind him.”
Comments