A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on Thursday adopted Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) as its candidate for Saturday’s governorship election.
The faction, which is led by Ladi Adebutu, has the backing of Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP.
Akinlade is the anointed candidate of Governor Ibikunle Amosun who won a senatorial ticket on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform in the National Assembly election held on February 23.
Adebutu had a running legal battle with Senator Buruji Kashamu over the PDP gubernatorial ticket, but Kashamu eventually emerged official candidate recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta on Thursday after Adebutu and Akinlade had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), chairman of the faction, Sikirullahi Ogundele, said the PDP group had adopted Akinlade having considered his credibility and uprightness.
Ogundele said the faction would not be dumping PDP rather they would be voting the APM candidate on Saturday.
“As I am speaking with you, the entire State executive members, Local Government and Ward levels have graciously adopted the candidature of Hon Abdulkabir Akinlade. And come Saturday, we have directed our members to go and vote for Hon Akinlade,” Ogundele said.
Asked if the PDP NWC approved the adoption, Ogundele said “We don’t need to have mandate of anybody to adopt or carry out what we believed in.”
A copy of the MoU indicated that Akinlade if elected will concede for the Adebutu-led PDP faction two commissioners, three senior special assistants, two special advisers, five special assistants, chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board or Local Government Service Commission and Director General of Bureau of Lands or Chairman of the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) among others.
Former Ogun State governor and director general of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign council, Gbenga Daniel, also on Thursday endorsed Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governorship candidate.
