Ahead of the 2023 governorship election in Oyo state, Governor Seyi Makinde has dropped his deputy, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, as his running mate.
Makinde has now picked the chairman of the State Housing Corporation, Barr. Bayo Lawal, as his running mate for the 2023 governorship election.
Lawal hails from Irepo local government area of the State. He is a former Attorney-General of Oyo. He was appointed in 1999 under the administration of former Governor Lam Adesina.
It would be recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde and his deputy, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, had not been in good terms in the recent past.
Olaniyan had accused his boss of sidelining him, saying he had not been involved in the “selection” of PDP candidates for the 2023 elections in the state.
He stated that the rumours surrounding his defection to another party was spreading like wildfire because he had stayed aloof.
Describing the primaries that produced PDP candidates in the state as “shenanigans”, he said: “You are not suppose to guess because on Sallah day I told the people the truth from my heart.”