Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, former Governor of Ogun State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealed why he will work against the ruling party in the forthcoming general elections in the state.
Amosun who made this revelation on Monday in an exclusive interview with BBC Yoruba disclosed that he is supporting the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Party (ADP), Biyi Otegbeye in the Ogun State 2023 gubernatorial election.
The former governor, however, said he is strongly backing the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emerge as the next president.
It could be recalled that Amosun has unveiled another political godson, who is competing against Governor Dapo Abiodun in the next election in the state.
According to report, Amosun had zeroed in on Otegbeye after he fell out with Adekunle Akinlade who contested against Abiodun, in 2019, on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Amosun, now Senator representing Ogun Central, had backed Akinlade against Abiodun who ran under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the polls’ result, Abiodun polled 241,670 votes to defeat Akinlade who had 222,153 votes.And in the build-up to the 2023 polls, both Otegbeye and Akinlade contested in the APC governorship primary but lost to Abiodun.
Findings revealed that Akinlade fell out with Amosun when he dumped the ruling party for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where he was offered a deputy governorship slot.
Sources privy to the development told Daily Trust that Amosun gave Otegbeye a nod to run on the platform of APM, but Akinlade allegedly blocked the move, leaving the former governor’s men to bargain for the ADC’s governorship ticket.
However, Amosun openly confirmed that he is backing Otegbeye in the next election against Abiodun who is the candidate of APC, the party they both belong to.
He said, “For the presidential poll, I can assure you, both right, left and centre, we are supporting one person (Tinubu). I believe we are supporting one person. On the governorship poll, that’s a different ball game. I don’t belong there.
“I don’t hide behind one finger to fight. That’s why people say to me ‘don’t say that.’ On governorship, my supporters and I, we don’t belong to that side.”
