Ajimobi meets Governorship aspirants, prunes the number as Communication Minister absent at meeting

Abiola Kolawole, Ibadan

The hide and seek game between the  Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu appears not to have wane even as the APC in the state set to conduct Governorship primary election in which the Minister is participating.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi had called for a meeting where he would meet all the APC Governorship aspirants ahead of 2019 governorship election and persuade some of them to step down.

At the meeting held on Saturday at the Governor’s Lodge, Agodi, Ibadan, Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu was conspicuously missing.

Ajimobi, Osun Daily learnt, was set to present only four out of 22 aspirants, out of the four, one is said to be the Governor’s favourite.

Governor Ajimobi has recently said that it would amount to waste of resources for all the 22 aspirants to obtain form when only one of them will govern the state therefore the need to prevail on others to set aside their ambition.

The Governor also invited aspirants for the senatorial and House of Representatives seats across the state on the platform of the party. 

The meeting of the governor with the gubernatorial aspirants was scheduled to take place Saturday at the government house, while the one with the senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants was scheduled to hold in the same venue on Sunday (today).  

Among the gubernatorial aspirants jostling to succeed Ajimobi expected at today's meeting included the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN); Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe; former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Olalekan Alli; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan; and former Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade.

Others are: Commissioner for Land, Housing and Survey, Mr. Isaac Omodewu; a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala; Chairman Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Crime, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Dr. Olusola Ayandele; a former Chief Press Secretary to Late Governor Lam Adeshina, Kehinde Olaosebikan and Professor Soji Adejumo. 

But, our correspondent observed at the venue of the meeting that the Minister, Adebayo Shittu is currently absent at the meeting of the governor and the gubernatorial aspirants. The meeting started around 2.00 p.m. 

Among the aspirants who have however, arrived the governor's lodge, venue of the meeting as at 4.15 p.m include former governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, Commissioner for Health, Dr.  Azeez Adeduntan and Mr. Joseph Tegbe. 

Others are former Head of Service, Mr. Soji Eniade; Secretary to the state government, Mr. Olalekan Alli and Mr. Isacc Omodewu. 

A close aide to the Minister who spoke in confidence said he was not sure if the minister, Adebayo Shittu was invited, noting that this may be responsible for his absence at the meeting. 

He said, "Let me tell you the truth, I was told that the governor has called a meeting and he has reduced the aspirants to four. He has called some of them, he held a meeting with them and he told them that they should step down for the four. 

"I can tell you, I will tell you their names, they are Tegbe, Soji Eniade, Bimbo Adekambi and Isacc Omodewu. He said he will pick from the four. Why should he do that, all of them are aspirants. Let them go to the field. Barrister Shittu has purchased the form and Akala has also bought the form. 

The aide maintained that Shittu's absence may be as a result of the fact that he was not invited to the meeting. 

He added, "I don't think he was invited, he was not invited. If he was invited, he would have come. Though, he is not around now. He is not in the country".