Daniel Charges Amosun to Shun Ego for Ogun West Governorship

By Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta

Former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has urged the incumbent state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, to do away with personal ego if he is truly interested in ensuring that an Ogun West candidate emerges his successor in the 2019 general election.

Addressing select journalists at his Maryland, Lagos residence yesterday, Daniel added that if Amosun wants a Yewa man to be his successor, he shouldn’t allow two candidates to emerge at a time, so that the votes at the general elections would not be shared between them.

However, the former governor sympathised with the people of Ogun West, having lost the APC governorship ticket to Prince Dapo Abiodun, an Ogun East candidate.

According to him, the next governorship candidate of the state should not be based on sentiment.

He charged the Ogun West people not to blame the people of Ogun Central and East for their problems.

“The problem of the Ogun West people is in their hands

“Ogun East (Remo and Ijebu) is homogeneous in nature, likewise the Ogun Central. They speak the same language. But the same is not applicable in Ogun West district where we have sub ethnic groups like the Awori, Ketu, Egun, Ohori, Yewa, Eyo, Anago and others.

“Whether we like it or not, the Ogun West people are the minority.

For instance, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area which falls within the purview of the Awori has the largest population, including the voting patterns, than the four other local government areas. And in Ogun West senatorial district, they have five only local government areas.

“Even in Ogun West, Imeko is not considered a full-fledged Yewa town-that it is a minority.

“I could recall when I wanted Prince Gboyega Isiaka to succeed me in office in 2011. Isiaka is from Imeko.

“When I was trying to sell Isiaka to the people of Ogun West, they once asked me ‘how can they now go to Imeko to pick a governorship candidate, without going to Ilaro, which is the administrative headquarters of Ogun West’?

“You need to know where you are and where you are going.

“Go and pray, if God says it would happen in Ogun West, then so be it. There is a popular saying that once an opportunity is lost, it can never be regained, but they can still regain it, if they can work hard and with a lot of prayers,” Daniel stated.