Mogaji Kayode Ogunsola, a leading aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, has described the 2026 Oyo PDP governorship primary of the party as sham and a rape of democracy.
Ogunsola, who claimed that he was excluded from the process, stated this while addressing a press conference on the Oyo PDP governorship primary, held on Sunday.
He stated that he was not part of the process, having be excluded through what he described as an instrument of blackmail, adding that he was not defeated but rather prevented from participating in the 2026 Oyo PDP governorship primary.
He thanked the PDP national leadership for laying the foundation for what could have been a thorough primary process, but expressed regrets that the process was truncated by the state leadership of the party, especially other aspirants to the governorship seat.
Faulty 2026 Oyo PDP Governorship Primary
He faulted the PDP governorship primary declaring, “I want to state for the benefit of our teeming party members that unfortunately, we were excluded from participating in this governorship primary election.
“We have followed the process meticulously, met all requirements, so it is surprising that we were excluded from the primary.
“I think it is in the common interest of all aspirants to ensure that we submit ourselves to an open, transparent and equitable process. Aspirants should seek to win primaries as a true test of their acceptability.
“My exclusion was based essentially on blackmail by some other aspirants at the state level. Aspirants, including myself, should endeavour to win primaries on merit.
“We should let the members decide. There is, honestly, no merit in winning a contest without credible contestants.
Mode Of Primary
He also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to always be specific and act in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution and extant laws, rules and guidelines of the federation, as regards the conduct of party primary.
“I believe INEC, as an electoral umpire, needs to be much more specific and prescriptive on how party primaries are conducted. The law currently prescribes two modes for conducting party primaries namely, consensus and direct primaries.
We have seen on social media how direct primaries have been conducted. We see how counting has been done. In many cases, accreditation is skipped. This isn’t good for the system. It needs to be improved.
“I believe INEC can specify how verifiable party primaries should be conducted, from end to end. Also, I believe we should look to deploy simple technology for party primaries. We can do better and we must.
Service To The People
Mogaji Kayode Ogunsola, who stated that he was not aggrieved by any means, said he would not leave PDP, declaring that he was seeking elective public office to serve the people.
“The end result of politics is governance. We need leaders that can deliver for the people. Our people need jobs, make living wages, enjoy good healthcare and an improvement in living standards.
“That is what we at Óseése [his political group] are committed to. We in the Óseése Movement will continue to work on delivery of service that will be for the benefit of the good people of Oyo State,” he added.
