Preamble
We were shocked to the marrows by the flyers which Asipa Kaoli Olusanya distributed to member of the divisional leaders on Friday, June 24, 2016 purporting the flyers were produced by “Concerned Ikorodu Youths.” In all truth, it was Asipa Kaoli, leading a group of misguided (deliberately or otherwise) persons that produced the document after a series of meeting, and with the active connivance of his assistant, Chief Adenrele Olowu.
After distributing the documents, Asipa made formal presentation of it, dangling one of the flyers, saying: “I totally support the contents of this document”, and took the items (10 in number) one by one for almost one hour. He ended his presentation by stretching his hands forward with the document and saying: “this is our petition. Immediately Asipa took his seat, Chief Adenrele Olowu took the floor and endorsed all that Asipa had said.
The flyer at its top highlight states as follow:
“Our two Fathers ignored democratic principles and unilaterally picked everyone that has represented Ikorodu for the past 12 years both elective positions and appointed positions while ignoring competent and qualified candidate.
One of them (Princess Adenrele Adeniran Ogunsanya) who wrote to enter apology for not attending the meeting to discuss the flyer On July 15, 2016, among others, stated:
“May I also use this medium to draw attention of the group to the misgivings of majority of members of our party in the wake of the appointment of sole administrators for the Local government and local council development Areas.
The claims above are entirely false and very malicious. Firstly, Asiwaju Basorun came back on board to where he originally belonged nine years ago (June 2007). Secondly, as if to establish the malice behind the document, it only contains issues between 2011 and 2015 (4years), not twelve years. Thirdly, all elective positions since the period the flyer covers (2011-2015) were determined by party primaries. Fourthly, recommendations for appointment into positions were handled by the Apex Committees in 2011 and 2015 of which Asipa Kaoli Olusanya was a member on each occasion. Even when in 2007 Princess Adenrele Adeniran Ogunsanya was appointed SSG for Lagos State and there was no consultation with us here, there were no misgivings from us and the party members!
Reply to the issues point by point:
1.Issue -Asiwaju Basorun singlehandedly chose the five councillors in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA in 2011.
Response – It is false. Asiwaju Basorun was Chairman of Igbogbo/Bayeku Committee set up by the Apex Body to pick Councillorship candidates for the LG election in 2011. Six other Apex Leaders and the LGA Chairman, viz Chief Olatunji Bakare, Prince Jimoh Ogunmuyiwa, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, Hon. Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, Elder Olatunji Dawodu, Chief AdenreJe Olowu and Hon. Ola Ayetoba (LGA Chairman) were members. When the meeting was held on October 1l, 2011 and five councillorship candidates were chosen, both Asipa Kaoli Olusanya and Chief Olowu were absent. The list of chosen aspirants signed by six leaders present was shown to Divisional Apex Leaders at its emergency meeting of July 15, 2016. This list was later approved by the Apex Body Committee where Asipa Kaoli was present and he actively participated.
2. Issue – Asiwaju Basorun chose Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola as candidate för the Ikorodu Constituency 11 State Assembly Election in 2011.
Response – This is false. Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola participated in a party primary election with Mr. David Alagbe and Mr. Bosun Agoro in January 2011 and won to become the Party’s flagbearer.
3. Issue – In the matter of 2014 Constitutional Conference Delegate, Asiwaju Basorun assigned the choice of Mrs. Funmi Oshinowo-Bashorun, a relation of Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, to be the delegate.
Response – It is untrue. Prince Ogunleye had less than 12 hours to respond to a request by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Raji Fashola, for an indigene of Ikorodu to be delegate to the 2014 Constitutional Conference. The candidate must be a Muslim, not older than 52 years, a graduate, politically conscious if not a politician a female. Contact with Asiwaju Basorun in the early hours of the day the request would have lapsed produce Mrs. Oshinowo-Bashorun. This issue had been discussed several times at the Apex Body’s meeting and Prince Ogunleye explained to the satisfaction of members. It is another case of malice.
4. Issue – Prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun chose and assigned all the six Executive Secretaries in the Division in 2015.
Response – This is far from the truth. The executive secretaries were chosen by the Ikorodu Local Government and LCDAs Leaders on October 22, 2014 at separate meetings arranged for them by Prince Ogunleye in his house. Ikorodu Local Government was chaired by Alhaji Lawal Animashaun for the LCDAs, Igbogbo/Baiyeku was chaired by Asiwaju Basorun, Ikorodu North by Alhaji Akibu Adewunmi, Ikorodu West by Alhaji Salisu Alogba, Ijede by late Alhaji B. A. Danmola (with Alhaji Amusa present) and Imota by Hon. Alhaji M. K. L. Sanni. It is significant to note that Asipa Kaoli Olusanya participated and Signed the
Igbogbo/Bayeku list with other leaders in the LCDA (recall that Asiwaju Basorun circulated the
document at the emergency meeting of July 15, 2016). It is indeed a case of mischief-making.
5. Issue – Prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun solely chose and forwarded for appointment names of Prince Rotimi Ogunleye as Commissioner and Hon. Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola as Special Adviser.
Response – This is a blatant lie. Prince Abiodun Ogunleye set up a 7-man Committee in 2015 to prepare a list for appointments. Members were Asiwaju Basorun, Alhaji Owokorodu (Treasurer), Alhaji Enifeni (Secretary), Alhaji Gafarr (State Vice-Chairman Lagos East Senatorial District), Asipa Kaoli Olusanya (Deputy Chairman), Alhaji Salisu Alogba and Prince Ogunleye himself.
When the committee met for more than six hours on May 28, 2016 to prepare the list, Asipa was absent, purportedly busy with the installation of the new Ayangbure of Ikorodu in the palace.
Two lists were produced for Ikorodu Constituencies I and II, and were forwarded to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode with covering letters dated June 1, 2016. The steps taken were reported to the apex body at two subsequent meetings and members approved.
The two names, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye( commissioner) and Hon. Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola (Special Adviser) were picked from our lists and appointed.
6. Issue – Both prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun put Alhaji M. A. Gafarr and Yeye Fausat Gbadebo in the state executive committee of APC in 2014 because they were JF (Justice Forum) members.
Response – This is untrue. The truth is that Alhaji M. A. Gafarr, an experienced politician of over three decades and Yeye Fausat Gbadebo, a past Council Chairman of Ijede LCDA were nominated from Constituencies I and II respectively to fill the positions of State Vice-Chairman (Lagos East) and Senatorial Women Leader (Lagos East) on merit.
7. Issue – Asiwaju Basorun got his wife to be appointed as Member of Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board in 2011.
Response – The then Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, possibly based on the performance of Mrs. Bolanle Basorun (Asiwaju Basorun’s wife) in the Christian Pilgrim Welfare Committee in 2012, appointed her as a Member of the newly- constituted Board in 2013, not 2011.
8&9. Issues – Prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun got allocations of 20 LASTMA (10 each) and 20 SUBEB (10 each) teaching jobs and shared them among JF (Justice Forum) members in 2016.
Response – This is a false and irresponsible allegation. We were allocated 4 LASTMA (2each) and 4 SUBEB (2each) teaching jobs in 2015. Up till now, names of those we nominated have not come out in the list of those employed. Choice of names we forwarded had nothing to do with JF.
10. Issue – Prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun assigned son (Ogunleye) and wife (Basorun) to be appointed as Sole Administrators.
Response – It’s another tissue of preposterous lie. The truth is that issue of giving appointment to Mr. Gbolahan Ogunleye was already under consideration after he lost the House of Representatives primary election in Amuwo Odofin in December, 2014. As for Mrs. Basorun, her name was already in the Constituency II list for Board appointments as a former Board member. When sometimes in May 2016 the Governor requested individual member of GAC (Prince Ogunleye and Asiwaju Basorun inclusive) to submit one name each for appointment, it was natural for us to submit these names since we did not know that the appointments would be those of Sole Administrators, and particularly for service in Ikorodu Local Government and Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA by the ‘son and wife’ respectively.
Conclusion
We believe Asipa Kaoli Olusanya and Chief Adenrele Olowu should let sleeping dogs lie. They should not lead others to accuse us of dictation. We did not commit any sin. When in 2011 Asiwaju Basorun persuasively sought Prince Ogunleye’s consent to take Asipa Kaoli to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, due to pressure from the duo, for the position of SSG, it would not have amounted to dictation if Asiwaju had acceded to the request and Asipa Kaoli had, after thirteen years in government, been made Lagos State SSG.
We are sure that if we knew our nominees would be made sole administrators in our respective local government/LCDA, we would have objected.
Despite the ill-informed action of producing and circulating (even in a full page Advertorial of Oriwu Sun of June 2016) and making powerful presentation of the ten items on the flyer at the June 24 2016 meeting, we shall continue to serve our people diligently and to the best of our ability.
We appreciate the large number of members (54) at the July 15, 2016 emergency meeting and thank you all for the calm and serenity that pervaded the perceived charged atmosphere. Be rest assured that with your continued support and commitment to our avowed collective objective to serve our people, IKORODU DIVISION IS IN SAFE HANDS.
Prince Abiodun Ogunleye Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun