Shina Peller, the lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, is considering leaving the APC to run for the Oyo North Senatorial District in 2023 on the platform of a different political party.
Peller is expected to present his new political program before the deadline for submitting candidate names to the Independent National Electoral Commission, according to our source.
Peller and three other candidates had rejected the results of the primary election, which had pronounced incumbent Senator Fatai Buhari the winner.
However, monarchs and their subjects criticized the region’s alleged political marginalization and underdevelopment at the Oke-Ogun General Assembly convened on Saturday at Ago Are in the Atisbo Local Government Area. They pushed locals to run for governor and senator in the upcoming elections.
Aare of Ago-Are, Oba Michael Oyetunji; Aare of Ofiki, Oba Adeoye Oyetunji; Oniro of Otu, Oba Sunday Adepoju; and Onjo of Okeho, Oba Rafiu Mustapha were among those present, as were hundreds of youths.
They resolved to support any politician running for the Oyo North Senatorial District on any political party’s platform in the 2023 election.
The Oke-Ogun residents in attendance claimed it was unfathomable that they were being marginalized in the Oyo North Senatorial District by Ogbomoso, which has only three local government areas compared to Oke-Ogun, which has ten out of the district’s 13 LGAs.
When asked if he was willing to defect to another political party in order to run for senator, Peller replied the people of Oke Ogun had been strategizing about it and that he would do anything they said.
He claimed certain political groups had approached him to propose their platforms, but he insisted that he would respect whatever decision his people made on the election.
He said, “For me, I have made up my mind to follow my people. If I belong to a political party that has failed to listen to the cry of my people, that has failed to understand their clamour, that has failed to give my people a fair chance- there are three local government areas from Ogbomoso which has about 20, 000 votes and Oke-Ogun has 10 local government areas with about 100,000 votes.
“Ogbomoso has already done two terms and wants to do the third time. The people of Oke-Ogun are saying there is no going to be third time, then I don’t have a choice. I decided to come into politics to fight for my people and I will always listen to them.
“Our royal fathers are also present here and they have all said this is the time to put the interest of Oke-Ogun first and I align completely with this position.
“It is not my decision anymore, it is going to be the decision of my people. Our political system has a process and INEC has a time political parties must send in the list of their candidates and we have political leaders in Oke-Ogun that are putting their heads together. There are different political parties that have been coming to speak to us to see how they can help us. If such opportunity comes to the people of Oke-Ogun then I will definitely follow the people of Oke-Ogun to make sure that I am there to fight for what is ours.
“The people of Oke-Ogun are agitating that the region should have a say in the scheme of things. They are sending a strong message to the political parties that we have because they think that the political system is not being fair and not just to the region.
“In democracy, the majority must have their way and minority will have a say but that is not the case where it affects Oke-Ogun. For 2023 elections, what they have come to say today is that they will put the interest of Oke- Ogun first.”
