BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
A former governor of Ogun State and Senator representing Ogun Central, Ibikunle Amosun, has denied a comment credited to a former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, that he (Amosun) was his (Okupe) Campaign Coordinator in Ogun Central Senatorial District during the run up to the 2003 gubernatorial election.
Okupe had made the statement on Monday while featuring on a live television programme in Lagos.
While reacting through his former Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperatives, Gbenga Adenmosun, Amosun noted that Okupe’s memory must have failed him.
“I must say that I was rather taken aback by the strange claims made by Dr. Okupe in a public medium, indeed, I can only assume that his memory somehow fails him. It is on record that I was the Secretary of PDP, Ogun Central Elders Caucus and Campaign Coordinator for Senator Ibikunle Amosun during his Senatorial Campaign between 2001 and 2003, and I can authoritatively say that Senator Amosun was a candidate himself and definitely not the Campaign Coordinator for Dr. Okupe. Indeed, as a candidate himself, it would not have been possible for him (SIA) to have been the Campaign Coordinator for Dr. Okupe or any other candidates,”Adenmosun explained.
The former Commissioner stated further that ex- Governor Gbenga Daniel was the only candidate in Ogun State that received the overt and covert support of Amosun in 2003.
“It is Otunba Gbenga Daniel whom Senator Amosun openly identified with and supported throughout the run up to the gubernatorial election,” Adenmosun stated.
“Of course, I am aware that SIA, like he did to many of the aspirants and candidates, also supported Dr. Okupe’s governorship aspiration materially, but he was never his coordinator in Ogun Central or any other parts of Ogun State,” the former Commissioner clarified.
