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Tension is currently brewing within the Oyo State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), over the choice of a gubernatorial aspirants out of over 30 aspirants.
This is ahead of a meeting convened by Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the state on Saturday.
DAILY POST gathered that Ajimobi was narrowing the choice on four aspirants whom he believed “have what it takes” in terms of money, influence, experience in public sector and economy, among the over 30 aspirants jostling for the ticket of the party in 2019.
The four aspirants believed to be penciled down by the governor ahead of the meeting according to a close source at Agodi Government House are: Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Chief Bayo Adelabu, Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Hon. Ajiboye Omodewu and the Secretary to the state government, Mr. Olalekan Alli.
The Governor, DAILY POST recalls had on Wednesday promised to meet the aspirants so as to reduce the population and prevail on some to step down.
The Governor also invited aspirants for the senatorial and House of Representatives seats across the state on the platform of the party.
The meeting of the governor with the gubernatorial aspirants is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the government house, while the one with the senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants is scheduled to hold in the same venue on Sunday.
Among the gubernatorial aspirants jostling to succeed Ajimobi expected at the meeting included the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN); Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe; former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Olalekan Alli; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan; and former Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade.
Others are: Commissioner for Land, Housing and Survey, Mr. Isaac Omodewu; a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala; Chairman Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Crime, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Dr. Olusola Ayandele.
Also in the list are a former Chief Press Secretary to Late Governor Lam Adeshina, Kehinde Olaosebikan, Prof Soji Adejumo.
But, the source informed DAILY POST Thursday evening that “tension is currently brewing within the party because the governor is working towards reducing the population to four at the Saturday’s meeting”.
He said that the governor was “working on modalities on how to prevail on other aspirants to step down for the four: Tegbe, Adelabu, Omodewu and Alli, whom he has penciled down to face the party members in the primary election.
“We are likely to have indirect primary in this new arrangement for the gubernatorial primary election. The four aspirants, two of them, who recently joined partisan politics, are being considered due to their credentials”.
He added that the four aspirants “have good working relationship with the governor”.
The source maintained that, “Most of the aspirants except the four who are being considered as likely candidates are currently in pensive mood, meeting stakeholders in order to seek the favour of the governor.
“They have been going round meeting traditional rulers, leaders of the party for the Governor to consider them, though, he has four people in mind.
“That is what I can tell you, there is tension within the party and the camps of all the aspirants”.
