The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adebutu has sent a message to another member of the party, Segun Showunmi to stop parading himself as the party’s factional candidate.
Adebutu added that Showunmi should stop misleading the media into believing there are two governorship aspirants in the Ogun PDP.
Adebutu said there is nothing like a factional candidate in an election, saying there can only be factional aspirants.
The Ijebu-born politician noted that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) forwarded his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it has been accepted and published by the electoral umpire.
He said he was duly elected in a primary election monitored by INEC and the party’s NWC, stating that his name has been published on the INEC portal as the 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Ogun.
He added that he was surprised to see that Showunmi still parades himself as the factional candidate of the party.
Speaking at the party’s inaugural meeting of the Ogun Central Campaign Council held at the OOPL, Abeokuta, Adebutu maintained that there is no basis for anybody to parade himself as a factional candidate after INEC has released the names of qualified and duly elected candidates.
“Showunmi who knows he did not partake in the primary election is now making noise in the media, being addressed as the factional candidate. I have never heard of anything like a factional candidate in my life. Those two things are exclusive; you can be a factional aspirant, you cannot be a factional candidate. There can be only one candidate. You cannot be a factional candidate.
”The party said this is my candidate. The INEC published the same person as the candidate of the party, yet some people are still addressing Showunmi as the factional candidate. Are they doing that in the interest of the public? This is a big question,” Adebutu said.
Addressing the PDP members, Adebutu said there must be inclusiveness to promote inter-party relations.
The purpose, he said, is to give new defectees a sense of belonging by carrying everybody along during the campaign.
Similarly, the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Adekunle Akinlade said the party is prepared for a robust and issue-based campaign ahead of next year’s election.
According to Akinlade, the PDP had in the last couple of works engaged in thorough discussions about strategies with the party’s technical teams, expressing confidence that the PDP would win the 2023 elections.
In his words, the Coordinator of Inter-Party Affairs for PDP Campaign in Ogun Central, Oladele Olaleye, stated that the party has created a means to receive support from members of other political parties as well as non-politicians who love the PDP or its candidates.
As the Coordinator in Ogun Central, Olaleye said the gathering was to coalesce people from the six local governments in Ogun Central – Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Ewekoro, Ifo, Odeda, and Obafemi Owode.
He added that the Local Government and Ward Coordinators are brought together so they could start mobilizing support for the PDP at the grassroots.