Three governorship aspirants – incumbent Governor Gboyega Oyetola, former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Yusuff Lasun, and former Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeotia have been screened ahead of the February 19 primary election in Osun State.
Adeotia recently returned to the ruling APC in June 2020 from the Action Democratic Party.
The three aspirants were screened at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja by a seven-man committee led by Osagie Iyamu, on Thursday.
Oyetola told reporters shortly after his screening that his records in the past three years in office will guarantee his victory come July 16.
According to him, “Let me say this, my performance in office (in all areas of endeavour, in the area of infrastructure, health, education, security, and the economy) as I speak today is enough for me to win the primary in the party and to win the election.
“That means by every standard, we have done so well. So given the fact that within the last three and a half years I have been able to justify the confidence reposed in me by the people.
“I have been very much involved in the party, right from the time of AD till date. I’m not a novice when it comes to the issue of party. If my performance speaks for me, that is good and fine.”
Adeoti who also hails from Iwo town, defected from the APC to ADP ahead of the 2018 election. But he later returned in 2020 vowing not to leave the party, even if he does not scale through the primary.
He said, “I won’t leave APC. I was the party chairman in AD and later in ACN till 2010 before I was appointed as the secretary to the governor. I left then because of what they did to me as a foremost chieftain of the party not just in Osun but in the entire South-West.”
Adeoti, however, affirmed that he has since petitioned the party over the change of date of the primary election and Oyetola’s eligibility to run for a second term.
Lasun refused to address journalists after his screening as he hurried of the national secretariat immediately after the screening.
