Who would run for governor of Oyo state in the upcoming general elections under the banner of the Labour party looks to be in question.
A minor drama developed on Thursday at the party’s secretariat in Ibadan, where Alhaji Tawfiq Akinwale was allegedly to be confirmed as the party’s governorship candidate as the members of the primary election screening committee seemed reluctant to carry out the exercise.
According to information obtained by newsarena.ng, the Aspirant, the party’s primary election screening committee, and some party members were there with the INEC officials led by the administrative secretary, Alhaji Biodun Onikate-Amosu.
Newsarena.ng further learned that the INEC officials left the location after waiting for long hours for the procedure to start and couldn’t commence as it appeared that the party’s rank was not in unity.
However, In an interview with Alhaji Ganiyu Salami, the chairman of the screening committee and vice chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Tawfiq Akinwale was the only candidate examined and approved by the screening committee.
In his reaction to the development, Mr Akinwale said “In Oyo state there was no split or crisis inside the party.”
Meanwhile, the state party’s chairman, Mr Sadiq Atayese, whose name had appeared on the list of candidates for the 2023 General Elections published by INEC last month was absent at the purported affirmative exercise.
In a telephone interview, Mr Atayese insisted that he was the party’s Governorship candidate in the state and claimed that what transpired at the party’s secretariat today, Thursday, was just a political gathering.
News Arena went further to speak with the Head, Publicity Unit, INEC Oyo State, Olayiwola Awolowo who maintained that status quo remained, indicating that Sadiq Atayese, whose name is on the list of candidates is the recognized Oyo Governorship candidate of labour party
