Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
A group, Oyo Youth Alliance (OYA), on Thursday, said the suit filed by one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, has confirmed that the party submitted the name of Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its governorship candidate on August 5th.
The group, in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Busari, and Comrade Segun Adedeji, said the confirmation was made in a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on August 19th challenging the nomination and submission of Adegoke’s name as the governorship candidate of the party.
According to the group, the first respondent in the suit is INEC; ADC is second respondent; National Organising Secretary of the party, Chinedu Idigo, is third respondent; Chairman, Oyo State Electoral Committee of the ADC, Harrison Akpojero, is the fourth respondent; and Adegoke, himself is the fifth respondent.
It said the development has thus thrown a ray of light on what it described as the false claim by one of the governorship aspirants, Dr. Gbemileke Alagbe, that he is the authentic governorship candidate of the ADC in the state.
Alagbe had recently been presenting himself in the media as the candidate of the ADC in Oyo State.
The group maintained that the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on August 19th by Adeduntan, which listed Adegoke as the fifth respondent and challenged the presentation and submission of his candidature to the INEC by the ADC leadership has put a lie to the claim by Alagbe.
The statement read: “In the originating summon, Adeduntan, through his lawyers, confirmed that ADC submitted Adegoke’s name to the INEC as its candidate in Oyo State on August 5th.
“Why is it that it is Adegoke that Adeduntan joined in his suit? Why did Adeduntan state in his motion that ADC submitted Adegoke’s name on August 5th and not Alagbe’s name?”
It said Alagbe should stop further illusion, urging him to “keep his money for other useful engagements”.
The group added that Adegoke was officially and publicly announced as the Oyo ADC gubernatorial candidate by the national leadership of the party at the grand finale of the ADC Osun Governorship Campaign held in Osogbo.
“Those who were present at the rally or who watched the campaign on television would realise that after introduction, Olooye Adegoke addressed the crowd as the Oyo State candidate of the ADC,” it said.