Oke has ‘no pact with Akeredolu’

From Osagie Otabor, Akure

A governorship aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, has denied entering a pact with Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ahead of the party’s primaries in July.

Oke was last week adopted as the consensus aspirant of the Unity Forum, an APC group, with a mandate to stop Governor Akeredolu from getting the party’s ticket.

Senator Ajayi Boroffice, who was among Ondo APC chieftains who rejected Oke as Unity Forum consensus aspirant, said it was part of the plot to make Akeredolu get the party’s ticket.

Boroffice alleged that the pact with Governor Akeredolu was that Oke would step down one week before APC primaries with a promise that Akeredolu would hand over to Oke in return.

Oke, who spoke through the Head of the Oke Campaign Organisation, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, said there was no truth in the allegations by Senator Boroffice.

Oke said that the allegations were meant to denigrate his person, as only God had the power of the promise of the future.

He said he was not a new comer in the politics of Ondo State and Nigeria, having been a member of the House of Representatives and occupied executive and party positions as well as chairman of several federal boards.

According to him, “Oke is a man of strong character with traceable history of loyalty to his commitment. He has never betrayed the struggle of his people ever since he joined politics. His word is his bond.

“Let it be known to the respected senator and unsuspecting public therefore that Chief Oke has no pact whatsoever with Governor Akeredolu.

Read Also: Ondo 2020: Aspirant denies pact with Akeredolu ahead of primaries

We consider it a gratuitous insult to input such ungentlemanly conduct to our revered adopted candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, who the senator should have known has outgrown politics of biscuit and butter, fear and mischief.

“Chief Oke Campaign Organisation (COCO) hereby advises the public, the Unity Forum leaders and APC members in Ondo State to regard the statement by Prof. Boroffice as a mere political talk that has gone with the surge of that moment of rage.

“We shall continue on the path of genuine reconciliation with those who express dissent opinions and also wish to state unequivocally that we shall respect the leaders of APC and we shall not waiver in our commitment to the collective struggle of the Unity Forum.

In the same vein, shall also not hesitate to point the attention of the masses to the direction of truth whenever the need arises.”

A social-political organisation, the Unity and Peace Movement (UPM), has said that Mr. Isaac Kekemeke remained the best candidate the APC should present for the September governorship election.

This permutation, it said, was because of Kekemeke’s political records.

The founder of the organisation, Pastor Sola Okunade, addressing reporters in Akure, said Kekemeke is a renowned politician who has been making efforts to transform the state to greater heights in the last 10 years.

Okunade said Kekemeke is the biblical David chosen by God to save Israelites from the hands of their oppressors.

He said that he based his argument on over 30 years relationship with Kekemeke.