Prof. Abideen Olaiya, a former deputy governorship candidate in Oyo State and aspirant in the just-concluded convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, explained his withdrawal from the National Secretary race at the party’s national convention.
Olaiya, who was led to the stage by former governor Olusegun Osoba of Ogun State, to announce his withdrawal, in a statement made available to The Guardian disclosed that Chief Osoba pleaded with him to step down out of respect for President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders of the party in the Southwest.
Olaiya said he decided to contest because nobody had met with him to step down before the convention.
The statement, titled: “2022 APC National Convention: Why I withdrew from the race of National Secretary of APC.”
“In preparation for the 2022 APC National Convention, I obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the office of National Secretary of our party, which was zoned to the Southwest.
“My interest to occupy this seat was based primarily on my experience in politics over the years, knowing the importance of party politics and its involvement in installing good governance. More importantly, was the unfortunate demise of two of our leaders in Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi and Chief Adebayo Akala, which left a big vacuum in APC Oyo State.
“Thereafter, I got the information that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR has requested and encouraged governors and leaders from Southwest and other regions to agree on a consensus candidate for all positions in the party. At this time, I was expecting intervention from our leaders on what step I should take. This did not come until the last-minute intervention at the convention ground.
“The process of consensus-building, I learned was followed to the letter in cas