The Oyo state chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has lashed the Gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2019 general elections, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin saying a failed to deliver the mandate the party gave him which he did not merit at the first place. peddling falsehood about the coalition agreement the party had with Governor Seyi Makinde.
The party Publicity Secretary, Barr Bimpe Adelowo, in a release sent to Akéde Ọ̀yọ́ said Lanlehin should be blamed for not being tactical enough adding that he should stop peddling falsehood about the Coalition agreement which the governor has kept.
Akéde Ọ̀yọ́ recalls that before the 2019 General Elections, ADC and other Political Parties formed coalition to dislodged the All Progressives Congress Candidate, Chief Bayo Adelabu.
The release reads in full: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Senator Olufemi Lanlehin erstwhile member of ADC in Oyo State and Published by one of the online media outfits on Sunday 4th October, 2020- which statement referenced the efforts of ADC to oust the then tyrannical Government of APC.
“It would not have been necessary to get ourselves involve in a debate of whether or not coalition arrangement has yeilded desired expectations in terms of fulfilment of coalition agreement, but for the sake of putting the record straight we are constraint to intervene at this juncture in order to clear air on series of misconceptions as a result of Senator Lanlehin ceaseless and needless outburst and frustration about his unmet personal expectations as follows;
“Senator Lanlehin candidature as ADC’s gubernatorial flag bearer in the last election was not without attendant crises as result he being a great beneficiary of the party’s magnanimity despite being the last person to join ADC then. His candidature was later ratified after all stakeholders were persuaded to give peace a chance.
“We would like to remind the public that the candidacy of Senator Lanlehin at that material time was not generally acceptable to all 12 gubernatorial aspirants of the Party and this made the 12 gubernatorial aspirants so much agreived to the extent of initiating several court actions to vent their grievances, of which court actions were later withdrawn as a result of the persuasion and intervention from the State executive committee and some of the leaders of the party.
“Having withdrawn the court actions the 12 gubernatorial aspirants, in obedience to the party directives, however pledged and showed their support for the candidature of Senator Lanlehin. But in no time Senator Lanlehin who benefited from the decorum, decency and magnanimity of the other aspirants and the party reneged and never bothered to carry the party along in the scheme of activities- he designed and decided the campaign activities without any recourse to the party.
“In 2019 the people of Oyo State were raising a lot of concern against the then government, as result which our party took steps to forces together with other political parties to oust the government of APC. Our party eventually became active participant in and party to the coalition arrangement whereby Engr. Seyi Makinde of PDP was selected as the preferred candidate among the candidates of other participating political parties. Even if Senator Lanlehin decided not stepped down from the race, people would have been mobilized to support and vote for Engr. Seyi Makinde at the poll.
“At the resumption of the coalition meeting after the election, Senator Lanlehin decided to make himself all in all in ADC, forgetting he was only a beneficiary of the party’s magnanimity who offered him platform to represent our in the election: when he was asked by the incoming governor to bring 25 names as ADC nominees in the transition committee, he didn’t bother to consult party hierarchy, he only hand picked his cronies. Likewise he collected invitation packs for the inauguration on behalf of ADC, Senator Lanlehin ignored the party hierachy and superintendent over the distribution of the packs without consideration to all tendencies that make up the ADC.
“We need to inform the public that shortly before the gubernatorial election PDP released some amount millions of Naira to ADC through Senator Lanlehin for logistics purposes but he failed to delivered the money to the Party and never deemed necessary to account for the money.
“The public should not forget few moths after inauguration of the present administration of Gov. Seyi Makinde, Senator Lanlehin announced his resignation from the coalition Government not as a result of his intention to protect the interest of ADC as being claimed; we need to let you know that his resignation was done in bad faith as because of;
i.his failure to render account of money collected from PDP on behalf of ADC for logistics cost;
ii. he was not given unfettered control over the distribution of the slot of appointments ceded to the ADC, and
iii. he has been in talks with the leadership of the APC for his possible return to APC.
“Senator Lanlehin is no longer a member our party by his own decision, hence lost the privilege and right having voluntarily resigned from coalition arrangement as face of ADC and also withdrew his membership of AdC in Oyo State. it is morally wrong for him using our party’s affair as basis for his unguarded Utterances and frustration.
- Senator Lanlehin should be reminded that assuming without conceding that ADC is treated unfairly in relation with coalition agreement at all, he should be blamed for not being tactical enough as a decerning and seasoned politician, who could have greatly benefited from the coalition. He failed woefully to deliver on the mandate gave to him by the party having not merit such in the first place.
We are using this medium to appeal to Senator Lanlehin and his handlers to concentrate and focus on his political career rather than meddling in those affairs which should no longer be his concerns.”
