Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has restated that he would continue to pursue his political aspiration on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Amosun was speaking to party faithful, at the Presidential Lodge, Ibara, Abeokuta, on Monday, just as his loyalists, including 26 candidates, who emerged victorious as candidates at the October 2 primaries, to the state House of Assembly seats, announced their movement to the Allied People’s Movement (APM).

Ogun State governorship candidate of the APC, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, was also announced to have defected to the APM, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara last week.

The governor, at the gathering, said his decision to remain in APC, was borne out of his unwavering support for President Buhari as well as to protect the rights of those who were robbed of their mandate by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.

According to him, the people of the state are solidly in support of the president and will vote massively for him in the 2019 Presidential poll, stating however that, his support for the president was not a support for an illegality.

He said he was however unable to stop those who felt aggrieved by the injustice meted on them by the national leadership of the party, to seek their aspiration on other platforms.

Amosun restated that his support is for Akinlade and no other governorship candidate, who according to him, is in possession of a stolen mandate.

Meanwhile, the candidates, while also announcing their decision yesterday, said it was in order “to seek the general mandate of our people in the 2019 elections on the platform of the Allied People’s Movement (APM).”

Addressing press men at the MTR Hall, Ibara, Abeokuta, Mr. Lamidi Muse (Ado Odo/Ota state constituency), on behalf of the 26 candidates, said: “As representatives that were duly elected by our people, as candidates for the House of Assembly of Ogun State, we are resolved to protect the mandate freely given to us by our party members.

“We are also determined to prevent the grand design to install a government that would be answerable to foreign forces outside Ogun State,” he added.

Muse however said their decision is without prejudice to the progressive ideals, which have endeared our candidature and our political group to the good people of Ogun State.

Acknowledging the role of the president in resolving the crisis, he regretted that his “efforts were frustrated by the forces that are hell-bent in taking the South West back to the dark age.”

“The people of Ogun State are renowned for successfully ascertaining their independence from such warlords. This instance shall not be different.

“We are committed to the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari and we are determined to deliver Ogun State to him in the Presidential election, come February 16, 2019, the grace of God,” Muse added.

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