Abiodun has derailed Ogun development - Amosun

By Oladunni Adeniyi

Former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, on Wednesday dared the leadership of his party, the All Progressives Congress  (APC) by leading the gubernatorial campaign rally of the candidate

of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Biyi Otegbeye.

Amosun, a chieftain of APC and incumbent senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, vowed to work against the emergence of his erstwhile friend, Dapo Abiodun, who is seeking re-election into office for the second term.

Amosun, who arrived the Ake Palace ground, venue of the political rally at exactly 1.48 pm, was received amidst rousing welcome by supporters of the party.

It would be recalled that the former governor did same in 2019 when he supported the gubernatorial ambition of Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Addressing the party supporters, Amosun said, though, he remains a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but he has decided to pitch his tent with the ADC, because Ogun West senatorial district where the party's governorship candidate came from has never produced the governor of the state since 47 years ago when the state was created.

Amosun said "they have always said that the Yewa people don't have someone competent to be governor, that they are poor, that they can never be the governor of the state but I have always said that this is sheer hypocrisy because this Ogun West is home to the Anisulowos, the Odebiyis, Dadas, Oyagbolas and many eminent Nigerians, so for the sake of equity and fairness, I have decided to go with Biyi Otegbeye, a very successful lawyer and guru in insurance, who has all it takes to continue to develop the state on the path of greatness"

The former governor also used the medium to revisit his bickering with his successor, Governor Dapo Abiodun, saying that he has decided not to support him because the governor has failed to run his government according to 35 years economic blueprint left behind by his administration.

He disclosed further that Lagos is said to be working because those coming behind have always worked on the already designed template for governance in the state.

Amosun said for instance where it had been designed to have ten lanes the present administration had reduced to two lanes and that the governor had also allegedly refused to touch some projects because they were initiated by his administration.

The Senator equally alleged the present administration of accusing him of spending N27bn on the underutilized 15 models school saying that his government actually spent N6.9bn on the project. 

He said each of the project had cost N750M while those with two hostels were built for N850m. The former governor said, he was however surprised to learn that the governor spent N3bn to renovate one of the Model schools at Kobape which the present administration had just turned Tech Hub.

He explained further that he was also suprised to hear that the governor had allegedly spent N4bn on the Model school at Ikenne Remo which was commissioned by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo with all the facilities wandering whatever would have warranted spending such huge amount of money on a project built with N750m.

Amosun said that he was always sad and unhappy whenever he takes stock of the performance of government of Gov Abiodun insisting that, all of these made him to throw his weight behind the gubernatorial ambition of Barr Biyi Otegbeye because he would continue on the abandoned designed template of good governance for the state.

The former governor said, Otegbeye is therefore his anointed governoship candidate for the state, urging the people to go out enmass to vote in the lawyer, as the next governor of the state.

He however declared that in as much as he believed that it is the turn of the South to take a shot at the presidency, he and his supporters will vote for the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the coming February 25 presidential election.

Biyi Otegbeye, the ADC governorship candidate in his remarks vowed to pursue programmes and policies that would make the state continue on the path of greatness and economic prosperity.