By Banji Ayoola
A former Deputy Governor of Ondo State and leader of the APC Unity Forum, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, has joined the campaign train of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who is seeking a return for second term, signifying the collapse of the faction into the Akeredolu structure.
The Forum, comprising most of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirants, through Olanusi, had announced Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, as its own preferred aspirant to contest the party’s primary with Akeredolu and others.
Other aspirants in the forum kicked against this alleged unilateral decision by Olanusi. This deepened the crisis within the forum and hastened its collapse.
Even before the primary, some of the aspirants in the forum including Engineer Ife Oyedele, had stepped down for Akeredolu.
Eventually, the governor emerged winner of the primary following which he embarked on reconciliation visits to the aspirants who contested against him. The party’s national leadership followed up this initiative with meetings with the former aspirants to rally them behind Akeredolu’s candidacy.
These coalesced into an enlarged stakeholders meeting held in Akure, where the party’s leaders and especially former governorship aspirants, resolved to work for the victory of the party’s candidate, Akeredolu.
He paid glowing tributes to the altruism of the former aspirants, urging all the party’s leaders and members in the state to work for the success of party in the October 10 governorship election.
Specifically, the stakeholders meeting held to approve wholly the reconciliation efforts embarked upon by leaders of the party shortly after the governorship primary election which produced Akeredolu as APC candidate.
The meeting had in attendance, Akeredolu; his running mate, Hon Lucky Ayedatiwa; two past Deputy Governors in the state, Olanusi and Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo; former National Vice Chairman of APC in South-West, Chief Pius Akinyelure; Governorship Aspirants in the just concluded APC primary in the state; present and past legislators at all levels; federal, state and local governments appointees with party officials at state , local governments, wards and units levels.
Akeredolu, who specifically lauded his former co-contestants for positively yielding to the reconciliation moves he embarked upon said they have displayed exemplary leadership.
Noting with satisfaction the resolve of all leaders to work assiduously as one indivisible party with one united purpose and sole mission of winning elections to remain in government, he said the new spirit within the party must not for any reason dwindle but continue to soar high.
He urged all the party faithful to work hard to ensure victory for all APC candidates in the forthcoming local government election in the state, saying the election must be used to justify the popularity, strength and acceptability of APC in the state.
In his welcome address, the party’s State Chairman, Engineer Ade Adetimehin said the high-point of the reconciliation is that, APC under his leadership would henceforth be one party with one structure and common purpose for its members, without the existence of any form of groupings.
All the governorship aspirants at the meeting took turn to pledge their loyalty to the party and announced the collapse of their structures, offices, men and resources to the successful prosecution of the Akeredolu-Ayedatiwa ticket.
