Ikere Development Forum led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN Interactive Forum and Get Together on Saturday, February 10, 2018.
The meeting held at Sheba Event, Ikeja in Lagos State. Ikere Development Forum, IDF is an open organisation group for all the sons and daughters of Ikere Kingdom.
The event witnessed a fairly large turnout of eminent Ikere indigenes in and out of Lagos, as well as four aspirants for the Governorship seat of Ekiti State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – Chief Sesan Fatoba, Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, Mr. Kola Alabi and Dr. Wole Oluyede, as well as an aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola, who is the present Deputy-Governor of the State. Each of them was given a few minutes to address the gathering, and it was unanimously agreed that in every one of the political parties, Ikere aspirants should shelve personal interests and ensure that only one of them goes in for the primary election on the platform of each political party. The Get Together was very lively and music was supplied by Micho Ade, the Amuludun of Ikere.
On Sunday, February 11, 2018, all the five aspirants for the Governorship seat under the platform of the APC met with the leadership of the Ikere Development Forum (IDF) for over five hours in Lagos.
At the first session of the meeting, IDF leadership addressed them of the need to ensure that they reached a compromise agreement among themselves to allow only one of them from an Ikere contest the primary election of their party with other aspirants from other parts of the state.
In turn, each of the aspirants agreed that the moment Ikere has two aspirants contesting the primary election, it should be taken for granted that Ikere has lost out.
At the end of the first session, the aspirants were left for about 45 minutes to deliberate among themselves as to which of them should be given the preference.
Thereafter, the leadership of the IDF came back to the meeting and asked the aspirants for their decision. The aspirants, in turn, briefed the IDF leadership of their collective resolve to allow the IDF take a decision on the issue; as a result of which the IDF leadership went into another private session where all the aspirants were critically examined and considered.
Eventually, the IDF leadership unanimously agreed that Dr. Oluwole Oluyede is presented as the preferred and consensus candidate amongst the aspirants. This decision of the leadership was eventually communicated to the aspirants, with a plea that all of them should, in the interest of the Ikere collective support him at the primary election of the APC, while the preferred aspirant was also enjoined to take his preferment as an honour and covenant, and ensure that he should not see it as a sort of winner takes all.
As regards the other political parties, the IDF’s position remains the same, that Ikere aspirants should compromise among themselves to reduce the number of the aspirants contesting the primary election to one.
For the PDP in particular, IDF leadership considers the support which Prof. Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola enjoys from the Ekiti State Governor, who also doubles as the leader of the Party as a privilege and honour.
As such, IDF leadership pleads that he should be given and accorded every necessary support and encouragement at his Party’s primary election.
Members of the IDF National Executive Committee present at the meeting include; Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN, National President, Mr. Femi Ekundayo, FCIB, DFIOD, National 1st Vice-President, Prof. Dele Olowokudejo, National Secretary, Mr. Tunde Arifayan, Mrs. Oluyemisi Adefarati, Mr. Tope Orolu, Mr. Kolawole Ayeni, Mr. Tope Ajayi, Mr. Emmanuel Ogunremi and Dr. Damilola Olajide.
