Ogun Gov, Abiodun, denies rift with Tinubu amidst APC wrangling

The Ogun State Government explained on Friday that Governor Dapo Abiodun’s social media post was not in response to a statement made by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader and presidential hopeful Bola Tinubu during his recent visit to party delegates in the state.

Tinubu, speaking in Ogun on Thursday, said he expected those he “helped” to back his presidential bid in 2023.

“Dapo that’s sitting down here, could he have been Governor without me?” the APC National Leader asked, referring to Dapo Abiodun as one of the benefactors of his political clout.

“We were at the stadium; they tore all his posters. Even the party flag, they didn’t want to hand over it to him. I was the one who brought it. If he wants to meet God at the right place, he must know that without God and me, he would not have become Governor.”

The governor had endorsed Yemi Osinbajo for the 2023 presidency.

On Friday, a statement that surfaced on Abiodun’s social media pages stating, “I am not an emperor by any chance and this is not my family inheritance.

Read also: Gov Abiodun wins APC primary in Ogun

“I am holding this position in trust for all the people of this state and I have vowed to be fair, just and equitable and this is the solemn agreement I made between the Almighty God and myself.”

However, in a statement titled ‘Governor Abiodun never issued any remark in reaction to Asiwaju Tinubu —Ogun Govt,’ the Ogun State Government maintained the post was not addressed at Tinubu.

Abdulwaheed Odusile, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, signed the statement issued on Friday night.

The statement read, “The attention of the Ogun State Government has been drawn to comments purportedly made by Governor Dapo Abiodun in reaction to statements made by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and presidential hopeful, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his recent visit to party delegates in the state.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the tweet released this morning was an extract to re-emphasise the comments of Governor Abiodun to party faithfuls and appointees on May 29 during the celebration of his third year in office, which also coincided with his 62nd birthday.

“The comments could, therefore, not have been a response to comments by Asiwaju Tinubu whose visits to Abeokuta came five days later.

“While Governor Abiodun appreciates the media, including online platforms, as partners in progress with Government, he enjoins media practitioners to always report the truth at all times and refrain from giving vent to fake news, distortions and misinterpretations.”

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