Kunle Adelabu
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ikorodu Constituency I seat, Lagos State House of Assembly, in the forthcoming 2027 General Elections, Prince Oluwatoyin Gafaar Bolowotan, has publicly apologised to the incumbent, Hon. Ogunleye Gbolahan Adetokunbo (OGA), for any perceived wrong from the just concluded primary elections.
Hon. Ogunleye who is concluding his first term as the state lawmaker and others lost the primary election to Bolowotan who emerged as the preferred choice of the party.
Bolowotan who said that he was wrongly alleged by the incumbent at the reconciliation meeting, made the appeal when the state APC reconciliation committee led by Hon. Ogala visited Ikorodu on Thursdayay, to resolve the crisis arising from the APC primary elections. The meeting took place at the APC secretariat along Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikorodu.
“I have said this and I am saying it again that I have never said anything negative about Gbolahan Ogunleye, not now, not then. Yes, it happened that I wrote to LASU over certain issues and I got what I wanted but at a point, I dropped it when there were interventions.”
“I have never made any publication against him. I thought that we have settled this as friends. We met three times to settle this. Jimi Benson also invited us and we were both there. I have never spoken negatively about Baba (Prince Abiodun Ogunleye).”
While stating and emphasisng also that he never spoke ill of the former Deputy Governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye who is the father of the incumbent Assembly, Bolowotan also informed the committee and chieftains of the party of his efforts at reconciling with other aspirants and how only the incumbent has not given him audience.
“After the election, I have been going round to reconcile with those that are aggrieved including other aspirants but I have called Gbolahan several times for us to meet but he has not obliged me. I can feel his pain and I can’t fault him because it happened to me twice. I cannot measure the time spent in campaigning, amount and sleepless nights that went into it
”I have apologised even for what I did not do and I am again using this opportunity to apologise to you. In addition, I apologise if I have offended anybody in anyway. It is not my making. I am sorry about everything and I apologise, but then, we need to move on.”
“I have met with all the aspirants after the primary elections and had one on one discussions with them even before the party started its reconciliation. I have met with Olufowora, and thankfully, Bada ascribed to it in his remarks and others too, except Gbolahan and I hope that he will find a place in his heart to allow my appeal so that we can move on,” he said.
He thanked the party leaders for the opportunity given to him and the state reconciliation members for their efforts in bringing everybody on board
Reacting to the assertion of the reconciliation committee chairman that there was no primary election but the party only picked its choice candidates, Bolowotan said:
“I am not going to react but rather put the record straight. I have been telling people that I was picked as the choice of the party and not that I won any election. This is my third time of aspiring for the same position.”
The APC candidate also recalled his two previous attempts at the seat.
“The first time, I thought that I was a superstar but the party made its decision and also the same thing happened the second time. It was my third attempt that God made it possible for me to be picked.
”There is nobody in Ikorodu that will tell me that I have boasted I won any election. I have always told the people that I was picked,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Hon. Gbolahan Ogunleye reacting to the reconciliation committee’s appeal to aggrieved parties said that he was born into the progressives and he will continue to remain with his party despite his inability to clinch the return ticket.
He, also added that his father was once denied the governorship ticket under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) but never left the party stressing that he has no reason to abandon the APC.
He, however expressed his reservations at reconciling with the party’s candidate, Prince Oluwatoyin Gafaar Bolowotan whom he alleged maligned and blackmailed him and his family, adding that this had made it difficult for him to accept his candidacy.
“I cannot work against the party because of my family’s antecedents with the progressives party and my father’s example when he was denied the governorship ticket. We have been with the progressives and I have been voting since I was 18 years. I voted for SDP, AD, AC, ACN and now we are still with the APC.”
“Even though, somethings happened that led to NRC defeating the SDP, my father never asked anybody to vote against his party. He didn’t work against his party, I Gbolahan Ogunleye won’t do otherwise. My father was the pioneer Chairman of AD and I have also been privileged to serve as the Council Chairman in position of a Sole Administrator which was an appointment.
”It was after that people asked me to contest for the Assembly seat and if God says that I am to spend just a term, so be it, ” Hon Ogunleye said.
The lawmaker stunned Hon. Ogala, members of the reconciliation team and APC chieftains in Ikorodu Division who were at the meeting, when he alleged Prince Bolowotan of running campaign of calumny against him as reasons that he cannot campaign for him except he made public apologies to recount the alleged damaging and unfounded accusations.
“While I am ready to work for the party, but it is however difficult to extend my support to the favoured candidate of the party because of how he has maligned and ran campaign of calumny against me to the extent that he even went to my family members including Hon. Rotimi Ogunleye, former Commissioner whom he took documents to that I did not acquire a first degree which I claimed to have stating that I am a dropped out.”
“This, he has not apologised for. He actually started the campaign of calumny against me in 2015 and repeated it in 2019 and sustained it till 2026, using the same media guy he has been using. In actual fact, the school that I graduated from had to call his press guys to order to stop the malicious damage which is affecting the institution negatively.”
Hon. Ogunleye who also alleged that his father too was maligned stated that he has acquired two post -graduate degrees in the last three years.
“I started working with my dad after my graduation and I did not see any need to further or acquire more degrees. But within the last three years, I have acquired two post graduate degrees from the same university just to prove a point.
”I attended LASU and graduated. I have nothing to do with the degrees but just to add them to my CV and these can be verified from the institution. I now hold two post -graduate degrees in addition to my first degree.”
The state lawmaker insisted on public apology from the candidate to get issues resolved.
”Until he (Bolowotan) comes out to apologise and make amends, it will really be difficult for me to canvass for him. It is very easy for me as a party man to say that I have forgiven him, but what about my family members, and my party members.”
Mr Babatujde Ogala, SAN, the Chairman of the APC reconciliation committee assured all the candidates and former aspirants that the reconciliation work will continue and promised to join Bolowotan when campaign fully commences with Gbolahan by his side to raise his hands up.
He also appealed to Hon. Ogunleye to accept Bolowotan’s apologies in good faith.
