Politics
Oyo Lg Poll: No Formidable Opposition to Tackle APC- Morohunkola Thomas.
THE Executive Assistant, Political to Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Dr. Morohunkola Thomas Wednesday said that the disintegration among the opposition parties in the state is a major factor that will not allow them to form a formidable opposition against APC.
Reacting to the insinuation that the governor’s refusal to conduct council poll was because he was afraid that some opposition parties might defeat him and create problem for his successor, the three term commissioner in the state, Dr Thomas, in an interview with Mega Icon Magazine said the governor is not afraid of the opposition.
“We have a governor that has contested election for four times. In 2003, he ran for the Senate, he won, in 2007, he won the governorship election and lost to the court, he didn’t lose on the field. Also, in 2011, he won the governorship election and he recontested again in 2015 against two former governors, and he defeated them including his own senior brother. So, why will that kind of man be afraid of conducting local government election”, he questioned.
Thomas maintains further that the governor is prepared to conduct council election, saying that ” Governor Ajimobi has constituted the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), their offices are ready, he has released fund for them, he was prepared for the election.
“Until recently, some people went to court and got an injunction restraining the government from conducting local government election and what we have done is this, OYSIEC is waiting as soon as the litigation is over, the election will take place. As a matter of facts, we have initiated out of court settlement moves with the litigants.
” Within our own system, it is to our advantage that the local government election be conducted, Dr Thomas added.
He, however expressed with conviction that despite the rumour being peddled against the ruling party and ‘monkey tricks’ of the opposition parties in the state, no political party can beat the All Progressives Congress in subsequent elections.
“I can’t see any opposition against the local government election. When we run for that election, it will be 63-0. Where is the opposition to face us? Is it the disintegrated Accord Party (AP), majority of their members are already joining us in large numbers. In the next one month, you will see the financier of Accord Party joining our party at a public rally. On Friday last week, I was in Saki with my colleagues to receive hundreds of Accord Party members into our party.
“Is it the PDP of Makarfi or the PDP of Ali Modu Sheriff? or the Labour Party (LP) that was already falling? With the exit of Alao Akala, where is the Labour Party (LP) again?
Thomas continued, ” there could not have been any Labour Party (LP) in 2015 if an Alao Akala was not there, and now that Akala has left the Party, Labour Party is dead. The opposition parties are disintegrating before our very eyes”.
Asked how to battle the perceived third force as some opposition parties in the state are coming together to wrestle power from the ruling APC, the party Chieftain said though, in politics 24 hours is too long, but, however claimed he had perfect knowledge of the principality involves in the game.
He noted that the actors are irreconcilable and cannot manage a healthy relationship within themselves, describing the merger as a marriage of inconvenience.
“Having a merger is a difficult venture, it is a big political assignment that will only takes the likes of Tinubu to execute. How many Tinubu do we have in the PDP? I can’t see a Tinubu in the Accord or in the Labour Party.
” The opposition parties will remain disintegrated as they were. I pray that they are able to come together, because we are looking for people to thrash”, he boasted.
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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