We are Confident that we will emerge Victoriously : Dr. Abiola Oshodi
The foremost APC candidate for the Owo/Ose seat at the Federal House of Representative, in Abuja, Dr. Abiola Oshodi has declared himself supremely confident of victory in the forthcoming delegate election later in the year.
In a parley with media men today May 7th, 2022, he listed some important factors that will work in his favour as the candidate to beat in the election.
He also announces his happiness at the response from his teaming supporters as he displays his expression of interest form, as well as, his nomination form to the public.
An elated Dr. Abiola Oshodi declared, “The peculiarity of the enlightened politics played by the voters in this constituency in times past, as well as, the features in the latest INEC voting pattern lately will inform the direction the APC delegates will have to look for to pick a formidable candidate to represent the party at the forthcoming elections into to the Owo/Ose Federal constituency come 2023.
Dr Oshodi, who has his roots both in Owo in Owo Local Government and in Ute in Ose Local Government also uses the opportunity of the media chat to sound a special note of warning to the delegates to be aware of the new features in the voting procedures on INEC portals which has no room for over voting or ballot box stuffing.
“The best you could do for your party is to elect a candidate that the masses want not a lame duck that is still waiting for a consensus arrangement or still lobbying for imposition by the powers that be instead of going out there to canvass for votes.
“The two most stark realities before the APC delegates in the forthcoming elections in the Zone are:
1. the fact that Owo / Ose voters only vote for personalities with character and performance and not necessarily on the basis of party affiliation.
2. Elections are now open and transparent. What you get is what you see. No over voting. No ballot ballot stuffing.
“A careful study of voting demographics in the past elections in the two local governments that made up the Owo/Ose Federal constituency reveals a pattern of voting for candidates with better degree of performance and character.
“Time was when AD candidates dominated and represented the constituency in all the elections held in the constituency.
“When the electorates felt the party was not representing them well enough, they shifted focus to the PDP.
“By the time they realised PDP was solely preoccupied with self and self only, they jettisoned the party and pitched their loyalty with the Labour Party.
“However, they having realised that LP was a master of imposition of candidates, as well as, a master of doublespeak, they touched base with and accepted APC as a strong and stable alternative
‘This is the reason why Apc must not let them down in the next election.
“APC must do away with all the negative tendencies that made the people rejected both the PDP and the Labour Party in recent times.
“This scenario could be prevented from happening only if Apc remains faithful with the electorates in the Zone by putting forward its best candidates in the elections all the time without which the party may be taught the bitter truth by the electorates.
“A known candidate with a pedigree in well doing and a man with clout and international connections is the one to do the job this time around not a ‘Sidon look , lame duck layabout.’
“And every well meaning APC member/s in this constituency knows we are the best. We represent the new hope the people yearn for not only in service delivery but also in quality representation at the floor of the National Assembly.
“Our vision is clear on that and our objectives are no doubt a people oriented one.
“Moreover,” Dr. Oshodi enjoined the Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to play his fatherly role by avoiding the shenanigans of candidate imposition because such dirty politics may become an albatross of the party in a general election where bribing of INEC officials to change figures and all other magomago of the past no longer suffices.
“Time for those chicanery are past and gone forever.
“He gave an example of the elections conducted in Anambra state and the bye election conducted in Akure as examples of the latest elections conducted by INEC which gave no rooms for manipulation.
“In Anambra state, the candidate of APC, Andy Uba, was purportedly selected by over 359,000 APC members/delegates as the party’s flag bearer.
“Very popular candidate one will tend to think if figures are anything to go by.
“But in the real election, the man came third with less than 60,000 votes.
“So, where are the over 350,000 Apc members/voters who selected him at the delegate election?
Obviously, APC has been deceived to believe that the man, Andy Uba, was popular with the people until INEC voting machines lay bear the lies.
“Ditto for the just concluded bye election in Akure federal constituency.
“The Governor wanted Omowunmi. A section of the party wanted Abegunde. But Akure people wanted Eniafe (Laff).
“Wise counsel prevailed and the party avoided the urge to impose a candidate. It avoided imposition by allowing a level playing field. Eventually, LAFF was popularly selected and the victory of APC over PDP at the polls proper was sweet and without stress.
“Had it been that the man was rigged out at the delegate election level, APC would have lost the election at the election proper.
“Time for over voting or ballot stuffing is over and gone by. Now what you throw in is what comes out for you. This is the reality of INEC’s new voting platform. This is the stark reality of all INEC conducted elections, henceforth.
“Time indeed has changed.
“All these factors put together and the fact that we have worked very heard and have done our homework thoroughly gives us the confidence that we shall be victorious.
“We are the only APC candidate that can scale the huddle in this shark infested muddled waters.
“Thus we urge every would be delegate to be aware of the huddles ahead and make things easy for the party at the general election by selecting candidates not because of intimidation from party executives, not because of unnecessary money inducements or because of cronyism.
“They should look at each candidates profile/pedigree of service to the masses of the community in times past and let their conscience guide their choice.
When asked if he is aware of a rumour circulating around to the effect that the Governor and the party executives had a meeting where it was agreed to support certain candidates.
Dr. Oshodi has this to say.
“Every constituency in Nigeria is now searching out for strong, reliable and performance driven candidates to represent them at all levels, be you at the National Assembly or at the state Assembly.
Time for cronyism, intimidation of voters, favouritism in candidate selection, or outright imposition of candidates, is over in our polity as I have earlier told you,” he said.
“The APC members, as well as, the executives of the party in this constituency must know this facts and get acquainted with them.
“So, to answer your question as to the rumour of real or imagined or apparent or purported endorsement of our opponent by the Governor, we are not perturbed at all, if truly such a thing happened.
“You will recollect that the Governor publicly denounced candidate imposition some few weeks ago in a statement to the good people of the state.
“So, the question to be asked is, ‘what changed between then and now to warrant this current rumour of imposition by the Governor?
“Therefore, if the currently circulating rumour of a volte face by the Governor by approving the imposition of candidates in his own immediate constituency is true, then the Governor has certainly boxed himself into a catch 22 situation.
“We are all his children here having shared the fortune of been in the same constituency with him. He should no better than playing doublespeak game on his own children.
“The people are aware of the fact that the Governor will soon vacate the office as Governor. This means that they will loose the strong voice they currently have at the Government house in Akure. This being so, they need to elect someone with a strong voice to represent them in Abuja. This much everyone is aware of.
“So, what really matters to our people in this constituency now is performance. It does not matter where the candidate comes from, whether Owo or Ose. They simply want to elect a candidate that will give them a voice and a better representation.
“It is as simple as that.” Summarizes Oshodi.
He went further, “But be that as it may, our man who was at the meeting told us that the rumour circulating was not the true representation of what transpired at the meeting which was called specifically to address the misunderstanding that occurred at Iloro quarters where one miscreant attacked the Majority leader representing Owo 1 at the state house of Assembly, Honourable Wole Ogunmolasuyi.
“The Governor, according to our sources at the meeting only did the right thing by calling for caution so as not to destabilize the party adding that the Honourable Member., Mr. Wole Ogunmolasuyi did not deserve such treatment from the people he represents.
“Our source also directed us to read through the communiqué released at the end of the meeting where no mention of any consensus candidate nor any favoured candidate or imposition of any candidate made .
“The rumour of imposition remains just a rumour noting that nothing as such was discussed in the meeting.
“With this rumour cleared out of everyone’s consciousness, all candidates both popular or unpopular are advised to enter the field and sell themselves to the electorates instead of hanging around governor’s office looking for and begging for undeserved endorsement.
“As for us here our resolve is ‘no retreat, no surrender.’
“No one, I repeat no one is imbued with the capacity to intimidate or bully us.
“God and the electorates are the only one that will determine our fate in this forthcoming elections,” Dr. Oshodi concluded.
By Meso Obanigba
Editor, Èclat News
