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The governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Sen. Buruji Kashamu, has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of unleashing operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on him in 2015 because he refused to replace the then governorship candidate of the party, Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka.
Kashamu said he was pressured to replace Isiaka with the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.
He spoke, yesterday at Ilaro during his meeting with Yewa Traditional Council in Ogun West Senatorial district, as part of his ongoing campaign.
The senator representing Ogun East said his commitment to the age-long agitation for power shift to Ogun West, made him resist pressure to drop Isiaka who hailed from the zone for Bankole, from Central.
Daily Trust reports that Ogun West remains the only region yet to produce a governor since the creation of the state in 1976.
Kashamu told the monarchs that he joined the governorship race following Ogun West’s inability to produce a single candidate between Isiaka who flies the ticket of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Adekunle Akinlade of Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
He promised to accord the traditional institution its rightful place if he emerged as governor.
Kashamu also vowed to ensure independent resource control by council chairmen for the development of the grassroots.
Daily Trust quoted him as saying: “In 2011, I supported your very illustrious son, General Tunji Olurin. In 2015, I rolled all my support behind another illustrious son of Yewaland, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI).
“When I was fighting for Yewa agenda, I took GNI (Isiaka) to the national level up to the president. Many politicians of Yewa extraction were against me. They said Yewa is not capable; Yewa is not united. They were saying this before the president.
“I swear with the name of God, it was all because of my support for Yewa cause and refusal to replace GNI (Isiaka) with Bankole as requested by President Jonathan in 2015, which was the reason he (Jonathan) sent operatives of NDLEA to arrest me.
“If I am telling lies, let God judge me,” Kashamu said.