The senator representing Ogun East at the Senate, Buruji Kasamu, says he has not withdrawn from the Ogun State governorship election holding on March 2, contrary to earlier media reports.
He said he remained the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State and urged his supporters to discountenance the report that he had withdrawn from the race.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Saturday, Kasamu said, “I have never issued any statement that I stepped down for Adebutu. What I said was we should all join hands and work together for the victory of the party. If the court rules that Ladi is the candidate eventually, I will work for him and if the court upholds my victory, I expect him to work for me. But the most important thing is that we should all work together for the victory of the PDP.”
He said was why the Independent National Electoral Commission had maintained that he was the governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Kasamu said the statement he issued on Wednesday was twisted, adding he did not announce that he had withdrawn from the race.
He said what he said was that his supporters should work for Adebutu if eventually he (Adebutu) won but stated that he remained the PDP candidate and would not step down unless the court ruled otherwise.
Kasamu said, “It is strange that the national leadership of the PDP is claiming that Ladi (Adebutu) is the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun despite that he emerged through an illegal process. The PDP leaders are the ones making a mistake. They are respectable people but there are no two governorship candidates of the PDP in Ogun. It is the exco of Adebayo that is known to the law and that is why INEC is relating with his exco.”
