APC, Oyetola didn’t win Osun in 2018  – Ex- Dep. Speaker Lasun

 

. Says Omo-Agege rewarded with Senate Presidency for rigging him out

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

Former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yussuff, has revealed how his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) rigged 2018 governorship election that brought Adegboyega Oyetola into office, saying the party lost the said governorship election.

 

Lasun also revealed that the current Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, was compensated for his current office because of the role he (Omo-Agege) played in 2018 in Osun state.

 

Speaking with newsmen at the APC national secretariat Thursday in Abuja, after he picked his nomination forms to contest the party’s governorship ticket, Lasun said, “And let me tell you this, the former governor of Zamfara State (Abdulaziz Yari) was the chairman of that Committee. On the day of primary, Senator Yari did not go to Osun, that is left for you journalists to go and find out, why he did not go.

 

“But let me give you a glimpse of what actually happened. The man knew I was popular. The man was instructed to go and do a particular thing, but he told them, I have run an investigation and I have discovered that the Deputy Speaker is popular, if you want us to come and achieve this, it might be difficult. That was one of the reasons that the man didn’t come.

 

“The job was undertaken by the current distinguished Senator, Deputy Senate President (Ovie Omo-Agege). He became the Chairman overnight.

 

“And I want to say, if he likes, he can controvert this, one of the reasons why he is Deputy Senate President today was that he was compensated for that job.

 

“Omo-Agege was in my home town for four hours on the day of that primary and he actually conducted three Wards primary out of six Wards of my home town and he signed three results. So, if I had wanted to go to court, what happened in Zamfara would have happened in Osun state. But I never went to school because I wanted to start writing petitions.

 

“But on Thursday when they met at the party secretariat, I warned them, I said if you rig me out of this election, I can assure you that you are not going to win the governorship. They thought I was a small boy and  they thought I was just blabbing or just a mere threat.

 

“But my friends, you are a witness to what happened when the election  eventually held. Did they  win? They didn’t because there is no way they can rig.”

 

Lasun also said he does not believe that the party will conduct a free and fair primaries ahead of the 2022 governorship election, but he warned that “Nobody born of a woman can repeat what they did to me in 2018 because I was rigged out.

 

“I’m not talking about violence, don’t misunderstand me. People know me, I don’t use thugs in politics, I don’t do violence in Osun, but whoever tries it will have his generation to blame for it.

 

“There is still a gang up against me. You want to tell me party members have a say in the party? They don’t have to say.

 

“In 2018, when the opportunity came to run for the governorship election presented itself, I came into the race. Though at that time there was a serious gang up against me at the party level within the state. A serious gang up, well orchestrated, well coordinated. Because of the person I am, I don’t believe in jumping ship. I have had the opportunity to move from APC to another party, but that is not me. I knew the whole thing was tilted against me, but I never bothered.

 

“If not for my campaign, because I came out very early for my campaign in 2017, APC was dead in Osun. Dead to the extent that it was not possible for APC to win that governorship election unless it was given to someone like me.

 

“Let me remind Nigerians today that whether it is a direct or indirect primary, the confusion started in Osun state in 2018, with the sole aim of rigging Lasun Yusuff out of the governorship election. I’m that important in APC.”

 

On his chances in 2022, Lasun said, he knew the election is going to be rigged because the platform is already prepared but he was going ahead because of his conviction that the state will gain more if he emerges as the governor.