The Minister of Communications and a governorship aspirant of APC in Oyo State, Barrister Adebayo Shittu said the rift between him and Governor Abiola Ajimobi will become a thing of the past.
He said that they are already working towards resolving their rift in the interest of the party’s success in the 2019 elections.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Shittu pointed to a meeting held at the Abuja lodge of Ajimobi, where he then espoused the peculiarities of his personality, political ideology, manifestoes and clarified notions that he held grudges against the governor.
He said this one-on-one Abuja meeting had been preceded by the commitment of the leaders of the APC in the South West to reconcile the two parties, for the party to forge a strong front in the 2019 elections.
Describing the rift as a passing phase, Shittu avowed that party interest would reign supreme and Ajimobi would support his candidacy, once he emerges from the primaries.
Furthermore, he rubbished notions that he would rely on federal might to get the party’s ticket, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari would not vote in the primaries and would not dictate to anyone here in Oyo state.
“I want to assure you that we are working on it and he would eventually support my candidacy.
“We are in a party where primaries are conducted and things have changed from a leader being somewhere and selecting candidates. The constitution of the party stipulates that to have candidates for election, there must be primaries.
“We had an APC South West leaders meeting and Ajimobi challenged the committee headed by Olusegun Osoba that if they did their work well, they should have known that Shittu and him don’t have a rosy relationship.
“I stood up and thanked the governor for speaking up and said that it is because God loves the party.
“Because the committee did not call us anymore, I had to go and meet him personally at his lodge in Abuja. I said Mr Governor you said this on this occasion. By my nature, I am not given to boasting, I don’t tell lies, I don’t say what I would not say, If I say anything, I will admit. It is possible that our enemies are feeding you with all kinds of misinformation. And he said he had forgotten everything. And the fourth day thereafter, I phoned to thank him for the reception.
“But I can assure you that we will still work together. We belong to the same party. The party wants the best and I am sure leaders of the party will take steps to reconcile us.
“As far as I am concerned, it is a passing phase. With all humility, within the party, the leaders know that they need a strong person who must take over.
“When people talk about federal might to get the ticket, you ask them who among the aspirants is better than me, either in education, experience or whatever.
“If I want to use federal power, it is for the federal to insist that there must be primaries and do the right thing. President Buhari will not vote for us here and he cannot dictate to anybody.
www.sojworld.com © March 19, 2018
Leave a Reply