Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, Adekunle Akinlade has urged the electorates to cast their vote for the party in the state governorship election.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akinlade made the plea during a meeting he held with his fellow Ipokia Local Government indigenes at his Agosasa residence.
Akinlade noted that the meeting was intended to brief people on the rationale behind dumping the APC to join the PDP; and why he decided to run on the same ticket with Adebutu.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that Akinlade contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary, but sitting governor Dapo Abiodun won the party’s ticket, after all the contestants in the primary polled zero votes.
Following this, the former lawmaker dumped the ruling APC for the main opposition PDP to run on the same ballot with the PDP’s 2023 governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu.
Akinlade said at the meeting, “Don’t cast any vote for APC. Give all your votes to the PDP. Let’s prove to them that we won’t allow anybody to rubbish us.
“We won’t fight anybody, but our votes will speak. They won’t be able to steal our votes like they did in 2019. They will all fail.
“We will do everything under the law to stop Yayi and to prevent the Eleyi from returning. That’s why I’m on the ballot.”
He explained that he chose to run with Adebutu to stop the reelection of Abiodun and prevent the Lagos West Senator, Olamilekan Adeola, from becoming the representative of Ogun West in the Senate.
Akinlade further stressed that there was an urgent need to prevent Abiodun from getting a second term if the future of Ogun State is to be secured.
He said, “I decided to run with Hon.
Ladi Adebutu for two important reasons. One is to stop Dapo Abiodun from returning for a second term. This state needs to be reset. Since three years, you have not been seeing him, but after the Osun election, he started inviting people. It is too late. He will fail (O ma lule ni).”
The former lawmaker, therefore, vowed that he would “do everything within the ambit of the law to stop the Lagos West Senator in his bid to be elected as a Senator in Ogun West.”
Akinlade explained that the APC leadership betrayed his political father, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, for failing to implement the sharing formula agreed upon by the factions of the party in Ogun, adding that that was why Amosun did not stop his foot soldiers from pitching their tents elsewhere.
The PDP deputy governorship candidate noted that the electoral act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari has put an end to rigging.
He berated Abiodun Akinlade and Gboyega Isiaka for accepting to step down for Adeola when they were handed House of Representatives tickets, saying the two of them will definitely campaign for Adeola, whether directly or indirectly.
He added, “The only thing the duo of Abiodun Akinlade and GNI can do is not to campaign at all. But if they refuse to listen, we will teach them a lesson with our votes. They will lose.
“We are Yewa-Awori. We are special, we don’t accept insults. Adeola’s candidacy is a slap on our face. We need to stop these insults. Even people from the North are calling to condemn this aberration. We must stop it,” he added.
