Akinyele PDP leaders’ meeting on consensus ends in deadlock – Tribune Online

Efforts by leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo to agree on a consensus candidate for the State House of Assembly election have again ended in a deadlock.

The party leaders had held a series of meetings earlier in the week at the residence of a former council chairman, Engr. Julius Akinsola, in the Iwo Road area of Ibadan, failed to reach a unified position on the candidate for Akinyele Constituency 2.

Four aspirants — Hon. Oluniyi Oladejo, Hon. Olatunde Kehinde, incumbent lawmaker Hon. Oludele Adetunji, and Solomon Olalere — are contesting for the ticket under the PDP.

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Sources at the meetings disclosed that attempts by some leaders to impose a particular aspirant were resisted by others, including the state Commissioner for Education, Engr. Segun Olayiwola, and former Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Jeleel Adeleke.

A follow-up meeting held on Friday, which also had some of the aspirants in attendance, reportedly failed to break the impasse. While deliberations were ongoing, some leaders were said to have conducted a vote and declared a preferred aspirant — a move that further deepened divisions among stakeholders.

Majority of the aspirants, however, insisted that if a consensus could not be reached, all names should be forwarded to Governor Seyi Makinde for a final decision.

Speaking on the development, Adeleke maintained that no candidate had been agreed upon, describing the reported voting process as contrary to the governor’s directive.

“We were asked to arrive at a consensus, not to conduct voting. We could not agree, and some people later went ahead to claim they had chosen someone. I want to state categorically that no candidate has been agreed upon,” he said.

He added that while consensus had been reached for Akinyele Constituency 1 in line with the governor’s directive granting automatic tickets to first-term lawmakers, the situation in Constituency 2 remains unresolved.

Adeleke noted that the final decision on the candidate would now rest with the governor.