Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has branded his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, as a “failed man,” saying his “anti party politics” cannot affect his re-election bid in 2023.

Abiodun and Amosun have renewed their rivalry ahead of next year’s governorship poll.

On Monday, Amosun openly confirmed that he is backing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Biyi Otegbeye, in the next election against Abiodun who is the candidate of APC, the party they both belong to.

Amosun spoke during an exclusive interview with BBC Yoruba, which was monitored by our correspondent in Abeokuta.

Abiodun, however, has hit back at Amosun, declaring that he would fail in his anti party politics aimed to scuttle his reelection bid in 2023.

Abiodun who flayed Amosun for playing “dirty politics” and openly declaring to work for the emergence of a governorship candidate of another party next year, said that the former governor would fall once again as he did in the 2019 governorship election.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA), held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, on Friday, Abiodun dismissed the former governor’s outburst as an “empty threat of a falling man,” adding that “my second term is already ordained by God”.

The governor noted that “it is a pity that the former governor has quickly forgotten how his adopted candidate lost woefully during the last general election, even when he was still in office as the governor.”

Abiodun insisted that he is not perturbed by his predecessor’s empty threat, as similar threat in 2019 did not amount to anything,

“The same thing that person did in 2019 and failed woefully, even when he was still the governor in the state, he is now preparing to fail again and even fall down.

“We are waving good bye to him now, he is not even a candidate of any political party; he is nothing and he is saying he will stop a governor that God has ordained, he will definitely fail again by the grace of God,” Abiodun stated.

He noted further that being a governor is not anybody’s inheritance, adding that he is governor today because of the divine intervention of the Almighty God who ensured his victory in 2019.

“Being a governor is not a family inheritance. I am not a king, I am governor today because of your support, but, there are some people who are hell bent on fighting God. They fought us before the election, they even went to court from May to December, 2019; they still failed. The Almighty God who ensured my victory in 2019 is still on the throne,” Abiodun added.

The governor who described the automobile technicians as part of the economy who are responsible for looking after people’s vehicles, said that “if they are removed from the automobile value chain, we will be stuck, so, they are extremely important to the transportation value chain and by extension the state economy”

While noting that he will provide the Mechanic Villages with electricity transformers, also noted that the automobile technicians in the state would be provided with soft loans to help their business. (Daily Trust)

Update news