A political pressure group ‘Oyo First’ on Thursday pooh poohed the news making the rounds that the incumbent Governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has purportedly dropped the leading gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Mr. Bayo Adelabu over what the source referred to as ‘loyalty problem’.
Comrade Gbadebowale Alao in a signed press statement described the story as lacking quality ingredients of a balanced news reporting which centres around objectivity and truthfulness, maintaining that Ajimobi would never, for personal reasons, self aggrandisement or wishful thinking deny the state of quality leadership having raised the bar of governance to an enviable pedestal, when he completes his second term tenure next year.
Alao in the statement headlined “Ajimobi, Adelabu’s London Meeting: the untold story” said the governor while eulogising Adelabu cited projects like the foundation buildings at Ibadan Technical University, Post graduate school of Banking and Finance at the University of Ibadan, complete revamp of Bishop Philips Academy Secondary school; Enterpreneural Development Center (EDC) Samonda; CBN Clinic and Diagnostic Center, Onireke, just as he also lauded Adelabu’s various residential estates and office complexes under his real estate business and various farms under his Agricultural business where hundreds of people of the state are gainfully employed.”
Adelabu’s investments in the state, according to the top aide of the governor privy to the meeting also included what the governor referenced as a growing hospitality business which include a Four Star hotels that has accommodated more state governors, senators, captains of industries and expatriates than any other with visible contributions to the GDP of the state.
The Government house source further stated: “Ajimobi confirmed that Bayo is still the leading aspirant with his unrivaled family pedigree, towering personal profile, academic qualifications and professional achievements, financial independence, display of interest in the development of the state through his various investments, visible beneficial association with the government of the day, commendable involvement and display of loyalty to the ruling party in the state, his rare and uncommon expression of serious interest in the coming election by giving up his plum job for the gubernatorial project and his unmatched and far reaching consultation across the length and breadth of the state on his gubernatorial aspiration.
Another independent Investigations revealed that Adelabu never went to meet the Governor with any team of loyalists to plead with the governor as wrongly reported as it was just a social visit by Bayo on invitation of the Governor since they were coincidentally in London together.
“Bayo had gone to London to finalise his first son’s masters degree admission at Loubrough University, UK and his third son’s A Levels program at the Abbey College in Central London while the Governor was just on a short vacation. I can confidently tell you that the issue of endorsement for governorship was never raised as they just had a general discussion together with a couple of other people around the Governor who had visited the Governor separately too.
“Just a few days before they both traveled (though on different days), Bayo and the Governor were sighted twice within three days; first at the Governor’s house on the day the Governor hosted Judges who came to attend a retired Supreme court judge, Justice Aderemi’s burial and also two days after at Mogaji Wasiu Ajimobi’s Lounge, Rendezvous at the Jericho Mall Onireke Ibadan having drinks together on both occasions alongside some other people.
“With this, why would Bayo travel to London again purposely to plead for the Governor’s endorsement when the Governor already charged all the aspirants to intensify efforts at winning the confidence of the party members and the general public at guaranteeing victory for the party at the next election? And this is what this leading aspirant had been devoting his time and resources doing in the last couple of months. It is just not logical.
“The Governor also reechoed his administration’s brilliant achievements in the last seven years in the area of security of lives and property; infrastructural facilities that dot the landscape of the state, investment drives, unrivalled reforms in education and health sectors and many more programmes geared towards lifting the mass of our people from abject poverty, want and deprivation. And so he needed somebody to continue in this regard and make the state safer, greater and better.
“And with such a position, every discerning mind would know that the sponsor of such fake story was trying to set Adelabu against the governor. Because how do you jettison, as such misdirected story suggest, a thoroughbred professional Bayo Adelabu Adelabu’s towering achievements in his headship of the Oyo State Security Trust Fund where security of lives and property are being strengthened through modern security equipments; Chairman, Lagelu Grammar School Governing Board of Lagelu with the school a model for other schools in the state; Adegoke Adelabu Foundation,” Oyo First querried.
“It may interest the author of such diversionary story to know that Ajimobi as a man of immense means for the umpteenth time made it clear in the London meeting that he didn’t have any anointed candidate and that informed the entry of another aspirant within the cabinet of the governor who declared interest to contest as governor just on Tuesday in Ibadan.
“For the record purpose, the governor would never sacrifice or deny the state quality governance post 2019 and Ajimobi is indeed guiding all aspirants including Bayo Adelabu to continue reaching out to the party members and would therefore not turn down every effort to make the state greater by queueing behind the best aspirant with such track records as a first class Accounting, Obafemi Awolowo University; youngest ED/CFO, First Bank; youngest Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, among others, when the time is ripe to so do,” the release added.