Osun West Peoples Assembly (OWEPA) has thrown its weight behind the position of a former Interim National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebisi Akande, that if fairness should prevail, a candidate from the west district of the state should become the next governor of the state.

Speaking on Akande’s position, the National Coordinator of the Assembly, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman stated that the APC chieftain deserved accolades from the people of the senatorial district for standing behind equity and justice.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sulaiman insisted that it is the turn of the west senatorial district to produce the next Governor of Osun State after the end of tenure of current Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, reiterating their call for the emergence of credible and generally acceptable candidate for the race from the zone.

While felicitating with Akande on his 79th birthday, the activist maintained that in the interest of justice and political equilibrium, Osun Central and East should support the West to produce the next Governor of the state, reiterating the call on political leaders and gladiators from the district to close ranks in their various political parties to ensure that candidates emerge from their parties as flag bearers were from the zone.

While hosting the leadership of a socio-political group, Osun New Era Group, which paid him a courtesy visit in his Ila-Orangun country home, Akande had explained that the two remaining senatorial districts (Osun Central and Osun East) had had their fair share of presiding over the affairs of the state at one time or the other, and should therefore, allow Osun West to govern the state this time around.

Akande was quoted as stating that, “Osun West Senatorial District is being favoured by virtually all political parties to take over from Aregbesola because the zone only ruled the state for 22 months since the creation of the state.

“Of the three Senatorial Districts in the state, it’s only the west that has never had the opportunity of exercising a minimum of one full tenure since the state was created in 1991.

“Save for the truncated administration of the late Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the district has never had another shot at the governorship seat, but rather, supported others to ensure success for their candidates.”

From the records, however, out of the three civilian governors that had ruled the state, only the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke (1992 – 1993) hailed from Osun West Senatorial District, but his governance was truncated owing to the aborted Third Republic.

The former governor then appealed to the people of Osun West to be united and fight a common cause to produce a credible candidate for the governorship seat.

Other former governors include Chief Adebisi Akande (1999 – 2003) who is from Osun Central, and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (2003 – 2010), from Osun Central, while Mr. Rauf Aregbesola who is from Osun East is about to complete his two terms of eight years tenure in office.

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