Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on Monday insisted that his preferred governorship candidate Adekunle Akinlade has all his “blessings to pursue the mandate freely given to him” by the people of the state.
Mr Amosun said this in Abeokuta while addressing hundreds of loyalists and supporters.
Mr Akinlade left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) last Thursday.
Unfazed by this, Amosun, who still professes membership of the APC, has vowed to give Akinlade all his support to ensure he succeeds him in 2019.
He also said that he would work for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari at the polls.
He appealed to his loyalists to cast their votes only for Buhari and Akinlade during the elections, saying he would not hide behind one finger concerning where he stands.
Amosun’s refusal to let go of his support for Akinlade comes as a backlash on the APC leadership under the watch of Adams Oshiomhole who preferred a different candidate.
Earlier, 26 APC members of the Ogun State House of Assembly loyal to the governor announced their movement to the APM, citing impunity within APC as reason for their defection.
The defectors said they contested for the house of assembly primaries conducted in the state on October 7 and were declared winners the following day by the APC committee responsible for the task.
But they were shocked that their names were not listed as candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
