2023: We’ll end APC’s ‘misrule’ in Ogun, Adebutu vows

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has urged Jimi Lawal, Segun Showunmi and other aspirants who lost at the party’s primaries to join him in rescuing the state from the “misrule” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

He also summoned an emergency meeting of all former aspirants, for Monday, with a view to fostering unity and cohesion ahead of next elections.

Adebutu spoke on Friday at the party secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital, during presentation of certificate of return to Senate, House of Representatives and the House of Assembly candidates.

While Showunmi is laying claim to the party’s ticket having emerged at parallel primary, Lawal had written the Senator Iyorchia Ayu-led leadership of the party calling for the cancellation of the primary election over alleged manipulation of delegates’ list.

However, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had earlier this week presented a certificate of return to Adebutu, thereby recognising him as the candidate of the party in the state.

Adebutu appealed to his contenders and other aspirants who lost out in the primaries to bury the hatchet and work together with him to improve the chances of the party at reclaiming the state in the 2023 election.

He insisted that he was determined at fostering unity in the party by working with all the aggrieved members, saying a divided party cannot win at the election.

Adebutu said, “I’m determined to bring everybody onboard because those that have won the primaries, won not because they are the best and not because they have the total number of votes, so those that lost out must not be left behind that is why I’m determined to always carry everybody along and I think that is the beauty of PDP.

“We are not known for imposing. I think we have successfully managed well democratically and we are still managing the situation.

“We must endeavor to have a big happy family so that we can face the challenges at hand. We recognised that we are still in the opposition and the work at hand is extensive and we know the antics of the mis-governance of the APC, we are hoping to take over power from them come 2023.”