There were strong indications yesterday, that, ahead of the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo State, former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has sealed an alleged power sharing deal with the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Chief Olusola Oke, Daily Sun report suggests
The APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, is said to be rooting for Chief Olusola Oke, the candidate of the AD, following the edging out of his preferred candidate in the party primary, Chief Segun Abraham.
Oke had, like Abraham, lost out in the same exercise but opted for the Action Alliance (AA) before he moved to the AD allegedly on the directive of Tinubu.
According to ThisDay Newspaper, Tinubu has sealed a power sharing deal with Oke. Among the terms of the deal is that for bankrolling Oke, the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, would nominate the secretary to the state government.
Among other things, the power sharing deal involves the distribution of cabinet slots and other strategic positions if Oke wins. But there is a caveat: the APC leaders must mobilise enough resources and voters to first ensure the victory of the AD candidate.
Although details of the power sharing deal were still kept secret, a source close to the deal disclosed that Oke had agreed to concede some positions to the APC national leader and Aregbesola.
They include: Secretary to the State Government (SSG), chairmanship of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Commissioners for Finance, Works, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Health and headship of the Ondo State Board of Internal Revenue. Others include six caretaker committee chairmanship positions, that is, two per senatorial district as well as four special advisers.
The source said: “You know that the circumstances that led us to the AD are very peculiar. At first, we wanted Action Alliance but when the national leader suggested that we need to test the ground with AD in lieu of the zone’s interest ahead of 2016, we had no choice than accept the AD proposal.
“But what I just told you is not abnormal in politics especially when you view it from the prism of the need to cut down the APC candidate. I can assure you that the arrangement will work perfectly well and we will have no problem about that.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the AD has approved a waiver to enable Oke fly the party’s flag in the election.
In a statement by its National Chairman, Chief Joseph Avazi, yesterday, the party said that it had rectified the waiver for Oke at its National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.
He said: “After a careful and exiting deliberation during the NEC meeting which took place on the 17th day of November, 2016 at Afri Hotel Abuja, in bid to move the party forward, the NEC hereby adopts the following resolution as issued in this communiqué.”
He said that the AD NEC meeting was monitored by INEC officials, Mr. Ifaladu Saadu and Mrs. Bola Adewon.
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