***’Adeleke’s defection to APC a closed chapter’
Ahead of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) primary election in Osun State, proposed for November, the party’s Elders’ Caucus on Monday held a closed door meeting with the party’s governorship aspirants.
Several aspirants have shown interest within APC to emerge as the party’s standard-bearer, as Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, who lost to Governor Ademola Adeleke in 2022, has dropped his ambition.
The Elders’ Caucus members, including its Chairman, Sola Akinwumi, an engineer, held closed door meeting with the aspirants at his home in Ilobu, Osun State.
A source, who confided in DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS, said 11 aspirants were invited for the meeting, but only six showed up.
The six aspirants include: Senator Jide Omoworare (Ile-Ife), Kunle Adegoke, SAN (Osogbo), Prince Dotun Babayemi (Gbongan), Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji (Ikire), Peter Babalola (Ikire) and Senator Mudashiru Hussein (Ejigbo).
APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, former deputy governor, Benedict Alabi, Chairman of Mutual Benefits Assurance PLC, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Professor of Mathematics from the United States of America (USA), Rafiu Durodoye, among others were not present at the meeting.
Addressing reporters at the end of the meeting, Akinwumi said the meeting was convened because of the November 2025 primary election.
He said: ‘’We are here purposely because of the APC in the state, in preparation towards the primary in November. We are preparing the aspirants for the primary election that will be held this year and the message is that we should all work as one family. What people should expect is a rancour-free exercise; it will go smoothly without any issue.
“We have 11 governorship aspirants. Our aspirants are gentlemen, they are responsible men. At the end of the day when anybody emerges, they will all support such a person for APC to win at the end of the day.”
Commenting on Governor Ademola Adeleke’s possible defection into APC, Akinwumi said: “Adeleke’s moving to the APC is a closed chapter.”
