Governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, says Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, told her her life might be in danger if she proceeds with her gubernatorial aspiration.
Sarafa-Yusuf, a former media aide to the governor, said she’s been heavily victimised and persecuted since she declared her intention to contest the gubernatorial election, adding that the governor has deployed state power to oppress and make life unbearable for her.
Sarafa-Yusuf made the startling revelation during a virtual encounter with one of the governor’s staunch loyalists, Ola Muritala.
The aspirant lamented the removal of her campaign billboards, which she said had been duly paid for and registered with the authorities.
Muritala refuted Sarafa-Yusuf claims, her former supervisor, and excoriated her in defence of his principal, the governor.
“We have reports that our billboards (properly paid for through registered agencies) are being removed. Ogun State Signage Agency sources say orders to remove are directly from Gov @dabiodunMRF,” Sarafa-Yusuf said.
But Muritala said the allegations of aspirant were spurious and false, claiming Abiodun was a “peace-loving” man.
Sarafa-Yusuf then retorted: “You mean the governor who told a 1st class traditional ruler to tell me to back off otherwise he ‘cannot guarantee my security?’
“You obviously don’t know who you are being paid to defend.”
Ms Sarafa-Yusuf, who is also Mr Abiodun’s cousin, served as Special Adviser on Information to the governor before resigning to run for governor. She told BBC Yoruba that the governor never told her he would seek re-election in all of their private conversations before her decision to contest Ogun top office.
There have been calls for Abiodun disqualification from seeking reelection since a group of petitioner brought his arrest for fraud in the U.S. and other crimes to the fore.
Abiodun admitted to undergoing trial in the U.S. for credit card scam but said there were no enough grounds for his party APC to disqualify him based on the petition