Ogun Governorship Polls: Political Calculation Favours Kashamu of PDP

The current political calculations in Ogun State appear to favour the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Kashamu Buruji as the elections slated for 9th March, 2019 are fast approaching.

Reports Indicated that Kashamu Buruji appears to be better placed amongst the four leading governorship candidates in the state.

One of the candidates, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI) of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), we gathered is limited by many factors.

It was revealed that GNI, who hails from Ogun West, was in the camp of former governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State as at 2011, but that he shifted to the camp of Kashamu Buruji in 2015 having lost the 2011 governorship election in the state.

However, GNI is said to be standing alone now as he has left both Gbenga Daniel and Kashamu and pitched his tent with the newly formed ADC.

Sources stated that GNI has a weak political base in Ogun East and Ogun Central, and that in Ogun West, he would contend with the Governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Hon. Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade, who is being sponsored by the incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun,as they both hail from the area and that his strength only lies in Imeko Afon.

On his part, Adekunle Akinlade of the APM is said to lack political pedigree apart from the fact that he is a member of the Federal House of Representatives under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APM reportedly performed woefully in the Saturday 23 February, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly elections, which held across the country.

The performance was said to be due to the lack of popularity of the party and the fact that the godfather of Akinlade, Governor Ibikunle Amosun contested for the Ogun Central Senatorial District under the APC and even worked for Presidential Muhammadu Buhari under the same party.

With this, the APM is relatively unknown to the people of the state, and this, we were told, will affect the fortune of the party in the 9 March, 2019 polls.

Mr. Dapo Abiodun of the APC might also not go far in the governorship election as the candidate of the party, according to political observers.

Abiodun, who is from Ogun East, is reported to have always been defeated by Kashamu in the district.

"Dapo Abiodun cannot defeat Kashamu Buruji in Ogun East. "Remember Kashamu is currently representing Ogun East at the senate and this is because he is popular amongst the people as a philanthropist and a man of the people.

"One other thing that has endeared Kashamu to the people is the fact that he hates cheating and he cannot tolerate it in anyway.

"Moreso, Kashamu does not believe in violence, which is why he resorted to courts of law anytime he had any serious issue with anybody, especially on political matters," said a source.

We gathered that with what has happened between Governor Amosun and the national leaders of the APC, which necessitated his sponsoring Hon. Adekunle Akinlade as the Governorship candidate of the APM, he will not work for the APC in the governorship election.

Also, with Hon. Akinlade and GNI coming from Ogun West, some of the votes of the area would be divided between the two candidates and the majority of the people would vote for some other parties including Kashamu Buruji of the PDP, who is said to be popular in the area.

On the differences in the PDP in Ogun State, we were informed that Kashamu Buruji has been meeting all the stakeholders in the party in the state and has promised to operate an all-inclusive government that will include people from the two major factions of the party in the state.

We were also informed that as a successful politician and businessman, Kashamu Buruji is not going to the office of the governor of the state for self aggrandisement, but that he is seeking the office to better the lots of the people and bring development into the state.