Echoes of Penkelemesi as Oyo APC Governorship Ticket Tilts towards Adelabu

Ololade Adeyanju/

 

The former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Adebayo Adelabu is favoured to emerge the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State today.

Although the state primary election is underway at Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, NewsmakersNG has authoritatively gathered that stakeholders have adopted Adelabu as the party’s consensus candidate.

Until this afternoon, Joseph Tegbe, a partner with KPMG Professional Services in Nigeria and longtime honorary economic adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi was the aspirant favoured to clinch the ticket.

NewsmakersNG learnt that the decision to drop Tegbe for Adelabu was significantly influenced by yesterday’s announcement by a former governor of the state and gubernatorial aspirant, Adebayo Alao-Akala, that he would be boycotting the primary along with his supporters.

Adelabu is the grandson of prominent first republic politician, Adegoke Adelabu, popularly called ‘Penkelemesi.’

The stage was set for the primaries after the arrival of Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the stadium, at about 3:30 pm.

All leading aspirants, including Tegbe and Adelabu were seated at the VIP section, close to where the governor and the party’s state executives are seated.

Two of the aspirants, the immediate past commissioner for health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, and Akala, are yet to arrive at the venue as at the time of writing this report.

 

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