BY GBENGA OLARINOYE
OSOGBO – FORMER Osun State governor and an aggrieved governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the April 5 governorship primaries of the party, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, yesterday rejected the emergence of Senator Iyiola Omisore as the party governorship candidate, claiming that the election that produced Omisore was illegal.
*Omisore
Adeleke, who insisted he was still in contention to clinch the party’s ticket, said he had already petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan and the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu on the conduct of the primaries that produced Senator Omisore.
But Omisore through his spokesperson, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, accused the former governor of being used by Governor Rauf Aregbesola to disrupt the peace of the PDP, alleging that the former Governor was planning to defect to the Labour Party, LP.
He however advised Adeleke to remain in the PDP in his own interest as Omisore had extended olive branch to him, or leave the party if he was no longer comfortable , boasting that “Omisore will emerge the next governor of Osun state come August 9, 2014.”
However, Adeleke who declared that neither his supporters nor himself had any intention of dumping the PDP, insisted that he remained a committed party member.
Addressing his loyalists and supporters in the 30 Local Government Areas of the state at his Ede country home yesterday, Adeleke claimed the election the produced Omisore as the Governorship candidate of the PDP in the state was illegal.
He maintained that he would seek redress from the national secretariat of the party, alleging that the Governorship primary was marred with alleged irregularities and illegalities.
According to him the last PDP governorship primary election in the state was an endorsement of a particular aspirant favoured by the State Working Committee of the party, and not an election where the choice of the people would have been produced.
On why he boycotted the election, Adeleke stated that; “I took the decision to boycott the election to save the lives of my supporters.
“Lives would have been wasted by devils and animals parading themselves as leaders of the party, if I had gone ahead to contest the election.”
He said the decision was taken after due consultation with leaders of the party loyal to him at both the state and national levels, stressing that he would challenge the results of the election at appropriate quarters.
Vanguard