The standard bearer of the political group OSG and former Supervisor for works, Ifelodun LCDA, Engr. Tunde Omojua has warned political leaders in the area to steer clear of the issues in his ward, Ifelodun Ward A, stating that the ward would not tolerate any interference from leaders that are not resident in the ward.
He gave this warning given the ongoing discussions in the LCDA as to who will emerge as Councilors in the various wards across the LCDA as the 2025 local government elections draw close. He said the matter is becoming contentious because the serving Councilor will soon serve out his tenure and this will throw the office open.
“We do not have problems in ward A, we, leaders know ourselves and we are going to sit down and pick somebody who everyone will feel is okay for the ward.
But to say that there is one G17 or G70 that wants to pick a councillorship candidate for the ward, it will never happen in ward A. Acceptable as it is that they are leaders in their wards, they can do whatever they want or pick whosever they want in their wards and we promise we will never interfere in other people’s ward.
But in Ward A, anybody who is not a leader and not in Ward A cannot go and pick any illegal candidate for us here. We are serious, it can never happen”, he warned.
He added that though the ward has the incumbent House of Assembly representative, Hon Luqman Saaid Olumoh, who is the apex leader, which also has Sherubanwo and other older leaders, it may look wrong for anyone to pick slots before them but they cannot choose for us. According to him, he and Hon Olumoh are leaders in their own right, so Olumo’s candidate is his candidate and vice versa. That Hon Olumoh is a member of the LASHA does not make him superior to him or make him his leader.
Omojuwa noted that the so-called leaders in G17 are his contemporaries but some of us decided to step down for others to run for offices as Council Chairman, House of Assembly, or House of Reps member.
“Right from the beginning, Ifelodun LCDA’s first Executive Chairman Taiwo Adenekan was adopted in my house. He was adopted and presented to contest for the Council Chairmanship right in my sitting room here in Ogungbe Street, with his apex leaders, Taju Yekini, Hon Lamina, Hon Babs Olaleye, and myself. The name Allied Group was coined by Olaniyi Idowu. So, if we presented a council chairman and we asked someone to go and contest and represent us and he emerged, he is a leader and we are also leaders.
Hon Adigun, the former vice chairman is also a contemporary, same for Hon Kolawole Taiwo, the former Deputy Speaker, and former Reps member.
Hon Femi Okeowo, the current Chairman was not with us, he just came. He is the council chairman, yes, and with all due respect, he cannot claim he is my leader. All the G17 that they brought all the different kinds of funny people is laughable and yet they cannot come and decide for us in Ward A’’, Omojuwa asserted.
On the contentious issue where the G17 would be asked to ratify on behalf of the other ward ‘A’ leaders whether Omojuwa is not in the membership of the said group, Engr Omojuwa sounded a stern warning that they cannot dare it.
”They cannot dare anything of that sort because we do not even recognize the so-called G17 and nobody in ‘G’ anything can go and sit anywhere to decide for us. It is not possible and cannot happen so long as we would not meddle in their wards; they should not dare or send somebody to meddle in our ward.
I know Hon Olumoh is a member of G17 and he is my own very good friend because he is the best political office holder in the history of Ifelodun for now because he is performing but that does not mean we will sit down and he would tell us he has picked a candidate for the ward. That cannot be possible too and I know Olumoh or Sherubanwo will not try it.
However there is no need to worry yet because the electoral guidelines are not out, even as we are hearing that they have adopted some councilors already, let them in G17 from this ward, come and tell us any rubbish, it will not be funny,’’ he said categorically.
Summing up the talk, Omojuwa agreed that the caucuses cannot resolve the ward councillorship issue since every other caucus has aspirants for the councillorship in the ward but the ward A elder’s forum would have to sit down and arrive at the choice of the ward A councillorship
His words, ‘’ If we cannot peacefully resolve it, the aspirants will go for primary, after all, President Bola Tinubu went for the primary, so why would somebody sit somewhere to tell us that they had chosen a candidate for the ward, it is not just possible’’
He revealed that he is coming out for the Chairmanship contest and will make the official announcement when the time comes.
