Disquiet in Osun APC over Adeleke’s declaration for 2018 guber

The alleged flouting of an order of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State by the first civilian governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, is currently causing a disquiet within the ruling party in the state.
The APC in Osun State had recently issued a directive banning party chieftains from declaring intention to contest the governorship of the state in the 2018 election.
But in what appeared like a disobedience of the order, Adeleke, who is a serving senator, has declared his intention to contest for the governorship seat in the state to succeed Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Our correspondent gathered that the open declaration of intention by Adeleke, coming about 24 months before the incumbent governor’s tenure would come to an end, has not gone down well with the APC leadership in the state.
Adeleke’s alleged flagrant violation of the order of the APC leadership in the state, it was learnt, has, therefore, been generating some disquiet in the ruling party with some party chieftains alleging preferential treatment was now being accorded the senator.
“He’s being treated with kid gloves by the party. If not, why would he be that bold to defy their order even when all the others have complied? Many of us frown at this development and we won’t allow it to go like that. Something must be done by the party or else the current disquiet might degenerate because the otherswho are also interested in the race cannot just watch and allow somebody to gain an upper hand,” a party chieftain in the state, who pleaded anonymity said.
The Osun APC had, in a statement, instructed that any party chieftain intending to become governor of the state in the future should put that aspiration on hold, “because it is absolutely inappropriate at this juncture”.
The state APC Chairman Prince Adegboyega Famodun, had warned that the party would not treat lightly any violation of the order, adding that there were more important things to do in service delivery to the people of the state.
According to him, “What is most important for the party now is for everyone to join hands with Governor Rauf Aregbesola to solve the problems confronting the state.”
The statement had further read, “The governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is right in the middle of his second term, grappling with the difficulties of economic recession. This is not the proper time for any aspirant to divert attention from the serious business at hand.
“Everybody with governorship aspiration should put it on hold until such a time that the party will consider appropriate. Only then will it make political sense for anyone to come out and talk about governorship aspiration.”