Politics
‘Makinde Was Wrong to Insult Appeal Court Judges’ – Oyo APC
The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has described as unfortunate and regrettable the comments made by Governor Seyi Makinde on a live broadcast interview programme where he allegedly lampooned some judges of the Appellate Court whose verdict as delivered on November 11, 2019 in the case before them was clearly against him.
While reacting to a question about his feelings after the final judgment given by the Supreme Court which validated his election as governor of the state, Engr. Makinde was quoted to have lashed out on two Judges of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan whose position which formed the majority judgment set aside the nullification of the petition filed by the APC’s gubernatorial candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and thus threw the PDP camp into panic until last Tuesday when the Apex Court laid everything to rest.
In a statement issued in Ibadan and made available to journalists at the weekend by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Prince Ayobami Adejumo, Oyo APC said that it was unbecoming of a sitting governor to have made an attempt to drag a section of the Judiciary in the mud in order to express his joy over an unexpected court victory and exhibit his unbridled penchant for playing the ostrich.
“We watched and listened to the live interview programme hurriedly packaged by the Governor’s media handlers to herald the superfluous celebration of the Supreme Court verdict which came in their favour unexpectedly. The highpoint of the interview was the needless embarrassment caused the people of the state when Gov. Makinde said that the judges who ruled against him at the Appellate Court were compromised by those whose names he could not mention.
“The governor was so emphatic in his careless statement that all his followers who accompanied to the studio were caught in palpable awe and bewilderment. Apparently, Gov. Makinde was prepared to take the said judges to the cleaners while he singled out the judge who ruled in his favour as the only upright man among the panel of judges. This is on record and we demand an apology from the governor to the Honorable Justices affected as well as the nation’s Judiciary as a whole.
“We feel shortchanged with the composition of the panel of judges of the Supreme Court which sat on Oyo gubernatorial tussle last Tuesday as the wife of a PDP stalwart was made the Chairman and the same panel threw out the Appellate Court’s judgment which was in our favour but as democrats and law abiding citizens, we took everything in good faith and we have resolved to move on.
“Furthermore, Gov. Makinde continued with his usual grandstanding when he said that his predecessor received a sum of N5.2b on May 6, 2019 and left only N90, 000 in the state government’s account when handing over on May 29, 2019. But the governor did not add that Sen. Ajimobi, within the same period, paid staff salaries and offset some other bills which would have made the new government face the challenges of unnecessary debts in their first day in office.
“Funny enough, Gov. Makinde shot himself in the leg again when he unconsciously stated that on assumption of office, he was able to mop up public funds kept in about 67 different accounts belonging to the state government and this he put at about N6.2b. As if this was not enough, the exposed himself as tried to fool the public over the stupendous financial resources spent so far on light decorations in some parts of Ibadan.
“We are now asking Gov. Makinde to come clean on the amount of cash gifts from corporate organizations which he has used on the superfluous road and junction decorations in part of the state capital while we also urge him to be aware of the fact that the time for real governance is here as against the cosmetic approach which portrays him as still being in a campaign mood several months after his assumption of office.” APC concluded.
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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