Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Wednesday said he is pushing for the election of the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate, Barr. Biyi Otegbeye, as governor in March this year to arrest the current drift of Ogun State on the watch of governor Dapo Abiodun.
Amosun who led the governorship campaign flag off by the ADC at Ake Palace Ground, said the state has derailed from its developmental trajectory, adding that he wants a governor who could continue on the progressive pathway he left behind in 2019.
The ex – governor who rarely conceals his ambition to stop Dapo Abiodun from being re -elected like he did in the build up to the 2019 governorship election in the state where he openly used his privileged position as a sitting governor to campaign against Abiodun, and backed a rival candidate; Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement(APM), gave reasons for backing ADC governorship candidate.
Addressing the ADC rally, Mr Amosun said, “This is my anointed candidate (raising Mr Otegbeye’s hand up). I am APC, but for the governorship election, I am going to support and also work assiduously for the candidature of Biyi Otegbeye and his deputy, Tunde Awonuga.
“The good works we started during my tenure must continue and this is why I am supporting Biyi Otegbeye. Everybody knows me, I don’t hide behind one finger and evil thrives when good men refuse to talk.
“You know me, I am APC. But this election that is coming, I support the presidency coming to the South and that is why I am supporting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that is why all the Amosun political family are supporting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“There are two reasons why I am doing what I am doing. The first one is based on equity, justice, and fairness. Ogun state is almost 50 years now, since and nobody from Ogun West has been governor. Some characters are saying Yewa don’t have good people, I know they have. Yewa has good children that can do it. He (Otegbeye) is a lawyer, he has been tested and trusted.
“The second reason that is very important is that, Ogun State must not derail. We have set the path of development for Ogun State, we must not allow it to be derailed.
“I feel sorry, I feel disheartened everyday when I see what is going on in the state, we must revert back to that beautiful concept, we have prepared it, for the next 35 years so that people will come after us will continue to do their own. If you see Lagos, you will say Lagos is doin this, Lagos is doing that, that is what they call continuity, just look at what we have designed for Ogun state.
“What we are here to do today is to take Ogun state back to that great position. I’m not the only governor, so it is not about Amosun, Amosun has done his bit, but Ogun state must go back to that positive trajectory and one person that I know can do the job very well is Biyi Otegbeye.”
The Senator also debunked claim by Dapo Abiodun led administration that he wasted 27billion naira of tax payers’ money on botched 15 model schools, saying he spent only N6.9bn on the project.
He explained that the highest he spent on a model school was 830m on the one at Kobape, Abeokuta, which was renovated and converted to a Tech Hub by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration at the cost of N3bn.
He also alleged that similar one in Ikenne which was converted to an Isolation Centre for COVID – 19 patients in 2020 was renovated by the present adminstration at the cost of N4bn.
Amosun Keeps Lying As He Joins ADC – Dapo Abiodun
But reacting, Governor Dapo Abiodun, puts a lie to the claim made by Amosun that he renovated a Model School built for N830m with N3b.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, said: “Little doubt he is called Irokunle by people because he is known for dishing out putrid lies all the time.
“As a governor he promised to do everything and did virtually nothing. He abandoned most of them after claiming to have paid 100 percent for them. We are known as a promise-keeping administration. We promised only what we could do and did all that we promised”.
The statement added that “it is not surprising that the former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“What is surprising is that he has upped his deceit and political shenanigans by feasting on falsehood started last week by Biyi Otegbeye, his new party’s candidate.
“While Otegbeye was awe-struck by the finesse of the Gateway City Centre and put a figure of N7b on a N350m project, Amosun at the flag off of Otegbeye campaign rally lied to have completed a Model School at Kobape and slammed a N3b as renovation cost on the said school.
“The cost of converting that abandoned project is modest and not in billions despite the value it confers on the moribund school.
“It is a shame that the former governor does not know the difference between converting an abandoned project to a socially desirable Tech Hub at this age and time.
“Rather than applauding the ingenuity of Gov. Abiodun for converting the moribund model school to a functional tech hub within three weeks of assuming office, Amosun is resorting to blackmail.
“It should be noted that barely 24 hours to the mark of his 100 days in office, Gov. Abiodun launched the Ogun Tech hub in Abeokuta, the State capital.
“The conversion of the model school to a Tech hub facility was in the interest of the Gateway State.
“Gov. Abiodun will want to reiterate that his administration would complete all inherited projects capable of improving the fortunes of the people”.
The statement added that: “One major interesting aspect of these Tech Hubs is that you will all recall that we have promised that any inherited projects that have bearing and will impact the development of our dear State will not be abandoned.
“Although, the facility being utilized for these Tech Hubs was initially meant for another thing, but, the fact remains that even when the facility had been largely abandoned and could not be used for initial purpose, we are converting it to the advantage of our dear State.
“Let me therefore use this opportunity to reassure the people of Ogun State that this Administration will not engage in unnecessary vendetta or self-aggrandisement. Our administration will complete all inherited projects that have the potential to benefit our people. They are funded with the commonwealth of the people of Ogun State.”
“Ours is an Administration that is irrevocably committed to good governance based on prudent public financial management towards providing a conducive environment for individual prosperity of the people of Ogun State and the wholesome development of our dear State.”
Abiodun, however, assured that the tech hub has been training hundreds of tech savvy people to become ideas incubators and tech- prenuers that are positioning Ogun State as a key center for innovations in the country.
“The long term vision is to make Ogun State the One-Stop-Shop for Innovation in Africa, thereby making our dear State one of the most conducive places to build a start-up company on the continent.
“It is on that of the 15 Model Schools that Amosun laid, it is Akin Ogunpola College that remains the only one of the proposed model schools used for academic activities. After the summer camp, the school admitted pupils for the 2017 and 2018 academic sessions.
‘But in 2019, due to dwindling enrolment and the fact that it was a fee-paying secondary school that charged higher than even most private schools in the State, government had to shut down the school that negates our free policy of the government”, the statement concluded.
