2023: Amosun Pulls Rug Off Gov. Abiodun’s Feet!

 

It appears that all is not well in the house of the ruling party in Ogun state as the Former Governor of the State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has dropped a bombshell, hinting at a political permutation that’s likely to eat deep into his successor Governor Dapo Abiodun’s political capital in the 2023 governorship poll.

The Ogun Central Senator has publicly stated his resolved to support the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Mr Biyi Otegbeye, as against the candidate of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and current Governor Abiodun.

Otegbeye, a key player in the Nigerian insurance sector, hails from Ilaro, Ogun West, the Yewa/Awori speaking areas and industrial hubs of the state, which is yet to produce helmsman at the Oke-mosan government House in Abeokuta since the state’s creation.

Amosun who spoke during an interview session with the BBC Yoruba said he and his supporters will work for Otegbeye in the forthcoming 2023 General election.

However, the former governor said he is strongly backing the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emerge as the next president.

In his words, “For the presidential poll, I can assure you, both right, left and centre, we are supporting one person (Tinubu). I believe we are supporting one person. On the governorship poll, that’s a different ball game. I don’t belong there.

“I don’t hide behind one finger to fight. That’s why people say to me ‘don’t say that.’ On governorship, my supporters and I, we don’t belong to that side.”

Asked who he is supporting, Amosun unequivocally responded “Biyi Otegbeye is the person I am supporting and ADC is the party.”

 Amosun and Abiodun had been estranged since the build up to the 2019 governorship election of Ogun state.

During the election, Amosun supported Adekunle Akinlade who contested under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

However, his candidate lost the election. Abiodun polled 241,670 votes to defeat Akinlade who had 222,153 votes.

Now it appears the Egba politician, who stepped down for Tinubu in the APC presidential primary, is playing a card similar to the one he played in 2019, which almost cost the APC victory at the poll in the Gateway state.

The 2023 power play in Ogun will stir more intricacies and different scenarios in the days ahead, political watchers had argued, as Chief Ladi Adebutu (from Ogun East) whose PDP governorship candidacy is still being disputed, is equally amassing a mammoth political war chest to wrest power in the Southwest state.