Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade, a Member of the House of Representatives has accepted to debate openly with Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, Senator representing Lagos West at the National Assembly.
Both Akinlade and Adeola are eyeing the Ogun State governorship seat under the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC.
Adeola, popularly called Yayi threw the open debate challenge on Friday, calling on all other aspirants to a public debate while reacting to the allegation of financial inducement for his adoption by a group known as the Ogun West Consultative Forum.
Akinlade, in a statement made available to INDEPENDENT through his Media Aide, Olalekan Soyemi, on Sunday dared Adeola to chose a preferred venue for the debate.
Akinlade also challenged the Lagos Senator to provide evidence of similar media debates he participated in as an aspirant in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 in Lagos, which he presently represents.
Akinlade, who represents Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency in the Lower Chamber, stated that Yayi’s activities in Ogun state so far were mere noise without substance.
“I’m confident that any of the other aspirants who had been part of the successfully executed transformational policy of the Senator Amosun’s administration will make a total mess of Yayi at any debate.
“We are not given to issuing empty boasts in Ogun State which is why we refuse to allow our state turn into another Osun state by those whose sole interest is pecuniary.
“It insults our collective intelligence for Yayi to claim that he did not bribe members of Ogun West Consultative Forum because even a child in Yewa knows that another name for Ogun West Consultative Forum is ‘YEWA CITY CLUB’ of which Yayi is a member and financier.”
Akinlade alleged that the Senator had funded multiple trips of some members of the group to US, UK and Canada where they were treated to luxury.
“Members of the club are also beneficiaries of juicy contracts particularly in Lagos which has been turned cash cow of the Yayi project. What then is the Senator’s definition of bribe or inducement?”
Akinlade, however, said that although money would play its part in the process, it would not be the determinant factor in who became the next governor of Ogun State come 2019.
Akinlade pointed out that while he was prepared to take Yayi on, it was advisable for the Senator to first forward to the public domain evidence of being an Ogun state voter and registered member of the party in the state.