Osun gov: Jonathan asked me to contest, says Adeleke

A former Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to join the race for the August 9 governorship election holding in the state.

He said this on Thursday at the Peoples Democratic Party secretariat in Osogbo where he had gone to pick up a form to contest for the party’s primary.

A former Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi and Mr. Wole Oke had been cleared by the party state executive  as the governorship aspirants who met the deadline for the purchase and submission of intention form.

Adeleke, who is also a former senator, confirmed the rumour  that his coming to join the race less than three weeks to the primary was as a result of pressure from the Presidency.

The governorship aspirant said that he was interested in the race to the Senate but was called from the Presidency and asked to contest because of his pedigree.

Adeleke, who the state executive of the party had said was not a financial member of the PDP, pleaded for forgiveness with a promise that he would do “whatever is necessary.”

He said, “I want to plead with you to forgive me because I have not been  seeing you. I wanted to go to the Senate until about four weeks ago when the President ( Jonathan) sent for me.

“I went to Abuja and I met his aides; they  told me that the President wanted me to  be the PDP governorship candidate in Osun. I said it was okay by me but I told them that I was only preparing for the Senate.  I also said that how would the three governorship aspirants who have been working round the clock feel about this. I said the President should talk to them so that they would not see me as a treacherous person.

“The President called me and said the same thing and he said that he would reach out to other contestants. If it is me God wants to use to win the election then I wholeheartedly accept. I am not seeking to cause disaffection within the party and I am not desperate about it.”

Adeleke said that despite being asked to join the race, he still needed the support of everybody in the party while urging all aspirants to run rancour free campaigns ahead of the April 5 PDP primary.

He said that he decided to heed the call and join the race with the aim of restoring the state to the glorious vision of its founding fathers.

A former Speaker in the state, Mr.   Adejare Bello, who was one of the dignitaries who followed Adeleke to the party secretariat, also pleaded with the state executives to forgive any wrong done to them by the new aspirant