NB247
Former senator for Ondo Central, Ayo Akinyelure, has blamed unfairness in the All Progressives Congress’ internal politics for his exit out of the party.
Mr Akinyelure, popularly known as All Over One, said he defected from the APC to the African Democratic Congress when he was told that the ticket had been set aside for some preferred candidates rather than allowing a fair contest so the best could emerge.
He said the records showed that he had the best credentials having served in the Senate for two terms with excellent records of delivering dividends democracy to his contituency.
Mr Akinyelure spoke at a media parley with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Akure on Monday.
The former senator said the APC senatorial tickets were made available to preferred candidates of those in power, locking out those with competence and track records.
According to him, leaving the APC for the ADC was to ensure he secured a platform to serve the interest of his people.
“I went to see the governor to talk to him about my intention to return to the Senate, but the governor told me the truth, he said the ticket was not available, not even for his own candidates,” he said.
“So I quickly moved to the ADC where I was unanimously adopted as the senatorial candidate of the party in Ondo Central.”
He noted that despite running on the platform of the ADC, he was not at war with any person in the APC, promising to work with anyone who emerges as President provided it offered him the chance to bring development to Ondo Central.
He urged the citizens to look through his records during his tenure at the Senate and vote on that basis, as he had no money to engage in the distribution of bags of rice as some candidates are currently doing.
On fuel subsidy, Mr Akinyelure said he believed that the current sufferings of the masses informed the position of of the ADC, Atiku Abubakar, to propose a reversal of the current policy on fuel subsidy removal.
He said even though the Preaident had good intentions when he approved the removal of fuel subsidy, the current hardship had made necessary to tinker with the policy.
“”The people are suffering and the President’s subordinate ministers are making things hard for the people,” he said.
Mr Akinyelure first went to the Senate in 2011 as a Labour Party member when he defeated incumbent PDP senator, Gbenga Oguniyan.
He later moved to the PDP and was defeated by Tayo Alasoadura, of the APC in 2015. He later moved to the APC where he secured the ticket and returned to the Senate. But the politics of the APC in 2019 kept him out, allowing Adeniyi Adegbomire to fill the gap for Ondo Central from from 2023.