Despite injustice done to me, I stand with Tinubu, Amosun tells defecting loyalists

Prior to the general elections of 2023, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, a former governor of Ogun State, reaffirmed his support for Bola Tinubu, the APC’s nominee for president.

Before switching to the former governor of Lagos State during the APC’s primary election in Abuja, Amosun was one of the party’s candidates for president.

It is alleged that several party leaders, including Tinubu, stopped his appointed successor in Ogun State from receiving the APC nomination for the 2019 election. They supported Dapo Abiodun, the current governor, in favour.

Amosun’s supporters once again came up short in the state’s most recent primary elections for governor and legislative offices ahead of 2023, as Abiodun remained tightly in control of the party structure in Ogun.

According to information obtained, some supporters of Amosun have left the party as a result of a split during the party’s primaries and the national leadership’s refusal to implement a sharing plan put up by the committee for reconciliation last year.

However, Amosun, on Tuesday, told his loyalists that the “injustice” meted out to his camp, would not affect his support for Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari.

At an extended leaders’ meeting held at the former governor’s Ibara mansion in Abeokuta, he addressed through a factional APC Chairman named Derin Adebiyi.

He pleaded that he (and his name) be excluded from the negotiations because he is still committed to seeing that Tinubu wins the 2023 presidential election, even though he stated that he would not prevent any of his supporters from pursuing their political ambitions in any political party of their choice.

Amosun also maintained that the President remains his friend, no matter what happens; promising to stay with him till the end of his administration on May 29, 2023.

He maintained that those defecting from the party were free to test their popularity elsewhere, saying, however, that they should not negotiate with his name.

While delivering Amosun’s message to the meeting, Adebiyi was quoted to have said, “He (Amosun) has sent us to you that he stands with Tinubu, he is loyal to APC. He stands with President Muhammadu Buhari and by the grace of God, on May 29, 2023, he will follow him to Daura and say Alhamdulilah.

“If there is any other step to be taken, it will be a collective decision.

“Now, he said we should tell all of you that whoever loves him and believes in him with all his explanations, such person should stay with him and that he is not angry with anybody.

“Whoever wants to contest in another platform is free to contest, but should not use the name of this group or that of SIA to negotiate. This is what Amosun is saying. This is what he has asked us to tell you.”