The 14 African Democratic Congress (ADC) members in the Oyo State House of Assembly have praised the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for standing by the electorate’s choice of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin as the governorship candidate.
The lawmakers, who mostly from Oyo and Oke-Ogun and Ogbomosho zones,described him as the right choice whose popularity and connectedness with the masses will deliver the state to the party in 2019.
Further, they said electorate see Lanlehin as one worthy of their votes in 2019,stressing that the senator had previously excelled as the Senator for Oyo South district between 2011 and 2015.
According to their spokesman, Honourable Gbenga Oyekola representing Atiba State Constituency, the lawmakers appealed to the NWC “to discountenance any orchestrated dissension from moles in the party” over the choice of Lanlehin, tasking the party leadership not to listen to those “whose intention is to destroy the party and enjoy their pay”.
Reacting to the opposition mounted by 12 governorship aspirants to the candidacy of Lanlehin who are demanding that they be allowed to pick the party’s governorship candidate from among them, the lawmakers were of the view that no serious party would cede the power to pick a candidate to a group of aspirants.
“The so-called aggrieved aspirants submitted themselves to a process approved by the NWC and when the outcome did not favour them, they started kicking against the decision of the leaders arising from the assignment given to them by the NWC. Can they be the judge in their own case?
“It is a good thing that they are in court to challenge how Lanlehin was arrived at by the leaders and the NWC of the party. They will have their day in court. They are obviously acting the script of their paymasters.
“The pensioners, traumatized lecturers and depressed segments of the state are waiting for Lanlehin to come and pay them their pension arrears and salaries and put smile on the faces of populace. We won’t allow agents who are being paid to frustrate our leaders out of ADC.
“The feedback from the voting masses since the announcement of Lanlehin has been very positive and comforting. We recall that one of the aspirants was on a radio station ranting weeks ago and one of those who called into the programme told him Lanlehin is a popular choice that the people will vote for.
“We stand by the decision of the collegiate leadership of the party led by Senator Rashidi Ladoja; Chief Michael Koleoso; Dr Adebisi Busari and Chief Layiwola Olakojo supported by the NWC of the party. We dare these 12 aspirants to test their collective and individual popularity in another party rather than slowing ADC down with their ranting.
“We task the NWC to act fast on these moles so that the distraction they are causing the party can be laid to permanent rest, while we forge ahead with campaign and strategy for the election. ADC, we are convinced, is a government-in-waiting,” Oyekola said.