Ajimobi will contest senatorial seat in 2019, says aide

The Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, has disclosed his intention to run for senatorial election in 2019.

The governor, according to his Executive Assistant on Political Matters, Dr. Morounkola Thomas, wishes to represent Oyo South in the Senate.

Thomas said his principal, who was a senator between 2003 and 2007, was being encouraged to return to the Senate in 2019 by the party stakeholders within and outside Oyo State.

A statement on Sunday quoted Thomas as saying this at an elaborate event held at the residence of a leader of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Kamorudeen Ajisafe.

He said, “It is those outside the state that are encouraging him to run. He has been there before and we need experienced people to give us quality representation.

“We need people we can trust, not people who will betray Oyo State and the South-West’s interest for a messy pot of porridge. We know those who betrayed us for mere Senate committee position.”

In his remarks, a governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), advised aspirants seeking elective offices under the party platform to be patient and willing to pay their dues in politics.

He said, “In the camp of the progressives, you have to pay your dues and pass through the political tutelage. In 2010, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at an event here in this local government with Senator Ajimobi and other leaders of the defunct Action Congress seated, advised me to show interest in the governorship race.

“I politely turned it down. I knew it wasn’t my turn. Governor Ajimobi wasn’t governor then but I know I should not jump the gun.

“Our governor has also paid his dues under the late Lam Adesina. Nobody can dispute that he is a Lamist.

“Ido Local Government is launching the campaign to endorse him to go to Senate and by the grace of God, he shall make it.

“Of course, this isn’t his first time. In his first time, he wasn’t a bench warmer there as he gave quality representation. In the Senate, he will be a pride to Oyo State and the South-West.’’