2011: OSUN PDP REJECTS CONSENSUS CANDIDATE

By NBF News

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Friday, insisted that all aspirants on the platform of the party must go through the party's primaries.

Rising from an all-night meeting held at the Okuku country home of the state governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the party also dismissed claims that the governorship ticket of the party had been zoned to Osun East senatorial district.

Governor Oyinlola also used the occasion to debunk insinuations that he has endorsed one of the 17 governorship aspirants of party.

The meeting, which was said to have deliberated on five issues, was learnt to have tasked the governor to pursue the current ownership crisis rocking the jointly owned Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) to a conclusive stage, using the instrumentality of the law.

An impeccable source at the meeting said that former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun; former Transport Minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Haruna Bidmus; ace broadcaster, Chief Yemi Farounbi; pioneer state chairman of the party, Chief Layi Ogunrinade; former Commissioner for Finance in old Oyo State, Chief Abiola Morakinyo, the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ademola Rasaq and the state governor were all in attendance at the meeting.

A source at the meeting, said that the meeting was specifically called to review recent developments in the state, especially as regard to the news that the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has been endorsed by the state executive council and the governor as the party's governorship candidate for 2011.

He said,'We deliberated on the report and news making round that a particular aspirant has been endorsed for the party but we all agreed that there must be free, fair and transparent party primary where the party standard bearer will emerge.

'We also deliberated on the alleged zoning of the governorship ticket to a particular zone in the state. I want to tell you that as at now, there is no final decision on zoning. Although, there was argument that it is only the Osun East zone (Ife/Ijesa zone) that is yet to govern the state, we still believe that little more consultation should be done across the state and with our members before such decision could be taken.