By Mumini Abdulkareem
Senatorial aspirant of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Comrade Musbaudeen Esinrogunjo has hinted that he may leave the party if there are no genuine reconciliatory efforts on the part of the leaders to appease aggrieved members.
Esinrogunjo who was speaking during a radio programme on Tuesday however maintained that he is still in the APC for now and debunked rumour making the rounds that he has been offered money to decamp.
Callers during the programme were divided over the issue. While some pleaded with him to stay in the APC, others called on him to dump the party adding that the altitude of party leaders over the handling of the issue was nothing to write home about and advised him to leave since he has not been appreciated.
According to him, “In politics, one vote cannot be wasted and everybody is relevant and important and can go on to make huge difference at the end of the day. But when you see the way some people have acted, they still have a long way to go regarding the fallout of the APC primaries in Kwara State.
“When somebody cough out millions to buy form and yet didn’t get a free and fair environment to contest the election and is angry, you have to plead with him and not send party members to go and insult him.
“We have expected a very transparent reconciliatory move from the party leaders to placate those that were aggrieved as a result of the last primaries but there is nothing progressive so far about their actions. We have waited for weeks and election is less than three months, yet some people are still feeling aggrieved, then something is not right.
“We don’t want the party to implode and that is why we suggested such reconciliatory steps but nothing has since happened.
“I am a politician with reputation and integrity. I used to tell people that I am not part of the people that will go to radio to insult personalities. I have heard that some people said I have decamped to PDP. But noting to that effect and i cannot be priced. They said I have collected N100m because they saw me with a new car.
“Today I am still a member of APC but I cannot say what will happen tomorrow. It may not necessarily be PDP but any other party. Anybody can interpret that the way it pleases them.
“It’s not an understatement that I was approached which is very normal in politics, but that shouldn’t lead to some of the narrative that has emerged over the incident.
“In APC, we cannot say everything is well or pretend everything is okay, that is politics. People have been protesting in other states about the last APC primaries but we that have accepted our fate here in Kwara, ordinary reconciliatory meeting since about three months now has not been convened to address the plight of aggrieved members”.
He said he has concluded plans to relocate to Irepodun for the by-election to lead the campaign and support the APC candidate, Raheem Olawuyi Ajulo-Opin.
