Thousands of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party, Social Democratic Party, SDP, and other parties are ready to immediately decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, once he wins the ticket of the APC to contest for the seat of Oluyole Federal Constituency in the National Assembly in the next general elections, a renowned journalist and former Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan told journalists in Ibadan today.
Alhaji Olaosebikan, speaking with journalists at the NUJ Press Centre disclosed that he was already busy with calls from members of the ruling party in the state and other eminent leaders and members of other parties s on their readiness to decamp to APC en-masse once he gets the ticket, since the news of his successful screening for the Oluyole Federal Constituency filtered out at the weekend.
His words: “I have received so many calls from my brothers and sisters in the other parties, PDP, Accord, SDP, etc. expressing with profound excitement their readiness to join us in APC once I win the ticket.
“Without their calls, I knew this would happen. They know me and the kind of person I am. They know that I am a straight forward politician with the interest of all at heart.
“My concentration mainly is in people and their progress. They know that just as I do in my profession of journalism, I practice development politics. They know that I am competent, capable and caring. That I am always fair in all my dealings and relationships is also well known to them.”
According to the journalist-turned politician, the traditional rulers, landlords, workers in the council, and clerics of all the faiths are also quite anxious to see me getting the ticket as many of them too have been calling and praying for my success in the primaries.
“As the local government chairman, I related very well with all and sundry giving everyone a sense of ownership in the administration of the council. In less than six months I left a record in performance, proactive governance and robust relationships unbeatable till today,” Olaosebikan said.
Kehinde Olaosebikan served as the Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor Lam Adesina of Oyo State between 1999 and 2003. As a core welfarist, Olaosebikan introduced a non-discriminatory monthly stipend for all journalists covering the state as soon as he became the Chief Press Secretary in June 1999.
The stipend christened KO, an acronym for Kehinde Olaosebikan, is still being enjoyed by journalists till date. As CPS, he was awarded the Best CPS in Nigeria by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council and the Most Outstanding CPS in Nigeria by the Oyo State Council of NUJ.
Under the governorship of Senator Raheed Adewolu Ladoja, Olaosebikan was elected as the Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area on May 24, 2007. The councils were dissolved by the Akala administration that came to power on May 29, 2007.
Governor Adebayo Alao Akala in search of merit and the best person to administer the all-important Gateway to Oyo State, appointed Alhaji Olaosebikan as the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of Oluyole Local Government on December 17, 2010.
A complete loyal, committed and dedicated member of APC, Kehinde Olaosebikan was the Chairman of the Strategy, Media and Publicity Committee for the APC Membership Registration and Validation Exercise held last year where he led the committee in sensitizing, mobilizing and registering the highest number of people for the APC across Oyo State, an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of party registration the state.
Olaosebikan is the Asiwaju of Agbe (farmers) in Oluyole as well as the Agba Akin Adini of the entire Muslims in the local government.
“With me as the candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress in the federal constituency, we shall win well over 90 percent of the entire votes in all the elections. The turnout would be massive and our victory shall be overwhelming,” Olaosebikan said.