Yewa youths give Olurin, Isiaka ultimatum to reconcile

Youths in Ogun West Senatorial District on Wednesday insisted on the need for the governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Adetunji Olurin, and his counterpart in the Peoples Party of Nigeria, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, to harmonise their ambitions for the zone to produce a successor to Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Both Olurin and Isiaka are indigenes of the zone which is yet to produce the governor of the 35-year old state. The youths, who said they were worried over the possibility of the zone losing another opportunity at producing the state governor, issued a 24-hour ultimatum to both Olurin and Isiaka, to reconcile and harmonise their ambitions in the general interest of Yewa-Awori people’s quest to govern the state. They said attempt by Olurin and Isiaka to contest the April 26 governorship election on the platform of separate parties without reaching a consensus could jeopardise the dream of the zone to produce the next governor of the state. The youths, under the aegis of Ogun West Youth Summit, gave the ultimatum at a stakeholders’ summit in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state, where they reviewed the outcome of last Saturday’s National Assembly elections. In the National Assembly polls, the Action Congress of Nigeria defeated other political parties, winning three senatorial seats and three federal constituencies while PPN clinched one federal constituency. The youths of the area reasoned that going by the total votes garnered by PDP and PPN during the National Assembly elections, the two parties could defeat the ACN at the governorship poll if they teamed up. In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, the youths, drawn from the five local government areas constituting Ogun West Senatorial District, urged Olurin and Isiaka to meet and agree on who should represent the zone. The communiqué was endorsed by Dr. Kunle Salako, Dapo Oke, Femi Dokunmu, Kayode Oladele, Raheem Ajayi, Kayode Oni and Biodun Elegbede. Meanwhile, there were indications on Wednesday that the proposed alliance between the PDP and the PPN in the state to strengthen the PDP for subsequent elections, had collapsed. Following the poor performance of the parties in the last National Assembly elections, leadership of the two rival parties in the state explored the possibilities of a merger ensure victory for the PDP at the remaining elections. Members of the PPN defected from the PDP following the disagreements that arose from the PDP primaries in the state. But an indication that the merger talks proposed for both parties in order to defeat the ACN had failed was given by the state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, at a stakeholders meeting held with pensioners in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Wednesday. The governor who disabused the minds of the electorate about the “unimpressive” performance of the PPN, said, “It is the remaining elections that will determine which party is really popular in the state.” He urged the people of the state and the pensioners on the need to vote for the PPN to win the governorship election in the state. Assessing governorship candidates of the ACN, the PDP and Labour Party in the state, Daniel concluded that only the gubernatorial candidate of the PPN had the credibility to lead the state. He denied holding any meeting with the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, on any arrangement to ensure victory for the ACN at the poll and accused the PDP in the state of masterminding the alleged report. By Francis Falola and Sesan Olufowobi, Abeokuta Courtesy Of: Punch