Ogun ADC plans to withdraw ticket from House of Assembly candidate

Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta

The Ogun State chapter of African Democratic Party (ADC), is planning to withdraw the ticket from one of its House of Assembly candidate, Aremu Ajikiolu.

Ajikiolu who cried out over an alleged plan to snatch his ticket by the party’s leaders in the state for unpopular aspirant who failed to win party primary, claimed that  he had been duly elected as the party’s candidate for Abeokuta South Constituency II, in the state legislative primary conducted on 3rd October, 2018.

While showing the score sheets of the party, to journalists, he said that he scored the highest votes of 1,332, defeat two others, Olufemi Sokeye and Olaide Aro, who polled 54 and 832 votes respectively.

Ajikiolu explained further that the party’s secretary had given him the INEC nomination form to fill but that some party leaders in his constituency trickily retrieved it from him on Tuesday.

His words “Some party leaders in Abeokuta South, including Titi Oseni-Gomez and Lai Karounwi, told me to sacrifice my mandate for peace to reign.”

He said they told him that the second runner-up in the legislative primary in Abeokuta South Constituency 2 had petitioned the party over the primary.

He, however, appealed to the national leaders to come to his aid as regard the issue in the interest of the party.

“I am appealing to the leadership of the ADC in the state and national to do the right thing in the interest of the party. They should not allowed my mandate to be stolen by unpopular aspirants because of any petition,” he said.

Meanwhile, the State’s party spokesman, Mr. Abiola Odutola, in a swift reaction to Ajikiolu’s claims said that the party had set up an appeal committee concerning the legislative primary.

He added that there were issues in some areas concerning the legislative primary and that Abeokuta South Constituency 2 was among them.

He explained that a petition was written against him (Ajikiolu) and some other people in the constituency.

Odutola said the panel was still looking into the petition, adding that a winner was yet to be declared in the constituency.

Ajikiolu however, claimed that he was yet to be invited by the appeal committee over the matter.