Osinkolu, who is gunning for the APC’s ticket to represent Ekiti North Senatorial District in 2019, said the fact that he came from the same local government with Fayemi shouldn’t serve as impediment to his senatorial aspiration, calling on those sharing such sentiment to bury the thought.
Speaking with newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Friday, Osinkolu added that he is still pursuing his aspiration with vigour and that he stands a good prognosis to get the party’s ticket and win the election based on his acceptability among the members of the party.
He said the constitution of the APC doesn’t foreclose people’s aspiration based on territorial location for any elective position provided such aspirant is acceptable to his party and the electorate .
“Let me say this expressly that Dr Kayode Fayemi’s victory in the last election will help in propelling my victory if given the party’s ticket. Our party members are ready to give me their nods to get the ticket, having laboured so hard to launder the image of the party in the past.
“I was one of the few heroes that fought the party’s course during the long drawn legal battle culminating in Dr Fayemi’s first coming as a governor of this state. I contested for Senatorial seat twice in Ekiti North and lost narrowly to Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi in 2011 and 2015 respectively.
“In spite of the shortcomings in the primaries, I never betrayed the party by rocking the boat. I still committed my resources to ensure the party won in 2011 but lost in 2015 when Senator Adetumbi was represented as the candidate of our party.
“Putting it succinctly, I have always been a committed ad unwavering party man. I believe in party supremacy and that accounted for why I have been spending personal resources to put the party together since the APC lost in 2014 in Ekiti North .
“I offered myself as the rallying point during the trying period. I gave them a sigh of hope that we have not lost everything after the 2014 catastrophic defeat we suffered before the light came after the tunnel with the enigmatic victory recorded by our leader, Dr Fayemi on July 14.
“The National Executive Committee of the party at a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of the Party, Com. Adams Oshiomhole and other party’s top notches like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja said whoever will get the party’s ticket must emerge through Direct or indirect primary, not imposition.
“So, if I become the preference of the party members based on convictions about my unblemished past records , nothing can change that, because the sovereignty lies in the people when it comes to election.
“Instances abound, where top elected official and Senator came from the same constituency. In 2011, the late Deputy Governor, Mrs Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka and Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who represented Ekiti Central senatorial district were from Ado Ekiti Local Government., among other innumerable similar political situations across the country.
“Whether I come from Dr. Fayemi’s local government or constituency can’t take preeminence over the 1999 constitution, APC guidelines and Constitution and the power of the people. This can only apply to appointive positions not elective”, Osinkolu expressly stated.
Osinkolu promised to support the candidate adopts by the party in Ekiti North if he loses the primary, but “I never envisaged losing out because the people knew and appreciated the sacrifices I had made in the past before the party got to this present situation”.
He appealed to party leaders to conduct credible and acceptable primary in the September primaries for candidates with high acceptability among the electorate to get the tickets and record resounding victories for APC.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment