Barely forty hours to the governorship primaries of Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, one of the aspirants, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi Rasheed has withdrawn from the race to support another aspirant, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi.
The Former Minister of Youths made this known in a press release made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday after a meeting with Dr Ogunbiyi at his country home in Ode-Omu, Ayedaade local government area of the state.
According to the release, both of them (Akinlabi and Ogunbiyi) addressed a meeting of all SOAR Coordinators across the state.
Akinlabi at the meeting recalled his sojourn in the PDP and how he has never hesitated to make sacrifices in the larger interest of the party and Osun people.
Akinlabi stated that his decision was as informed by his loyalty to the party and the “dire need to rescue the state and its people and that no sacrifice is too much for the PDP and Osun State.”
He said, “the party at this moment has decided to pick one of the aspirants in order to minimize unnecessary acrimony and wasteful spending on primaries.
“And, as a loyal party man he has willingly agreed to the party position and was therefore, withdrawing his participation from the governorship primary election slated for Saturday.
He urged his supporters and delegates to support the candidature of Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi whom he described as capable of steering the ship of the state.
Today, our dear Osun State is in dire strait due to the poor leadership offered by the APC government in the last seven and a half years.
The objective of the discerning citizens of Osun State including workers and pensioners is to halt the continuity of the APC maladministration in the state and restore hope to the people of the state.
“The people of Osun have beckoned to the PDP to provide the desired alternative leadership and are ready to vote massively for the PDP provided it provides a good candidate; with sound education, knowledge, expertise and pedigree to turn around the economy of the state that is presently comatose.
“After series of consultations with elders, leadership and members of the PDP and widely too with the people of Osun State of all strata, it was generally agreed that the person who may best serve as candidate of the PDP is Dr. Akin Akanmu Ogunbiyi. He is a successful businessman and has run a decent and impressive campaign towards this PDP’s impending primary election.
“I have interacted with him (Ogunbiyi) on different occasions in recent time and I am impressed and convinced that he has the capacity and the political brinkmanship to offer the desired leadership for our dear Osun Sate at this moment.
“Since all my life, I have been advocate of politics without bitterness and not “do or die” it will be inconsistent with my principle and character not go along with the wish of the generality of the people. I am a loyal party man to the core who wants the best for my state and I have made sacrifices in the best interest of the party in the past. On this occasion, I also want to stand up and be counted.
“I hereby willingly withdraw my participation as an aspirant in the PDP 2018 governorship primary election and would be lending my support to the candidature of Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi who is the preferred choice of my party leadership and members to take the lead in the battle to rescue Osun State from APC ineptitude leadership,” he concluded.
