The All Progressive Congress (APC) Senator representing Ogun Central in the National Assembly, Ibikunle Amosun, has publicly endorsed the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ogun State.
Amosun, the immediate past governor of Ogun State, spoke during an interview with BBC Yoruba on Monday.
He stated that although he would campaign and vote for the ruling party’s presidential candidate, he would work against the governorship candidate, Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The senator resigned from his presidential ambitions for Bola Tinubu during the party’s June 6-8 national convention.
Mr Amosun, who did not give details of the reason for his stance, fell out with the governor in 2019, before the APC primaries in the state.
Mr Abiodun became the APC candidate in Ogun through a parallel primary election held in the state.
The faceoff forced Mr Amosun to field his anointed candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, on the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) platform.
Mr Akinlade later defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where he may be running as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.
Following Mr Akinlade’s defection, Mr Amosun backed Biyi Otegbeye, who was born in Ogun’s west senatorial district and is currently running for governor under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“If you are talking of the presidential election I will support the presidential candidate of the APC, you all know me, whatever I say is what I always do. But for the governorship race, I and my supporters are not supporting the APC governorship candidate here,” Mr Amosun told BBB Yoruba.
When asked to mention who he would be supporting, he said, “It is Biyi Otegbeye. That is the person I am supporting. Otegbeye of the ADC.”
Mr Otegbeye, a managing director at Regency Alliance Insurance PLC and his Ogun waterside-born running mate, Olatunde Awonuga, made the final list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
When asked if the APC is not afraid of the Labour Party’s #Obidatti# movement, Mr Amosun described the party’s movement as a tactic in politics that best suits a new party willing to show strength.
He added that the APC had been in politics for a while and might not necessarily embark on a procession.
“Even in this Abeokuta now, if I asked those who believe in the candidacy of the APC presidential candidate to come out, everywhere will be filled up, you (interviewer) might not even be able to get here today.”
