General

Osun west bye-election: Adeleke’s younger brother dumps APC, emerges PDP candidate

June 14, 2017 4:34 pm

The younger brother of the late Isiaka Adeleke, Demola, has emerged the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Osun west senatorial district bye-election.

Adeleke, who had been cleared to contest for the primary on the platform of APC, defected to PDP on Tuesday evening.

He was set to contest the primary in APC unopposed after his opponent, Mudashiru Hussein, was disqualified on Sunday by the APC screening committee headed by Sanusi Rikiji, speaker of the Zamfara assembly.

Hussein was disqualified by the committee which stated that he was still in active public service against the stipulated party’s guideline.

According to Rikiji, the party’s guideline stipulates that any aspirant seeking to contest an elective office would resigned from the public service 30 days before the primary.

Hussein was the commissioner for cabinet matters in the administration of Rauf Aregbesola, governor of the state.

The cabinet was inaugurated on May 30.

The disqualification was upheld by the appeal committee of the party.

But on Monday evening, the national working committee of the APC cleared Hussien to contest the primary.

Adeleke, who contested the PDP primary unopposed on Wednesday in Iwo local government area of the state, scored 343 votes.

In his acceptance speech, Adeleke said the PDP would win the election.

“I accepted to contest the election under PDP and come July 8, we shall have victory,’’ he said.

“Victory shall be ours and nothing can stop us. We are moving forward because it is God’s project.”

Soji Adagunodo, chairman of the PDP in the state, said the party would win the bye-election.

According to him, there is no faction in PDP but only aggrieved members.

“We are going to win the election and come 2018, we will still win,’’ he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed July 8 for the bye-election following the vacuum created by the death of the former lawmaker representing the district.