By KELVIN BRIGHT
Chairman of the Seven-man screening committee of the Unity Forum of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Senator Yele Omogunwa, has blasted Olusegun Abraham and Senator Ajayi Boroffice for kicking against the choice of Chief Olusola Oke as a consensus candidate of the Unity Forum to battle Governor Rotimi Akeredolu at the primary.
Senator Omogunwa is miffed that the duo reneged after all the ten aspirants agreed to abide by the choice of the committee stressing that Abraham and Boroffice are bad losers.
“I absolutely agree that all the aspirants are competent and will be good candidate for the APC but I equally agree with the majority that picked Chief Oke,” Omogunwa said. “The Secretary left without signing. The only woman in our midst also did not sign.
“All the aspirants told us to do it the way it pleased us and they would support whoever emerges.
“We followed the mind of the public. A politician should wait for his time.”
Omogunwa also opened up on alleged inducement of the committee that made them picked Chief Olusola Oke as the forum’s consensus aspirant ahead of the APC primaries in June.
He said the committee shared only N1.2m given to them by different aspirants in the process of caryying out their duties.
Speaking to journalist in Akure, Senator Omogunwa denied allegations of collecting millions of naira for Chief Oke to be picked as the consensus aspirant.
According to Senator Omogunwa, “When we were holding meetings here, there was no water, no biscuit and we were working day and night. Segun Abraham came and gave us N100,000. It was in the open. Odimayo gave the committee N200,000. Another aspirant gave N500,000. Kazeem gave us N20,000 and Adelegan gave N50,000.
“The total amount shared by the seven committee members was 1.2m. It was out of the money we booked hotel for the Secretary for three days because he was coming from Ife.”
Explaining how the Committee picked Oke, Senator Omogunwa said the aspirants promised to abide by anybody the committee used its wisdom to select.
Senator Omogunwa said the Committee had interface with the aspirants for two days and all the aspirants agreed to support whoever that is chosen.
Omogunwa said the seven-man committee relocated to a church where the decision was reached to pick Chief Oke.
He said Secretary of the Committee, Prof. Soal Ehindero wanted a technocrat Governor while the only woman in the committee picked Mrs Jumoke Ajasin-Anifowose
