If the information reaching us Oyo State politics currently us anything to go by, it means the Minister of Communications, Dr. Abdulraheem Adebayo Shittu, will make a list of seven contestants to which over 30 governorship aspirants seeking the ticket of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have been pruned down to.
This is so because, according to a source, the State Governor Abiola Ajimobi gave seven out of the over 30 governorship aspirants on the platform of APC a clean bill of ‘political’ health to contest the party primaries.
One of the criteria used in picking those seven aspirants include their financial wherewithal and feasibility across the state.
At a meeting presided over by him today, the governor, to the surprise of many, increased the list from 4 to 7.
Ajimobi, it will be recalled, had at an Oyo Central senatorial meeting of the APC last Thursday hinted that he would prune down the number of guber aspirants to 4.
Those who are to proceed to buy the nomination forms are Adebayo Adelabu, Joseph Tegbe, Olusola Ayandele, Olalekan Alli, Niyi Akintola, Adebayo Shittu and Owolabi Babalola
Though Owolabi has reportedly bought his form, others are to proceed to Abuja on Monday to purchase their nomination form of N22.5m.
Shittu was however not at the meeting.
As at the time of filing this report, none of the aspirants has reacted contrarily.
The DEFENDER reported recently that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the request of Shittu, who is a cabinet member in Abuja, to seek election as governor of Oyo State.
The Agbaakin of Ibadan Land, Shittu, appears to be the most likely candidate considering his level of underground work going on to his favour.
A source who spoke to The DEFENDER about development in Oyo regarding the chances of Shittu, said, “If nobody should be expected as APC candidate at any election, it was Ekiti State Governor-elect Kayode Fayemi because his people never wanted him. But when he was the choice of popular well guided members of the state politics, who has a choice. So, say anything you like about Shittu, today in Oyo State politics, after Ajimobi he is next the issue.”
