The lawmaker representing Oyo East/West State Constituency at the State House of Assembly, Honourable Isiaka Kazeem popularly known as ‘Arole’ has said that the All Progressive Congress (APC) is bigger than any one single individual to hold the party own for whatever reason.
This was as the lawmaker also hinted that the 2019 Governorship candidate of the APC in Oyo state, Chief Bayo Adelabu popularly known as ‘penkelemes’ was not known within the political circle in the state until 2019 when he left his Central Bank of Nigeria’s Job to join the governorship race on the platform of the APC.
Speaking exclusively with Sunrisebulletin.com over the ongoing crisis rocking the APC in Oyo state, Hon. Arole held that the party had concluded its state congress and a new party chairman has emerged adding that what every card carrying member of the party should do is to team up with the new leadership and not otherwise.
“Let’s look at it this way, what brought Adelabu to political limelight? It was APC and APC has been in existence before Adelabu joined the party which means party supremacy is very important to note irrespective of the situation we have found ourselves.
“We must establish the party first before any political aspiration, the aspiration is secondary, Tegbe belongs to the party, Adelabu is a card carrying member like every other person in the party just like myself so, that’s just it.” Hon. Arole said.
Recall that it was widely reported in some section of the news on Saturday February 5 of Adelabu’s possible move away from the APC to team up with the incumbent Governor, Seyi Makinde, if the crisis rocking the main opposition party continues unabated.
According to the widely reported news, a politician who claimed to be a die-hard supporter of Adelabu and believed to belong to Adelabu’s camp within the Oyo state APC was quoted as saying that “nothing was impossible in politics and a possible move to join force with Makinde ahead of the 2023 election could be a welcome development.”
The source added that since Seyi Makinde constitutionally has one term of office left to serve as Governor in the event he contests the next governorship election and wins, a good offer on the table could trigger Adelabu’s move to join the governor stressing that Adelabu would not allow those tagged the ‘PDP bloc’ within the APC hijack the party structure ahead of 2023 and be subjected to ridicule.
The source was quoted as saying, “I really don’t want to talk about this untill our ‘oga’ (Adelabu) decides on what next to do we are his followers and whatever he wants to do we are with him but you know this is politics, you can not rule out anything. Adelabu’s possible move away from APC to advance his political ambition is also a strong possibility.
“Either it will be to team up with Governor Makinde or a move to another party, I can’t tell for now, we’re watching how events continue to unfold but I’m sure if Senator Teslim Folarin and his people are bent on the path they have taken then you know of course that our oga’ will do something about it.
However, Hon. Kazeem Arole dispelled the notion that anybody is a bigwig within the party stressing that every party member has equal right and privilege adding that the party remains supreme and greater than any one individual within it.
“As for me, I don’t see what’s happening in Oyo APC as any issue, we did a congress and the Chairman has emerged, once the Chairman has emerged, the only thing all of us as members of Oyo APC should do is to embrace ourselves as one big family so, I don’t see what’s going on as any issue.” Hon. Arole said.
Asked whether Chief Bayo Adelabu and other Oyo APC bigwigs aspiring to contest for the governorship seat would work with the current leadership under Teslim Folarin and the new state Chairman, Isaac Omodewu, the lawmaker who is also member of the state executive council of the Oyo state APC said only a formidable party can guarantee the actualization of anybody’s political aspiration and that without the party nobody could aspire to contest any elective office especially as 2023 approaches.
“Even the new state Chairman we are talking about is not part of Senator Teslim Folarin’s camp, he’s from Ajimobi Legacy Forum bloc of the APC, he was former Commissioner during late Ajimobi’s administration so, he is part and parcel of Ajimobi Legacy Forum.
“Teslim Folarin’s Forum is different from Ajimobi Legacy Forum. Whoever wants to aspire for either governorship election or what have you, they don’t have any opportunity to hold the party because they’re just party members, they’re under the political party so, either bigwig or not.” Hon. Arole added.
