Daniel begged me to join Ogun gov race – Olurin

Former military governor of the old Oyo State and erstwhile Sole Administrator of Ekiti State, Maj.-Gen. Tunji Olurin (retd.), on Monday said he was persuaded to join the governorship race in Ogun State by Governor Gbenga Daniel.

Olurin, who spoke at hisresidence in Ikoyi, Lagos, said the Ogun State governor practically begged him to contest the election. He added that Daniel even enlisted the help of some traditional rulers.

The former administrator challenged Daniel to come out openly to deny the fact that he begged him to contest, adding, “Let him tell the public that he had no relationship with me, then I’ll blow everything open.” Olurin said he had been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party since 2006.

Showing our correspondent his membership card, he said, “Though I have been a member of the PDP since 2006, I was not playing active politics until I decided to run. In June 2007, Daniel approached me, saying he wanted me to contest the Ogun State governorship election in 2011; he brought me into it.

“I told him 2011 was still quite far and that it was too early for succession talks. I urged him to instead face his work in the state. He asked me to run, apparently as a way to show gratitude for the way I helped him to emerge governor the second time.

“But I told him I didn’t help him so that I could take over from him, but to help the community to which I belong. For eight months, Daniel pressed me to run; by the time I agreed, he rattled me with a statement, when he said he wanted a Muslim from my community. I told him not get involved in any religious problem.

“He kept denying that he had a candidate until December 2010, when he said he had some boys from whom he could pick the next governorship candidate of the PDP for the state.”

Olurin stated that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was not the one who asked him to run. He added, “When the factions within the Ogun State PDP met in Obasanjo’s house, there was a question about who would be the party’s candidate in 2011. Daniel said he would support me and Obasanjo accepted me.”

However, the Ogun State Commission for Information, Mr. Sina Kawonise, debunked Olurin’s assertions in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday night.

He said, “It is a big lie! Governor Daniel never begged Gen. Olurin to contest the governorship. Rather, when some of his people in Ogun West spoke with him about the possibility of contesting the governorship, he declined.

“He claimed to be too old to stand the rigour of politics and begged to be left alone to enjoy his retirement. At any rate, Olurin has not even met the statutory two years membership of the PDP that qualifies anyone to run for elective positions.”

-Punch

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Posted by admin on Feb 7 2011. Filed under Ogun, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry