Politics
2023: ‘It’s our turn’ – Lagelu PDP leaders, stalwarts demand house of reps slot, as Adeaga declares ambition
Leaders and party stalwarts in Lagelu Local Government chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday renewed their demand to further advance the ‘Lagelu lo kan’ (It’s Lagelu’s turn) political project, adding that it was the turn of the local government to produce the party’s Federal House of Representatives candidate.
The Oyo PDP leaders took the lead to Akinyele local government as Abideen Adetokunbo Adeaga officially declared ambition to contest the 2023 House of Representatives election on the platform of the ruling party in the state.
Adeaga, who is a successful UK based entrepreneur before returning home to Nigeria held several executive offices under the PDP Diaspora being a founding member of the party in Britain since the return of democracy in Nigeria in1999 while living in the United Kingdom (UK).
Speaking with newsmen shortly after his formal declaration at the PDP Local Government Party Secretariat, Akinyele, Ibadan on Monday December 20, Adeaga, who commended Governor Makinde for making the ruling party the toast of many politicians and prospective political aspirants said he is all out to serve his people with quality and sound representation at the green chamber of the National Assembly.
The House of Reps hopeful who was also accompanied by no fewer than eleven elected Councilors out of the fourteen in Lagelu Local Government went memory lane on how the political journey began upon arriving the UK some over 25 years ago with high hopes and expectations as a young Nigerian abroad. He noted that the passion driving his active involvement in politics was all about giving back to the people and bringing practical developments to Lagelu/Akinyele federal constituency.
“We are here today to formally declare my intention to contest the 2023 House of Reps to represent Lagelu/Akinyele federal constituency so that the era of docile or poor representation at the green chamber of the National Assembly can be brought to an end because my people certainly deserve so much more as a people with great history in this state.
“If you take a look at how joyful people are by yourself, you would know for sure that this is God’s mandate because you can see how happy and excited they are simply because I declared my intention to contest. Truly the voice of the people is the voice of God and we believe that with God on our side, this mission is an already accomplished one.
“Even though a lot of people have been expecting this for a long time I believe in God’s time and I believe that God’s time is now which is why God placed it on my heart to come out publicly and make this declaration to contest to represent my people at the National Assembly because they deserve nothing less than quality and sound representation.” Adeaga said.
Speaking on the leadership of the party in Oyo state and his trust in a free, fair, and transparent political process that will produce the party’s flagbearer come 2023, Adeaga praised Governor Makinde for his political style and approach to leadership stressing that the party remains supreme to any individual political ambition saying he will not at any point allow personal interest conflict with the party’s overall interest.
“The man at the helms of both Government and party’s affairs in Oyo state today, our able Governor Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde is a man of the people. I know him to be a very trustworthy person, he will always stand by the truth and defend it to the end. He will never allow anyone to suffer injustice of any form so I feel safe and secured as a party man under his able leadership.
“He has been a victim of imposition himself and I know that he will not allow imposition of candidates in our party. I am a party man and I have been a party man under the PDP for a very long time even as the former PDP Public Relation Officer (PRO) southwest UK and also PDP Vice Chairman, UK and Iceland from way back before I finally decided to return home. So, It is PDP first, all others come second.” Adeaga added.
Speaking earlier, some of the PDP leaders from Lagelu who spoke while introducing Adeaga commended the political aspirant for being a committed party man to the core even while he was away in the UK. They noted that he has performed exceptionally well as a loyal and committed PDP member living in diaspora by always reaching out to the party in Lagelu all the time he was being called upon for supports and assistance.
They solicited for support from the leaders and elders of PDP in Akinyele to throw their weight behind Adeaga for the realization of his political aspiration stressing that a man who has done so much for the party in his private and personal capacity without any political ambition for many years deserves a reward for such noting that such political support will encourage others to emulate the act of showing commitment to the party even when no political ambition was attached.
The Chairman, PDP Akinyele Local Government, Engineer Akinsola Peter commended Adeaga, all the party leaders and other political bigwigs that accompanied the aspirant. He urged Adeaga to ensure he does the needful towards Akinyele as being done in Lagelu adding that the door of Akinyele is widely open for the aspirant’s political activities to all nooks and crannies of the local government.
In their separate remarks, PDP leaders in Akinyele commended Adeaga for taking the bull by the horns and bring the first person to officially declare his intention to contest for House of Reps on the platform of the party in Lagelu/Akinyele federal Constituency adding that the door of Akinyele is widely open for him to move around in pursuit of his political ambition.
Some of the leaders noted that for an aspirant to have been led by the array of political leaders, party stalwarts and no fewer than eleven elected Councilors out of the fourteen in Lagelu was a clear show of love and acceptance and assured that Akinyele is ready to work with Lagelu in unison to ensure whoever emerges as the party’s flagbearer eventually emerges winner after the general election.
Other Akinyele leaders who spoke noted that it is in order for individuals to formally indicate their intentions to contest the 2023 election but caution against a rancorous reactions that may lead to needless controversies. The leaders maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde remains the overall leader of the party in the state and his position on party related issues must be factored into any form of consideration urging prospective aspirants to intensify prayers on their aspirations.
The party leaders from Akinyele however, urged Adeaga not to limit his largesse to Lagelu alone noting that the aspirant should ensure even distribution of opportunities and other benefits due to Akinyele as being provided for the people of Lagelu should be given to them in Akinyele while assuring that even though, there may be others with same political aspirations with Adeaga who are yet to declare their intentions officially, politics should be played with the spirit of sportsmanship.
Some of the leaders and elders present as the event include the Honourable Commissioner for Lands, Tpl Olayiwola, Olusegun Emmanuel, Elder Ajao, Ayobami Sunday, elder Kehinde Fabunmi (KENFAB), chief Adegoke, elder Odeyemi, and others notable party leaders.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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