The battle line has been drawn between the Ogun APC and APM as both political parties share the same party members before the crisis of Governor Amosun’s Consensus list came up which led to mass defection from APC to APM
On the part of the APM, the newly birthed party is banking on the governor’s political structure. Besides, the choice of Akinlade from Ogun West, a senatorial district, which has not produced a governor since 1976 when the Gateway State was created, is the party’s selling point. The ADC’s governorship candidate, Isiaka, too hails from the district and is campaigning on the power-shift sentiment.
APM has been strategising on how to win the gubernatorial election that will hold on March 2, 2019. The first thing it did was to create a mass awareness in the whole of Ogun state, which include hanging banners on every, street light pole in the state. if you are going to Ogun State from Lagos for the first time, the question you are likely to keep asking yourself is is APM the only party in Ogun State? its banners and posters are everywhere on the expressway.
The party is, no doubt, enjoying the backing of governor Amosun, as other political parties banners displayed were removed and destroyed within twenty four hours. APM is spending massively for recognition as the party is new and unknown to people and also the candidate is not known in Ogun Central and Ogun East before he was announced as the preferred candidate of Governor Amosun.
Governor Amosun, on the other hand, is banking on experience and the power of incumbent to win the election for APM. He believes he had contested and won elections in Ogun State more than twice, and being the sitting governor, winning an election for his anointed candidate should not be hard.
it was a massive shut down last year when APM flagged off its campaign at the MKO Abiola Stadium Kuto area, Governor Amosun was not in attendance, but it was obvious he was the brain behind everything that was going on in the party. The stadium facilities which had not been accessed by any political party for use in a long time were handed over to APM on a platter of gold. The team moves everyday a long convoy with new vehicles to convey supporters of the party to campaign grounds, speaking of publicity in Ogun state, Apm is far ahead of other parties. The APM stalwarts believe it is one of their strategies that would win the election for them with the backing of Governor Amosun.
Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, the anointed governorship candidate of Gov. Ibikunle Amosun, in an interview said Allied People’s Movement (APM) would win the 2019 elections in Ogun. He alleged that the imposition of candidates in APC as well as the open hostility to the duly elected party leadership in the state compelled him and others to look for an alternative platform in search of justice and internal democracy.
“All genuine efforts by various stakeholders across the nation to make them see reason and accept the people’s choice have fallen on deaf ears,’’ he said. He described the APM as a people-oriented movement, which would sustain the incumbent’s rebuilding mission.
According to the House of Representatives member, he remains the most qualified person to succeed Amosun having been a part of his administration which had transformed the state. “I am proud to be the governorship candidate of APM. I want to tell you that my two legs are in APM. “APM has come to stay in Ogun State. We are going to build the party and make it a household name in the state,” he added.
Former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Sarafa Isola, the Director-General of the APM Campaign Council in the state also noted that the APM gubernatorial candidate was the answer to the yearnings of the people of Ogun West Senatorial District to produce a governor since the creation of the state. “We see in him the qualities required towards sustainable development of our state. He said the APM would support the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. He added that APM members would also work for the electoral victory of Amosun who is the APC senatorial candidate for Ogun Central.
Recall that governor Amosun disclosed in one of his interview how he plans to support President Buhari of APC and also Akinlade of APM he said: “When these people came, they told me they were leaving APC, I said no, but I could not stop them. In fact, Akinlade has my full support, I am not going to stop him, everything I have, I will use to support him, let them try whatever they want to try, we also have our strategies and I am not going to hide behind one finger. “I remain in APC because that’s what those people want. They want us to leave APC but they are joking. I will stay in APC to ensure that Buhari wins in Ogun State and to let them know that they can’t subvert the will of Ogun State. “Every day, I will campaign for President Muhammdu Buhari, we will do everything possible to ensure Buhari wins massively in Ogun State, but they should not miss it. I, Senator Ibikunle Amosun will not support anyone they are bringing. “God will punish me if I stop Akinlade. All of you supporting Akinlade, you have my support. They are talking about party supremacy, what happens to party supremacy at the local levels?”
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