Amosun to defectors: You have my blessing

The Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday, said his anointed successor, Adekunle Akinlade, has his “full blessing” to pursue his governorship ambition in the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) which he joined last week having lost the ticket of the APC to oil magnate, Dapo Abiodun.

SenAmosun equally said he was in the know of the defection of 26 aggrieved House of Assembly aspirants to APM on Monday.

The aggrieved aspirants had through their spokesman, Lamidi Olatunji, at a press conference, told journalists that they “have come to inevitable conclusion to actualise their ambitions in APM”, alleging that the man given to them during the October 2, legislative primary was stolen.

The defectors, among who are two serving commissioners, Dayo Adeneye (Information and Strategy) and Modupe Mujota (Education, Science and Technology), later joined Amosun at a stakeholders meeting held at the Presidential Lodge in Ibara Housing, Abeokuta.

Speaking at the meeting, Amosun said he met President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC leaders 28 times in Abuja over the battle for the governorship ticket between Abiodun and Akinlade.

He vowed not to support any other governorship candidate other than Akinlade, but insisted that President Buhari remained his choice presidential candidate.

Amosun, who pointed out that he caved in to pressure from Akinlade and others for them to join APM over “injustice meted out to them” in APC, said, “God will punish me if I stop them (from defecting).”

Amosun, who spoke in Yoruba and English, accused the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, of playing God in the crisis that culminated into defection of some APC members.

He said, “After the primary that was conducted, they just picked anybody that they liked for governorship. We equally have 26 state assembly candidates. Imagine, they are now telling me that I should stop them. God will punish Amosun (me) if he stops them,” he said.

“All our assembly members that decided to follow Akinlade, you have my support. So, when you do things that negate reasonableness and good thinking, you have to face the consequence.

“I will be running around to campaign for Mr. President, but I will not stop Hon. Akinlade and all our people that want to run round with him. As a matter of fact, you have my blessing,” he added.