Gbongan Prince Sets to Tackle Adeleke in PDP
Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Governor literally rode gallantly to win the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state.
After his victory in the primary and main election, he dealt with his challenger, Oyedotun Babayemi, a prince from Gbongan, Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state. The politician from the town and several of his followers were expelled from the party.
Babayemi argued that his expulsion was illegal and that he remains a member of the Osun State ruling party. And barely one year after the inauguration of Ademola Adeleke, the “expelled” politician began a new movement under the auspice of “Atunto Osun”. He intends to rebuild the state.
He has organised his foot soldiers including Adelani Ajanaku, who was the returning officer for the primary election of the Babayemi-led faction of the party. The national leadership of the party called the primary election kangaroo.
He had a rally in Osogbo this week. An unprecedented number of people gathered in the city to listen to the aspiring politician. He took his time to lambast the administration of Ademola Adeleke and said that the state needs “atunto” (rebuilding).
This would be a serious challenge to the governor, who has not had serious issues with the party loyalists. Although some aggrieved members condemned how appointed his aides and constituted the boards, he still holds the party vehemently.
Dotun Babayemi has not been reinstated into the party yet and it doesn’t clear how he intends to slug it out with the governor. The option that remains for him is the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Babayemi was once in the APC. In fact, he has been to at least three different political parties since 2018 till this moment. He dumped the All Progressives Congress and embraced the Action Democratic Party (ADP) ahead of the 2018 gubernatorial election in the state.
He was the ADP senatorial candidate for Osun West in the 2019 general elections. He collapsed his structure and dumped the political party. He then identified with the Peoples Democratic Party. Initially, feelers out there said that he would run for the senatorial seat again. But he would rather jostle for the seat of the governor.
Babayemi failed to wrestle the ticket of the PDP with Ademola Adeleke. He dragged the party to court and despite numerous appeals to him to withdraw the case, he insisted till he lost at the apex court. The Gbongan Prince has refused to leave the PDP.
It’s clear now that the ambitious prince would rather fight till the end. He has started his “Atunto Osun” movement to unseat Ademola Adeleke. The journey has started.
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