There are concerns in Ademola Adeleke’s campaign group over the lawsuit by his rival in the Peoples Democratic Party’s primary election, Dotun Babayemi, at the court of Appeal, Akure.
The PDP in Osun State had on March 8 2021, conducted two governorship primaries featuring Adeleke and Babayemi.
Babayemi was declared the winner of the primary election held at the Children and Women Development Center in Osogbo, while the primary that was held at the Osogbo City Stadium under the supervision of Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, produced Adeleke.
In order to be recognized as the PDP’s lawful governorship candidate, Babayemi subsequently made his way to the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
But in a ruling by Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, the court upheld Adeleke as the Osun State PDP’s duly elected governorship candidate.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Babayemi filed a suit at the Court of Appeal, Akure, challenging the judgment of the lower court and seeking to be declared as the PDP governorship candidate.
In an interview with PUNCH, some members of Adeleke’s group said the suit might constitute a danger to the victory of PDP at last Saturday’s gubernatorial election and there are moves to reconcile with Babayemi.
The Director of Media of the Osun State PDP, Oluwabamiji, noted that there is a need for everyone to come on board in order to have a seamless administration as well as deliver their promises to the people of Osun State.
The party chieftain expressed optimism that Babayemi would succumb to the plea, adding that attempts are being made to pacify the rival governorship candidate.
Oluwabamiji said: “My take is that any member of our party that is aggrieved is constituting some kind of danger, not to mention court cases.
Grievance of major gladiators is enough as admittance of danger. I am aware that our leaders are not sleeping over it. They are still talking to Prince Dotun Babayemi and others in the party, not minding our victory at the polls. We are always better together. We are not taking anyone for granted.
We believe everyone should come on board now so we can have a seamless administration; so that we can deliver our promises to the good people of Osun State. You know we cannot do that on the platform of rancorous relationship as a political party.
Dotun Babayemi is a prince and I’m sure that the blue blood in him will speak to his veins. We need a bit of fresh air which the good people of Osun State have put in place via the verdict during the gubernatorial election.
We are still trying to talk to him and manage the situation. Differences cannot help anyone. We have seen the worst of what internal rancour can do to a political party. We won’t do anything that will leave us open to some other forces trying to creep in.”
Meanwhile, the Director General Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Sunday Bisi, in another interview debunked the existence of a factional governorship candidate in the party.
He noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission published the names of candidates of every political party and they didn’t have two governorship candidates.
Bisi said that it would be wrong and unlawful of anyone to say someone is factional, adding that Adeleke is their only candidate.
He said: “We do not have any factional candidates. INEC had published the names of candidates of every political party. There was nowhere in the publication that we had two governorship candidates.
So, it will be wrong and unlawful of you to say someone is factional; we do not have it again. There is one candidate and that is Ademola Adeleke. The party is one indivisible element. We do not have a faction in the PDP. For now, I know that PDP is one. And if anybody has approached any law court, let the court decide.”
