Politics
APC Urges Fairness in Oyo LG Election
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state has reiterated its call for Governor Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to ensure the forthcoming local government council election is conducted with fairness and credibility as all eyes are on them.
The party had initially considered boycotting the election due to the absence of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), citing the interest of the masses who desired urgent discontinuation of attempts by the Makinde administration to completely render the third tier of government useless.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC appealed to voters in the state to shun apathy and come out on April 27 to cast their ballots for its candidates as “doing so would be the only antidote to the imminent total collapse of the 33 local government councils as well as erosion of democracy from the grassroots level.”
“As a responsible political party, the question of whether we would participate in the planned election has been addressed. For the sake of the record, we never shied away from performing our duties as this concerns fielding credible candidates for lawful elections and ensuring citizens’ participation in constitutional democratic processes. We insisted on the usage of BVAS for this election because we wanted OYSIEC to be fair to all parties concerned and it should be known that the machines could not function in favour of our party alone on the day of the election.”
“But when it became obvious that OYSIEC would not be able to secure the machines from INEC, we mobilized some other serious parties and got assurances of ideal conduct of the April 27 poll from the state electoral body. We got the OYSIEC chairman, Aare Isiaka Olagunju SAN, and his Commission to restate their commitment to a free, fair, and credible poll as they agreed to the following terms; one, only original an owner of a PVC, who shows up at the polling unit on the day of the election, will be eligible to cast his or her vote. Two, Comprehensive Voter Register will be reproduced and pasted on the wall of each Polling Unit three or four days before the poll.”
“Three; no Amotekun Corps, PMS employees, or officials of security outfits not owned by the Federal Government will be involved in election duty. Four; representatives of each participating political party will be allowed to inspect sensitive poll materials and also follow up on the distribution of the same materials to guarantee transparency and accountability. Five; foreign and local organisations who have applied for accreditation to serve as Observers and Monitors on the day of the election will be considered and given special identification tags as no elected or appointed officials of either local, state, or federal government will have the right move round in the guise of monitoring the poll.”
“Last but not least; results are to be processed and announced at each Polling Unit before transmission to the Ward Collation Centre and later Local Government Collation Centre where winners will be declared by the relevant officials. In the same vein, we urge the security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to plan and ensure they play their part before, during, and after the election so that the Pacesetter state would be better for it.” Sadare added.
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.
-
Metro4 days agoGrim Friday: Man, Wife, Grandson Perish in Ibadan Fire
-
News4 days ago
NNPCL Refutes Shutdown Claims: Port Harcourt Refinery Fully Operational
-
News5 days ago
Bank Robberies Now History in Lagos Since 2014 – IGP
-
Crime & Court5 days ago
Human Rights Lawyer, Dele Farotimi, Granted ₦30m Bail
