Igboho – The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Orelope State Constituency of Oyo State has expressed confidence in winning the Aug. 20 bye-election into the State House of Assembly.
This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Mr Dauda Kolawole, the Chairman of Mr Jimoh Gbadamosi Campaign Committee, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Igboho.
Kolawole said that the party was prepared and better positioned to win the bye-election on as a united family.
He said that the party lost to LP in the 2015 general election as a result of rancour among stakeholders of the APC, saying that such has been resolved.
“With the crisis put behind us now, APC is a party to beat in the forthcoming bye-election in the state constituency,’’ he said.
Kolawole applauded the quick and timely intervention of the party leader, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi; the State party Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, and other party chieftains.
The campaign chairman said that the committee had relentlessly brought peace back to the party in the constituency through frank talks with splinter groups.
He also appreciated Otunba Moses Adeyemo, the state Deputy Governor, describing him as a man of peace.
Besides, the campaign committee appealed to the good people of Orelope state constituency to vote en masse for APC and its candidate, Jimoh.
Kolawole described Jimoh as an upright, vibrant and articulate lawyer and community lover, whose youthful age would give a better representation to the constituency and the state.
He noted that the defection of Mr Yusuff Yunusa and large followership from Accord Party into the APC as added plus to the party’s chances of winning the election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that members of the LP loyal to former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala across the state, among which the late Aremu belong, have defected to APC.
This followed the agreement at the enlarged meeting of the group to move into the APC with the former governor.
The committee warned anti-progressive forces in the society not to disrupt the hard earned peace in the state before, during and after the election.
He commended security agents in the state for unravelling the killers of late Aremu, which has put rest to speculations of who the killers were.
“May the gentle soul of our departed honourable rest in peace and for Almighty God to give the family the fortitude to bear the lost,’’ he stated.
NAN recalls that the Aug. 20 bye-election followed the assassination of Hon Gideon Aremu on July 1 few metres to his Ibadan residence.
The deceased, a member of the Labour Party (LP) was the Chairman, state House of Assembly Committee on Information, Public Relations and Security.
However, the Oyo State Police Command have arrested and paraded four suspected killers, among which one has confessed to how the late Aremu was killed. (NAN)