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Mr Isaac Kekemeke, the National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West, has debunked claims that the party's presidential flag-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was backing the Accord Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu.
The APC chieftain described such report as a lie, adding that Tinubu was fully in support of the APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin and not Adelabu, The Punch reports.
Pulse recalls that Adelabu flew the APC flag in the 2019 governorship election in which he lost to Seyi Makinde and also lost his bid to reclaim the the APC governorship ticket in May to Folarin.
Adelabu thereafter dumped the APC for the Accord Party where he has been affirmed as the party's governorship candidate on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
While speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the South-West leadership of the APC in Ibadan on Thursday, Kekemeke told journalists that the assertion that Tinubu was working against the party's candidate in Oyo was false.
The APC Chieftain said, “It is not true that Tinubu is supporting Adelabu against the candidate of his party. It’s a false assertion, it can’t happen and it will never happen.
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the presidential candidate of our party, the APC and the only governorship candidate known to the party at the national level, at the zonal level and at the state level is Senator Teslim Folarin. No other candidate. It is a fat lie, it can’t happen.
“Nobody should drop Asiwaju’s name in a bid to sell himself or herself. To us in the party, from Abuja to the South-West to the state level, Senator Folarin is our candidate and he is the one all of us would support in the election.”
Commenting on the reconciliatory efforts in the party in Oyo State, Kekemeke said, “Luckily, I met the chairman of the reconciliatory committee, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, and he told me about how far they have gone. I know we are almost getting there, peace is gradually returning.”
On the controversy surrounding the party's Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Kekemeke urged Nigerians to focus more on the competence of the presidential candidates rather than their ethnicity or faith.
“What the APC is looking for is a pro-Nigeria president that will address the problem of insecurity and tackle poverty, revamp the economy and provide jobs for the youths. That is what is important.
“I am a Christian and I don’t have an issue with it,” he added.
The chieftain reiterated the party's resolve to work hard to win the coming elections and bring the desired change the people wanted.