Politics
2023: Ogbomoso PDP stakeholders endorse Makinde for second term
Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ogbomosoland on Saturday declared that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State remains PDP’s best choice to fly its flag in the 2023 governorship election.
The stakeholders, who rose from a two-hour meeting at the Lagbami Osekun Hall, Ogbomoso South Local Government Secretariat, Arowomole, said that Makinde has been fair to Ogbomoso zone with the delivery of democracy dividends.
They thereafter resolved that the governor should be backed to seek re-election in office.
After the two-hour deliberation, stakeholders including political appointees of Ogbomoso origin, ward chairmen of the PDP, the party’s chairmen in Ogbomoso zone, local government chairpersons, and their counterparts at the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), the gathering resolved to back Makinde for a second term in office.
Director-General of the Oyo State Public, Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA), Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi moved for the endorsement of Governor Makinde for second term, while the Executive Chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State(BCOS), Prince Dotun Oyelade presided over the voice vote session, where the ‘ayes’ had it.
While speaking, Hon. Ogunwuyi told the gathering that even though human beings are naturally Oliver Twist, the people of Ogbomoso are ready to express appreciation to the governor for what he has done in the area thus far, adding that Makinde has been fair to the area in terms of appointments.
“I can tell this gathering that we have witnessed a tremendous increase and need to keep striving hard. He has proved that he loves the people of Ogbomoso so dearly by doing some certain things for us. He encouraged us by giving us Attorney-General of the state and I can tell you there are only a few things the Attorney-General may not know in government.
“Today, over 40 per cent of the allocation of the state resides within Education and Works Ministry and we also have the DG Signage Agency, which is a revenue-generating agency. The Governor has done a lot for us but we will still ask for more. As far as I am concerned, on the issue of appointment, I believe Ogbomoso is well represented”, he said.
Hon. George Ogunlade, who spoke on behalf all the PDP local government chairmen in Ogbomoso zone said that the governor has shown tremendous respect to the party structure, adding that the PDP has been growing since Makinde’s inauguration as governor.
He said: “The governor believes there is a party and there is a government and he has not stopped giving reverence to the party which gave birth to the government. Everyone is seeing the good things, which the governor is doing in Oyo State. I can tell you that there is no party that has more members than us in Ogbomoso zone. We have received defectors from the ZLP, ADP, ADC and even APC and we have not seen a single member leave the party.”
Caretaker Chairman of Ogo Oluwa Local Government, Hon. Seun Ojo, who spoke for chairpersons of local governments and local council development areas said that the councils have been busy opening drainages and fixing infrastructure.
He said that all the 12 caretaker chairmen were in support of another four years for Governor Makinde.
He said: “God has used the Governor to achieve many things in the party in Ogbomoso in terms of infrastructure. In this Ogbomoso South Local Government, some places are now motorable and we are making it look as though PDP is the only party in this place. People are happy with the government of PDP. Some culverts have been fixed and we are opening up more roads across all the five local governments and seven LCDAs.”
Another stakeholder, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Hon. Bayo Bankole said that even though regular payment of salaries is intangible, it means a lot to the economy of the state. “We really need to support him. I want to urge us to continue with the good works,” he said.
The Commissioner for Education, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye said that Makinde has worked conscientiously for the people of Ogbomoso, adding that all the abandoned model schools in the zone have been fixed by the governor.
He also said that with the sole ownership of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso by Oyo State, and the push to make it a conventional university, the spate of development in the institution and Ogbomosoland would more than double.
According to him, the addition of Faculties such as Law, Education, Arts, and Social Sciences would neutralize the decision to move the Faculty of Agriculture outside Ogbomoso.
“We are happy that we are now the sole owner of LAUTECH. So, we urge you to always support this administration,” Olaleye said.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, who also spoke, said that he was happy to serve on the committee that resolved LAUTECH’s lingering issue with Osun state.
He added that Oyo state has since discovered that the large expanse of land remaining in the institution would be put to best use if the school is made a conventional University with the addition of new faculties that would be based in Ogbomoso.
He said that the governor has cleared pension areas of Judicial workers from 2009 to date adding that the governor has also taken up significant roads like the Iseyin/Ogbomoso road and the Iseyin/ Oyo road.
“The governor has paid the pension of all judicial workers since 2009. Right now we are not owing any pension,” Oyewo said.
Majority Leader of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, who was also at the meeting said that the House would continue to support Governor Makinde because he has been taking decisions in the best interest of the people.
He said of Makinde: “Those who are speaking ill of him are only trying to play politics. Sincerely, whoever tells you he does not love us is feeding you with lies. He is personally determined and after the progress of this state. There is nothing that will stop LAUTECH from doing very well as a conventional university.
“I am happy to be one of the team that worked towards achieving the sole ownership of LAUTECH. During the negotiation for sole ownership, we discovered that we have just used just 10 per cent of the portion of landmass belonging to LAUTECH. Very soon, I can assure you that LAITECH will not just be producing educated but learned people. In Oyo State, God has won for the PDP.
“On security, we have to cooperate with Amotekun on what they are doing. We also have to know the truth about security because there are a lot of fake news out there. I want you to take this away, that there is no party that is as unique as PDP in Oyo State.”
Those in attendance include the Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyewo Oyelowo; Commissioner for Education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye; Chairman, BCOS Prince Dotun Oyelade, DG OYSIPA, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; House of Assembly Leader, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, the 12 chairmen of Ogbomoso councils and LCDA chairpersons; Ward Chairmen of the party in the 50 wards of Ogbomoso; PDP Chairmen in the five local governments; former Chairman of Ogbomoso South Local government, Hon Felix Akande; former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Alao-Akala, Hon Razak Gbadegesin; former Commissioner for Finance, Hon. Bayo Bankole and the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa.
Others are the State Organising Secretary, Hon. Taiwo Alagbe; a member of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Folashade Ajala; a Commissioner of the Local Government Service Commission, Hon John Adisa Oke; the Chief of Staff to the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Leke Gabriel, Hon. Oladoja Agbejinmi; Hon Banji Folaranmi, Elder Abioye Mathew Adegboyega and a host of other party members.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of violence at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing claims that he assaulted a party member as false and politically motivated.
An online platform, IMPARTNEWSNETWORK, had alleged that Akinmoyede assaulted one Gafar Oyebade during a meeting convened by the state chairman of the party, Alake Adeyemo, to resolve issues surrounding the executive list of the APC in Lagelu Local Government Area.
However, Akinmoyede, in a statement on Tuesday, said the meeting was peaceful and attended by key members of the state executive, including the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary, who witnessed the proceedings.
He clarified that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the state leadership recognised him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to the lawmaker, following the clarification, the state executive directed the Lagelu Local Government chairman, Fatai Awoyoola, to proceed with the swearing-in of other party officials.
Akinmoyede also faulted attempts to link the incident with the 2019 killing of a former federal lawmaker, noting that a court of competent jurisdiction had already ruled on the matter.
He said, “In Suit No. I/70c/2019, delivered by Justice Mufutau Adegbola on January 23, 2020, all those accused were discharged and acquitted.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, alleging that Oyebade, a public school teacher under the Oyo State Government, should not be involved in partisan politics.
He described the allegation as a “recycled script” aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of political activities, urging constituents to remain calm.
Akinmoyede also called on journalists to verify information before publication and urged security agencies to take action against individuals who file false reports.
“These tactics surface every election cycle. Those behind them should learn to accept the outcomes of political processes. They failed before and will fail again. Power comes from God,” he added.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of assault levelled against him by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Oyebade.
Akinmoyede described the allegation as “false” and “a lie taken too far,” insisting that no physical altercation occurred.
The denial was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Legislative Aide, Dr. Isiaq Akintunde.
Oyebade had alleged that he was hospitalised following a confrontation during a meeting held at the office of the state party chairman in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, convened to resolve a leadership dispute in the local government.
But the federal lawmaker maintained that the meeting was peaceful and attended by top party officials.
“The meeting was convened to clarify Mr. Oyebade’s position within the local executive, and it was attended by the State Party Chairman, his deputy, the secretary, the publicity secretary, and other key state executives, all of whom witnessed the peaceful proceedings,” the statement read.
He added that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the Lagelu Local Government Party Chairman, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, identified him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to Akinmoyede, the state executive thereafter directed Awoyoola to proceed with the swearing-in of the remaining members of the local government executive.
The lawmaker accused Oyebade of fabricating the allegation to advance political interests.
“I wonder why Mr. Gafar Oyebade, a secondary school teacher, would claim he was assaulted in the presence of the State Executive. This is an attempt to justify money allegedly collected from an aspirant to tarnish my image,” he said.
Akinmoyede further claimed that Oyebade was seen walking freely after the meeting and was not hospitalised as alleged.
He also raised concerns over Oyebade’s involvement in partisan politics, noting that civil servants are restricted from active participation in political activities.
The lawmaker called on security agencies and the media to investigate the incident at the party’s Oke-Ado office to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
Efforts to reach Oyebade for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has declared his intention to contest the Oyo South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made his aspiration known during a high-level meeting with the Ibarapa APC Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, comprising the G9 and the expanded G64 caucus, held at the party secretariat in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, over the weekend.
The G9 and G64 groups consist of influential stakeholders drawn from Ibarapa East, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa North local government areas.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker expressed appreciation to the forum for their support and confidence in his leadership and vision.
He said his ambition to represent Oyo South Senatorial District was anchored on a determination to consolidate and expand his record of performance.
Oseni said, “This aspiration is not built on mere rhetoric, but on the continuity and expansion of a proven track record of quality representation and grassroots-oriented governance.”
While soliciting the support of party leaders, he described his ambition as a divine call to serve the people with renewed dedication.
According to him, “This is not a time for self-glory but a sacred responsibility to intensify efforts towards real development, bring more relief to our people and ensure inclusive governance.”
He pledged not to betray the trust reposed in him by party elders and faithful, stressing that his aspiration is rooted in progressive ideals and a genuine commitment to the development of the district.
Oseni also urged leaders in the zone to mobilise support towards delivering one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Speaking at the meeting, a leader from Ibarapa East, Chief Michael Morawo, lauded the lawmaker for delivering democratic dividends and strengthening the party structure. He added that Oseni has demonstrated commendable leadership through his performance, noting that his impact in stabilising the party within the constituency is evident.
Similarly, a former council chairman in Ibarapa Central, Chief Theophilus Adenrele, commended the lawmaker for not betraying the trust reposed in him. Also, a chieftain from Ibarapa North, Chief Francis Babalola, described Oseni as a humble leader committed to progressive ideals, dismissing speculations about his possible defection if he does not secure the governorship ticket.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Chief Timothy Jolaoso, said the lawmaker enjoys widespread grassroots acceptance that cuts across political divides.
Jolaoso said, “All indicators consistently point to Oseni as a candidate with acceptance that transcends party lines. He is not only capable but a man of deep faith with proven empathy for the downtrodden.”
He added, “He possesses the goodwill, financial strength, and public trust required for leadership.”
The elder statesman further noted that Oseni’s performance in the House of Representatives, alongside his role as Chairman of the FERMA Committee, underscores his competence and commitment to development.
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