A former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, led the campaign on Wednesday of the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the state, Biyi Otegbeye, ahead of the March 11, 2023 election.
Amosun said he felt sad whenever he reviewed the administration of his successor, Dapo Abiodun, and the ways things had gone.
Amosun said, “Before we left, we had put Ogun State in the category of greatness and development. Ogun State, during my time with the support of God and our people, rose from the 35th position before I left to the second or third position.
“Go and see where Ogun State is today, but that is not what we are here to do; we are here to take Ogun State back to that great way.
“Ogun State was once known as a better state, but now, check our education sector, our health sector, our youth employment rate, and many others. We are here to take the mandate back.
“We want someone that can continue what we have done. We are here to take it back. Look at Lagos and other states. Look at what they are doing. I want development; I want progress for Ogun.”
Defending his choice of Otegbeye, Amosun said because Ogun West had not produced a governor in the state.
The former governor, who claimed that he remained in the All Progressives Congress, said he had not changed his mind on his plans to support only Tinubu but work against Abiodun’s ambition for a second term.
He said, “I am APC; when I was in Abuja for the presidential primary, I said I would do Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but, in Ogun State, by the grace of God and the support of all of us in Ogun State, it is Biyi Otegbeye.”
The former governor said his administration spent N6.9bn on 15 model schools, claiming that the present administration renovated the schools with N3bn.
Ogun govt reacts
The governor, in a statement titled “Amosun keeps lying as he joins ADC” issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, said he had put a lie to the claim made by Amosun that he renovated a model school built for N830m with N3bn.
“As a governor, he promised to do everything and did virtually nothing. He abandoned most of them after claiming to have paid 100 per cent for them. We are known as a promise-keeping administration. We promised only what we could do and did all that we promised,” Somorin said.
He added that while it was not surprising that Amosun joined the ADC, the surprising thing was that he was feasting on falsehood started last week by Otegbeye, his new party’s candidate.
He said, “While Otegbeye was awe-struck by the finesse of the Gateway City Centre and put a figure of N7bn on a N350m project, Amosun at the flag off of Otegbeye campaign rally lied to have completed a Model School at Kobape and slammed N3bn as renovation cost on the said school.
“It is a shame that the former governor does not know the difference between converting an abandoned project to a socially desirable Tech Hub at this age and time.
“Rather than applauding the ingenuity of Governor Abiodun for converting the moribund model school to a functional tech hub within three weeks of assuming office, Amosun is resorting to blackmail.”
