Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and the state Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Akin Oke are currently weighing options to pick two indigenes of Oke Ogun geopolitical zone of the state as running mate to the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Chief Bayo Adelabu in the 2019 general elections, a source at the Agodi Government House has revealed.
DAILY POST recalls that Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria emerged as the candidate of the party during its primary held in Ibadan, the state capital two weeks ago.
Those who are being tipped to serve as Adelabu’s deputy according to a close source at the Agodi Government House are a former member of House of Representatives, Hon. Wale Okediran and Commissioner for Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Development in the state, Mr. Ajiboye Omodewu.
The duo who are indigenes of Oke Ogun according to the source were being considered due to the insistence of the zone to produce the next governor of the state.
The source who told DAILY POST on Sunday that Okediran who hails from Iseyin and Omodewu who hails from Otu in Itesiwaju Local Government were being tipped to deputise Adelabu added that the decision was to placate the region not to boycott the forthcoming election.
The zone had last month threatened to boycott the forthcoming general elections of the existing political parties in the state for failing to concede gubernatorial tickets to the indigenes of the zone.
But, the source while speaking with DAILY POST on Sunday said that Ajimobi and the party leaders are weighing the option of either picking Omodewu or Okediran this week as a way to appease the zone to solve its threat.
Our correspondent gathered that Okediran is a medical doctor, and an author.
He represented Iseyin, Kajola, Itesiwaju and Iwajowa Federal Constituency between 2003 and 2007.
Okediran, a former President of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) had more than a dozen books to his credit.
He founded Ebedi Writers Residency and was nationally acknowledged as a leading figure in literary works.
Omodewu, on the other hand, had one time served as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
He is a University of New York-trained politician.
The source said, “The choice of the two is a blessing to the APC; Okediran being an elderly person is seen as likely running mate to Adelabu because of his vast political experience and wide acceptability across Oke-Ogun and Oyo state in general.
“Having been elected overwhelmingly in 2003 as a member of the House of Representatives and coupled with the fact that Iseyin people wanted to be rewarded for being core progressives over the years, Okediran’s choice is more popular comparatively to Omodewu and his nomination may become a fait accompli. Iseyin also has bigger population compared to Otu which happens to be home to a chieftain of the PDP, Senator Hosea Ayoola Agboola.
“And should Okediran be considered, those who have left the party of recent would have a rethink and sense of belonging and would naturally welcome his nomination and work for the success of the APC in the 10 local government areas as witnessed in 2015 when Ajimobi broke the jinx with majority of the votes from Oke-Ogun in our party’s favour”.
