Osun 2014: Oyinlola to meet Tinubu

THE DAILY SUN NEWSPAPER
Barring last minute change of mind, plans have been concluded by the former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola to lead his associates and supporters in the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, over the coming governorship election in the state.
Daily Sun learnt on Monday that Oyinlola had held several meetings with his political associate where the idea of collaborating with the APC over the coming poll ahead of final consideration to join the party later.
A close source to one of the meetings held at Oyinlola’s residence in Okuku, headquarters of Odo-Otin Local Government Area of the state confided in Daily Sun that “the choice of APC in the coming election is borne out of the belief that if a former senator grabs the PDP ticket, he will have the backing of Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who is the leader of the Labour Party.”
Governor Mimiko is believed to be a good friend of the senator and former deputy governor, who is believed to be so strong footed in the state chapter of the PDP so much that clinching the party’s ticket in the primaries is almost a foregone conclusion. And if that happens, he will be the automatic leader of the party in the state over Oyinlola, his former boss a situation that no serious politician would detest.
Daily Sun gathered that the meeting was polarized into two factions with one faction supporting joining the Labour Party, while the other was in agreement with Oyinlola over the APC choice.
The faction that preferred the Labour, according to investigation hinged its support for the party on the reported Mimiko’s commitment to support any Labour candidate in any contest, while the other faction was of the conviction that teaming up with the APC would make them equal joiners since the party had not registered its members.
They said following Oyinlola to the APC would be in line with the thinking of the ‘rebel governors’ who were talking with the leadership of the APC about the possibility of belonging to the same party in the event that the old PDP refused to reconcile with them.
Daily Sun can authoritatively report that, it is against that polarization in the team that has led to some of the team members to go ahead to romance with the Labour Party with a view to joining the party and seeking its governorship ticket for the coming election in 2014.
Daily Sun had reported last week that a former commissioner under Oyinlola had concluded plans to declare for the Labour Party and also intend to declare his governorship interest before the end of this month.
A source close to the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregesola, who craved anonymity confided in Daily Sun that “the governor is not unaware of the move by a section of the opposition to have a meeting with him and his party.”