For another time, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Lasun Yusuff has disowned The Osun Progressives, stating that nothing nothing in the activities of the group can inspire him to declare governorship ambition.
In a lengthy response, Prof Aderemi Ajala, a special adviser to Lasun described the statement credited to the Chairman of TOP, Adelowo Adebiyi, as unsavory and uncivil, calling the TOP a “dissident group”.
InsightMedia recalls that Adebiyi while accusing the IleriOluwa group of plotting to assassinate leaders of the group loyal to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, said the activities of the group (TOP) gave former Deputy Speaker the courage to declare his ambition to govern the State in 2022.
Ajala’s statement reads in part;
On Monday 15th of November 2021 a news on social media credited to the Chairman of a dissident group known as The Osun Progressives (TOP) in All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun state, Elder Biyi Adelowo that Ileri Oluwa group another faction in APC accused members of TOP that their actions and activities inspired and encouraged Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff to declare his intention to contest 2022 Governorship race in Osun State.
This statement is unworthy and remains a mere political propaganda by both TOP and Ileri Oluwa group in the party. Trading words publicly by the two factions from same party is enunciating and embarrassing. On the part of TOP members, they just want to use the tall political profile of Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff to seek relevance. If at all such statement was made by Ileri Oluwa group, it is demeaning of somebody like Lasun Yussuff who contested the position of Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives and won at a wider margin, even when the then state governor –Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola withdrew his support from him. He also judiciously and productively engaged the office of the deputy speakership to bring many development projects as dividends of democracy to his constituency.
The echoing of such ridiculous statement by members of TOP is also an attempt to further cause crisis within the party in Osun state. Therefore Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff distant himself from the present collision between the two groups and such disparaging statement and declares that nobody, except God inspires him and directed him to declare for 2022 Governorship race in Osun State, with the intention of using him to demonstrate to Osun people how developmental democracy should be practiced.
Making the TOP members’ statement baseless and irrelevant is that in 2018, Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff contested the Governorship race in Osun state. Then, based on the manipulated results at the primary election, he had the second largest votes even when none of the present members of both Ileri Oluwa and TOP identified with him.
More recently, Lasun Yussuff decried a disparaging statement from the same TOP members that Lasun Yussuff was in their group. One then asks at what time were there any political relationship between Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff and any member of TOP, to the extent of using him as evidential proof of the TOP’s inequity in the party? What are the TOP actions and activities that could have inspired Lasun Yussuff to declare intention to contest for governorship position in Osun state?
It should be noted that Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff is a democrat and a committed party loyalist. Based on malicious sentiment raised against him, he had a tough battle in his party-All Progressives’ Congress (APC) between 2015 and 2019, when he was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was also rigged out of the governorship primary election in his state in 2018 through the combined efforts of the members of both TOP and Ileri-Oluwa combined. Throughout the periods he remained strong in the party and never caused any dissident or warring faction in the party. Rather he was still right inside the party promoting and deepening democracy. In recognition of his roles in his party, recently he was inaugurated into the elders’ caucus of APC in Osun State, a caucus headed by Chief Bisi Akande.
Going by the political profile of Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff it is unthinkable that anybody could say that Lasun was inspired to contest for Governorship by the activities and actions any factional group in Osun APC. One wonders what credible activities are associated with TOP that could inspire a political personality like Lasun Yussuff to contest Governorship. Is it lies, destructive propaganda, soaking the party in mud, or unbridled abusive of party leaders in the state? Or is it the trading of words with TOP on social media by Ileri Oluwa group, instead of facing the governance and ensuring good livelihood for the people of Osun State.
It should be known that Lasun Yussuff is not a politician who employs such tactics used by TOP in building his career in politics. Lasun warns the two groups not to bring him to their naked dancing in the public. Lasun Yussuff is a member of the Elders’ caucus of the party in the state and it is unholy to fall to one side. Both the TOP and Ileri Oluwa members should know that they are maligning the party and reducing its strength to deliver good governance for the state.
Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff therefore puts the record straight that his declaration to run for 2022 Governorship in Osun State is destined by Almighty God who directed and inspired him to contest. His ambition to govern Osun state from 2022 is also prompted by the public goodwill he enjoys from Osun people. The goodwill he derives from his performances while he was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Then as the Deputy Speaker, he facilitated many development projects to Osun State, amongst which included construction of 27 school buildings ranging from 23 to 34 classrooms each; installation of 15 electricity transformers; construction of 32 boreholes; training of 2,756 artisans and farmers with provision of capital seeds ranging from N50, 000- N150,000 to each participant; facilitating the construction of Ojutu bridge; rehabilitation of 54 kilometers of roads; building four maternity and dispensaries; building of two mini water dams and distribution of over 700 motorcycles and 360 tricycles. All these made up the confidence which Osun people invested in him to have made the public to demand for his service as the state Governor in 2022.
Rt. Hon Lasun Yussuff therefore call on these crop of politicians to desist from wanting to reap where they did not sow and do not confuse the public. The declaration to contest the governorship is a serious political business and Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff having been inspired by God and good people of Osun State, is not going to leave any stone untouched. He is going to pursue his ambition legitimately within the APC regulations, with due regards to everybody that does not hold malice. Rt. Hon. Lasun Yussuff is confident and rest assured that the people of Osun State will put him in power as the Governor of the State in 2022.
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