Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun
…You’re Entitled to Your Opinion – Omo Agege
By Our Reporter
Between former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun and Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, the centre seems not to hold. The former accused the latter of rigging him out of the 2018 Osun state Governorship Primary of the All Progressives Congress APC. He added that Omo-Agege was compensated with the number two seat of the Senate after rigging him out.
Lasun made the claim at the national secretariat of the party after he picked his expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2022 Governorship Election in Osun State.
Sen. Omo-Agege however responded by saying that “Lasun is entitled to his opinion and would not join issue with him He spoke through his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga.
“The former Deputy Speaker is entitled to his opinion on what transpired. The Office of the Deputy Senate President will not join issues with him”, said Mr Odunuga late Thursday.
Speaking at the secretariat, Lasun said; “In 2018 when the opportunity came to run for the governorship election presented itself, I came into the race. Though at that time, there was a serious gang up against me at the party level within the state. A serious gang up, well-orchestrated, well-coordinated. Because of the person I am, I don’t believe in jumping ship. I have had the opportunity to move from APC to another party, but that is not me. I knew the whole thing was tilted against me, but I never bothered.
“If not for my campaigns, because I came out very early for my campaign in 2017, APC was dead in Osun. Dead to the extent that it was not possible for APC to win that governorship election unless it was given to someone like me.
“Because of the strength of my campaigns and my strength as an individual and the clarity of purpose that they know if the man becomes the governor of the state, he would be able to deliver. I have all these things in my possession.
“Let me remind Nigerians today that whether it is a direct or indirect primary, the confusion started in Osun state in 2018, with the sole aim of rigging Lasun Yusuff out of the governorship election. I’m that important in APC.
“But because of the kind of person I am, I knew this, people called me all over the country, so they wanted me not to take part in that governorship election. They told me whatever money I was spending or I must have spent was going to go to waste because the election was going to be rigged. In party politics, if you are not prepared to lose at times, then you are not a politician. That means you are only fighting for positions for selfish reasons.
“I knew the election was going to be rigged because the platform was already prepared. And let me tell you this, the former governor of Zamfara State (Abdulaziz Yari) was the chairman of that Committee. On the day of primary, Senator Yari did not go to Osun, that is left for you journalists to go and find out, why he did not go.
“But let me give you a glimpse of what actually happened. The man knew I was popular. The man was instructed to go and do a particular thing, but he told them, I have ran an investigation and I have discovered that the Deputy Speaker is popular, if you want us to come and achieve this, it might be difficult. That was one of the reasons that the man didn’t come.
“The job was undertaken by the current distinguished Senator, Deputy Senate President (Ovie Omo-Agege). He became the Chairman overnight.
“And I want to say, if he likes, he can controvert this, one of the reasons why he is Deputy Senate President today was that he was compensated for that job.
“Omo-Agege was in my home town for four hours on the day of that primary and he actually conducted three Wards primary out of six Wards of my home town and he signed three results. So, if I had wanted to go to court, what happened in Zamfara would have happened in Osun state. But I never went to school because I wanted to start writing petitions.
“But on Thursday when they met at the party secretariat, I warned them, I said if you rig me out of this election, I can assure you that you are not going to win the governorship. They thought I was a small boy and they thought I was just blabbing or just a mere threat. But my friends, you are a witness to what happened when the election was eventually held. Did they win? They didn’t because there is no way they can rig, because Aregbesola and some of us his friends came together in 2004 and we fought the battle to claim that state for the Progressives.
“Nobody born of a woman will do what they did to me in 2018 again”, he added
