Ogun APC Governorship Candidate: Hunye Is a Serial Political Negotiator — Odunaro

ABEOKUTA – The Media Adviser to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), Chief Kayode Odunaro, has described an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Abayomi Hunye, as a “serial political negotiator”, alleging that he conducted a parallel governorship primary election in his private residence and generated figures for himself.

Odunaro made the allegations on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics programme on Wednesday, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the APC governorship primary in Ogun State.

He said there was “really no bone of contention” over the party’s governorship ticket, insisting that Adeola emerged as the consensus candidate after consultations involving stakeholders and past and present governors of the state.

According to him, all the aspirants who expressed interest in the APC governorship ticket were present during the consensus meeting and agreed to the arrangement.

He, however, said Hunye subsequently began parading himself as a governorship candidate despite the consensus arrangement.

He explained that although Hunye eventually appeared on the ballot for the direct primary, he scored zero across the wards in the state because, according to him, neither Hunye nor any of his agents participated at the designated venues for the exercise.

Odunaro alleged that Hunye instead organised what he described as a “parallel election” at his residence.

The media aide further alleged that Hunye conducted the purported primary in his compound rather than at the designated venue in Ipokia.

“Out of nowhere, somebody who has been suspended by his ward members started parading himself as a candidate. Maybe he mistakenly went to Abuja and somebody mistakenly sold him a form.

“What he did was to gather people in his house and pretend to have an election without any party officials and INEC officials in his ward, and he is parading that video as evidence that he didn’t score zero.

“I reiterate that he scored zero and lost gallantly. As an aspirant, he can vote for himself in his own primary. This is a man who went to his bedroom to conduct an election for himself. There are designated venues for primary election in Ipokia, but he didn’t go there. Instead, he chose a private venue for himself, gathered his followers to line up and recorded that as an election,” Odunaro alleged.

Odunaro also accused Hunye of repeatedly using political contests as a means of negotiating for political appointments.

According to him, Hunye’s objective in the latest dispute is to negotiate an appointment for himself.

“Abayomi Hunye is a serial political negotiator. He did it with Senator Ibikunle Amosun, he did the same thing during the time of Governor Dapo Abiodun, now again with Senator Adeola Yayi.

“All he is looking for is just to negotiate for an appointment. This is a man who went to place an advert just to seek an audience with Mr. President. He is just out to negotiate an appointment for himself,” Odunaro said.

He challenged Hunye to identify any ward executive member who was present during the primary he claimed to have conducted.

“Can he tell us any party executive in his Tube ward that was present at his primary?” he queried

Speaking on Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, who had raised concerns over the consensus process before subsequently joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Odunaro said there was no longer any basis for linking her to the APC dispute.

“Sincerely, Iyabo Obasanjo was at the consensus primary and there were issues according to her, which I don’t want to go into. But later she went to PDP to contest for the Senatorial ticket.

“There is no crossing point with Iyabo anymore because she’s no longer a member of our party. She should rather face her Senatorial ambition in Ogun Central.”

On reports of alleged disaffection by former Ogun State Governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, and former Governor Ibikunle Amosun over the emergence of Adeola as the APC consensus candidate, Odunaro said the claims were being promoted by opposition elements.

He noted that viral videos showed Daniel supporting the consensus arrangement that produced Adeola, adding that a similar position had been associated with Amosun.

He added that Adeola had reached out to both former governors, stressing that Daniel’s membership of the Presidential Campaign Council was evidence of his continued support for the APC.

“Senator Adeola has reached out to Senator Daniel and Amosun. So if somebody is unhappy and he has been appealed to, Senator Daniel you are talking about is a member of the Presidential Campaign Council, which proves that he is fully with the party.

“To my knowledge, I’m not aware in any public domain that Senator Daniel is expressing disaffection openly.

“The disaffection by Daniel and Amosun are narratives the opposition are playing up,” Odunaro said.