By Eric Elezuo
A group, Ijebu/Remo Agenda, has reacted to the news of the emergence of Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade as the consensus governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it a welcome development. Akinade is from the Yewa zone of the state.
The group sees his emergence as preparing the ground for a contest with his other counterparts including the consensus candidate of the Ijebu/Remo Agenda in Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru.
Ashiru, the Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry was in November, 2017 picked as the consensus candidate of the Ijebu/Remo Agenda in Ogun East Senatorial District.
In a statement released by the Ijebu/Remo Agenda, the group has said that the decision of the Ogun West Senatorial District was long awaited and will further boost internal democracy in the ruling party as it goes into primary election in September to determine who becomes the party’s standard bearer.
Reiterating its stand on the turn of the people of Ijebu/Remo to produce a governorship candidate after incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s 8-year rule, the group cited some historical facts to buttress its claim of the established bi-polarship nature of Ogun geo-politics where power rotates between the two major ethnic groups; the Egba/Yewa and Ijebu/Remo.
“Since its creation in February 1976”, the group stated, “the bipolar nature of Ogun geo-politics was well established in the Egba/Egbado and Ijebu/Remo dichotomy reflecting in historical as well as political institutions and practices”.
It maintained that it is only fair and equitable that the Ijebu/Remo zone produces the next governor as by 2019, the old Egba Province would have been in the governorship saddle of the state for eight unbroken years with Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
“We believe that, in keeping with the principles of rotation and fairness, the governorship should revert to Ijebu Province.
“Our position is not in any way an affront to His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, if anything, we acknowledge the giant strides of his administration in the last seven years in setting standard for infrastructure development and fully identify with his Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.
“However, we would like to appeal to the good people of Ijebu/Remo that make up Ogun East Senatorial District to be calm in the belief that a level playing ground would be made available for all aspirants, including those of Ijebu extraction, to contest the governorship ticket of the state.
“Our people should not be in any way disturbed by the development but rather be more united and unwavering in their support of Otunba Bimbo Ashiru in the gubernatorial primaries. This is the beauty of democracy when we have people from different zones aspiring to be governor of which only one will emerge as candidate”.