Four aspirants seeking Ogun Central's Senate seat under the APC have firmly rejected Governor Dapo Abiodun's choice of the current senator. The governor announced Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu as the consensus candidate at a stakeholder meeting in Abeokuta on Thursday.
The event took place at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in the state capital. Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, APC governorship hopeful Senator Solomon Adeola, and party chairman Yemi Sanusi attended the gathering.
Word had spread that some attendees opposed Salisu's re-election bid. Yet the governor proceeded with the endorsement announcement anyway.
Four contenders made their opposition clear immediately after the meeting concluded. They are Senator Lanre Tejuoso, Senator Olugbenga Obadara, Emmanuel Sofela, and business executive Otunba Muriana Banjoko.
Tejuoso, who held the seat from 2015 to 2019, called the endorsement unacceptable. He argued that party members should choose their own candidate through a democratic process.
Obadara served Ogun Central from 2011 to 2015 and was more blunt in his criticism. "It's immoral," he told reporters flatly.
According to Obadara, the move contradicted earlier discussions among party stakeholders. "We are totally rejecting the decision to endorse Senator Salisu," he said, speaking for all four aspirants.
Sofela emphasized that democracy demands listening to the people being governed. "If four aspirants and most people of Ogun Central say we don't want our current representative to continue, what more proof is needed?" he asked.
Banjoko aligned with his fellow contenders' position completely. He noted a meeting held the previous night at 1:30 a.m. had reached no conclusion before the governor's surprise endorsement.
Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun is also running for the seat but hasn't yet responded to the announcement. He obtained nomination forms as an APC aspirant.
Last month, party leaders and contenders had gathered at former Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba's residence to discuss consensus arrangements. During that meeting, Amosun claimed he had President Bola Tinubu's backing as the consensus choice.
Other aspirants, including Salisu, disputed that claim strongly. The gathering ended without agreement on any candidate.
Amosun later issued a statement clarifying his remarks from that contentious meeting. His full response to this week's endorsement remains pending.
