By Daud Olatunji

ABEOKUTA—No fewer than 10 political parties in Ogun State have distanced themselves from the reported endorsement of the Governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, APM, Adekunle Akinlade by the the Intra-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in the state.

The political parties which addressed newsmen on Wednesday, in Abeokuta under the aegis of Political Parties Chairmen forum, Ogun State chapter included Better Nigerian People’s Party, BNPP; Freedom and Justice Party, FJP; National Action Congress, NAC; National Democratic Liberty Party, NDLP;  and Masses Movement of Nigeria, MMN.

Others were All Blending Party, ABP; People’s Progressives Party, PPP; Advance Congress of Democrats, ACD; Democratic People’s Congress, DPC; and Progressives People’s Alliance, PPA.

The spokesman of the forum, Chief Olusegun Olufemi, in his speech, denied media reports that 60 political parties had adopted Akinlade, the  preferred governorship candidate of Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.

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The IPAC led by it’s Ogun State Chairman, Abayomi Arabambi, had last week reportedly led 60 political parties to endorse Akinlade during the APM flag off held at MKO International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Olufemi said: “We reject in totality the adoption of any governorship candidate. We urge members of the public to disregard the purported adoption of any political party candidate. Calls have started going round about the adoption of the APM governorship candidate by IPAC.  I want to state clearly that we did not adopt anyone since we also have our own governorship candidates. So, we have come here today to debunk any of such claim.”

“Ogun State is a state of the elites and such things should not come up. Members of the Arabambi-led executive have turned themselves to a butter and bread executive. We are not part of the APM adoption and that adoption holds no water and it can’t stand.

“After reading the report, we have sent different messages to him to debunk that adoption but till today he has not done so and that is why we are coming out to debunk it.”

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On steps taken so far, the forum said it had written a petition to the National Chairman of IPAC, High Chief Peter Ameh against the Arabambi- led exco.

The forum in the petition dated December 24 and signed by all the 10 political parties ,accused the executive members of the state chapter of IPAC of misconduct, abuse of office and engaging in actions inimical to the parties constituting IPAC in the state.

“We are of the view that IPAC executive in Ogun State has derailed from it’s mandate, judging from the recent reported endorsement and adoption of the APM guber candidate in Ogun State. It is curious and against the tenets of democracy for an executive of IPAC to unilaterally adopt a particular candidate in the coming general elections without prior concent of the parties chairmen.”