By Christiana Ekpa
There is controversy in Ogun State after one Kolajo Owolabi, said to be an aide of Senator Tolu Odebiyi of Ogun West, claimed that Lagos West Senator, Solomon Adeola was planning to contest in Ekiti South Senatorial District.
It was earlier reported that Adeola might be jostling for Ogun West senatorial ticket, but his Media Adviser, Kayode Odunaro, said that the Senator had not made known his ambition to him.
However, Owolabi, the acclaimed aide of Senator Odebiyi, in a post on Monday, said Adeola had dumped his Ogun West ambition to contest in Ekiti South.
Owolabi alleged that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bola Tinubu, had instructed Adeola, fondly addressed as Yayi, to return to Ekiti, where he (Owolabi) described as his “ancestral root”.
He said “Senator Yayi dumps Ogun Ambition, Settles For Ekiti State. Report reaching my desk made it known that the controversial Lagos senator, Senator Olamilekan Adeola has dumped his senatorial and governorship ambition in Ogun state.
“Yayi, who has been hellbent on representing Ogun west despite spending his entire political sojourn in Lagos state met with Waterloo as his political mentor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has called on the senator to go back to his ancestral root in Ekiti state to float his senatorial ambition.
“Yayi, whose blind followers are not aware of the move to Ekiti state, has within the last 3 months had secret meetings with top political leaders in Ekiti South Senatorial District where he wishes to represent in the forthcoming elections.
“Yayi, having known that his political stride in Lagos is coming to an end with the likes of Obasa and Aregbesola eyeing the senatorial ticket of Lagos west, quickly opted for Ekiti South where he won’t have much to spend and lesser oppositions compared to Ogun state where he is of no match to those jostling for same position.
“Early last week, awareness posters of the senator flooded the streets of Gbonyin local government, Ekiti South Senatorial District where Yayi’s lineage has been traced back to.”
Reacting through his media aide, Odunaro, Senator Adeola debunked the rumour, describing it as shameful and regrettable.
The Senator expressed concern that Owolabi, whom he identified as a Personal Assistant to his Ogun West counterpart, Odebiyi, could dish out such information to tarnish his image.
He boasted that ‘one thousand Owolabis’ and his principal cannot stop him from contesting in Ogun.
While threatening to take “due action” against Owolabi for spreading fake news, Adeola denied eyeing Ekiti South senatorial seat.
“My attention was drawn to a Facebook post of one Kolajo Owolabi, a personal assistant to Senator Tolu Odebiyi claiming that Senator Solomon Adeola (aka Yayi) is contesting elections in Ekiti South Senatorial District.
“One initially thought this is just another desperate gambit of a drowning ambition using fake accounts against Senator Adeola, which all reasonable men will ignore. But the author was identified as a PA to Senator Odebiyi which implicitly indicates he spoke for his principal.
“This fake news from a PA of a Senator is not only shameful but regrettably actionable as it is totally false and aimed at tarnishing the image of a Distinguished Senator.
“There is no doubt that Senator Adeola has no ambition to contest ANY election in Ekiti State and the post is just one of those no brain attempts of some interest at playing politics of exclusion in their morbid fear for the person and politics of Senator Adeola all over the place. A thousand Kolajo Owolabis and principals cannot stop the known ambition of Senator Adeola that is giving them migraines and sleepless nights.
“Kolajo Owolabi should be on notice that due action relating to publication of fake news will be taken against him and his identified cohorts in due course.
“For now we merely deny that Senator Adeola is not contesting any election in Ekiti state and there is no poster anywhere except possibly the ones criminally printed and posted by Kolajo Owolabi,” the statement signed by Adeola’s Media Adviser read in part.
