A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Mr. Segun Sowunmi, has refuted the claims making rounds that he betrayed the Gubernatorial candidate of the party, Hon.Ladi Adebutu in the 2023 elections.
Sowunmi, who aspired to clinch the governoship ticket of the main opposition party with Adebutu, said that he did not betray the party’s candidate whom he worked assiduously for, to win the governoship seat in the state.
He disclosed this on Monday when Mr. Johnson Akinpelu, the publisher of Boseri, a Yoruba Newspaper conferred him with of award of ‘ Akogun Awon Oloselu’ at his residence in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Sowunmi, who was hopeful that PDP would come out victorious on the supreme court judgment between Adebutu and the incumbent Governor of the State, Dapo Abiodun of All Progressive Congress(APC) insisted that his party won the 2023 governoship election in the state.
He alleged that the governorship election was rigged in favour APC and Governor Abiodun, saying that he could accept the finality of whatever verdict the supreme court would deliver but would not concur that PDP did not win the gubernatorial election in the state
He wondered why Abiodun who did not win the election his Ikenne Local Government Area could defeat the governoship candidate of his party, alleging failure of BVAS to accredit voters due to technical issues, snatching of ballot boxes and manipulation of figures as reasons APC won the gubernatorial election in the state
Sowunmi, however, maintained that there is a cordial relationship between him and Adebutu, while urging the members of the party and public as well as the media to ignore as false and unfounded any news making rounds that he betrayed Adubutu and they were not in good terms.
He said ” Nobody should say such to me that i betrayed Adebutu. I can even say that if they were they ones in my shoes they will not behave like that the way i behaved by supporting Adebutu. They have been time when the ticket did not work for them did they stand and work for the party, what did they do in 2015, what did they do in 2019 when it did not favour them. It did not favour me i worked tirelessly like jackal.”
“In my federal constituency, Abeokuta South, i worked exceedingly hard and that is where they (PDP) won with the largest margin how can anybody be talking nonsense i have defended the cause of the party as much as i can, should i not have aspired when i have aspiration for it and did you see me doing do-or-die with them are they not in this state”
“When they say lets resolve it and within a second i dropped it and we are together and i have also insisted very clearly that PDP won the 2023 Governorship election in Ogun State, it does not matter what the supreme court says i can concede to the finality of what supreme court will say but i will never accept that we did not win that election because how is it that we will not look at the BVAS, we will not look at all the ballot papers, how can you win election when you lost everywhere in you home are you so smart that you lost in your place and it is in my own place that they will give you vote.”
“When you now go to the far areas of Yewa where a whole structure collapse and you decided to manipulate figures. So, Honourable Adebutu and i are together for the sake of the party our brotherhood was good. i visited him when i was England and the reception was very good. I was happy with him. In fact when i saw him in England i said it seems as if after this election a great transformation had taken place here because his actions were very gubernatorial.”
“Well it is possible that in a couple of days time the supreme court will give a verdict and we as PDP are hopeful. But you know when you say you are hopeful you still have to wait and hear the verdict, i will just say let what is best for Ogun State happened. but there is no issue of whatsoever between Adebutu and i”
“You know when we are still struggling for the ticket yes he was struggling as he could and i was struggling as i could and they did not call my case and if anybody say i lost, no because that case was pending in the court, and for what reason or the other they kept saying my case was not in the list, but they had listed me that is not what they would be saying, if i had become the candidate would they have easily done as i did if i say come lets work together would they had answered, but i had done what i could do for the party as human being.” Sowunmi added
