A political group, the Adelabu Solidarity Group (ASG) has fired back at Dr Azeez Adeduntan, the immediate past Commissioner for Health in Oyo state, following a recent statement credited to him, calling the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 9 election, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, a wrong Candidate.
The group, loyal to Adelabu has described the statement credited to Dr. Adeduntan as senseless and not expected from any reasonable person who had benefited from the party when APC was in control of the state.
Contained in a statement signed by Comrade Femi Awogboro on behalf of the group, he said Oloye Adelabu will not like to join issues with a political jobber like the former Commissioner for Health, saying it is pertinent for Adelabu Solidarity Group to respond to some of the remarks attributed to Dr. Adeduntan.
“If not for people like Dr Azeez Adeduntan who worked against the APC at the 2019 poll ,despite the hands of love extended to him and Some betrayers by Bayo Adelabu ,the party won’t have temporarily lost the seat of power in Oyo state.
“The former commissioner was quoted as saying, he facilitated one billion naira for Adeoyo Ring Road Hospital out of fifty billion naira which was expected and the self styled “World class Surgeon” bragged with impunity
“Oloye Adelabu who is a silent philanthropist that has contributed a lot to the pace setter state .The Technical University Ibadan, Oyo state ,Security Trust Fund, numerous scholarship awards among countless among others are what chief Adelabu has been shouldering without making needless noise”, the statement added.
Comrade Awogboro who is the Publicity Secretary of APC in Ibadan South East, also urged Dr Adeduntan to be mindful of his utterances in the public , especially on issues relating to the party and should apologise immediately for his misguided and malicious invectives against the respected Chief .
“What ought to be paramount in the mind of any committed member now is to work harmoniously through prayers and commitment to the party towards ensuring the victory of APC at the Appeal court, not making unnecessary and baseless remarks about the party and its leadership”.
Awogboro asked Dr Adeduntan to learn about APC’s ideology and stop tarnishing the image of the party and its real stalwarts, saying “his type of attitude and arrogance displayed by him (Dr Adeduntan) necessitated the then Labour Party to substitute his name prior to the 2011 Governorship elections”.
But, the Adeduntan Support Group (ASG) in a statement issued in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on Monday described former Deputy Governor of Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) and the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebayo Adelabu as a toddler who needs to enroll at the school of Oyo politics for him to excel in his future political endeavour.
The ASG in its reaction to a statement credited to Abiodun Awogboro of Adelabu Solidarity Group also said “the woeful outing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State during the 2019 general elections was due to the inability to unite and work with his major opponents who jostled with him for the party’s governorship ticket.”
“Adebayo Adelabu, the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
in the Oyo State governorship election started carrying himself like a governor-in-waiting from the moment he was imposed by Ajimobi as the governorship candidate at a kangaroo primary organized by Ajimobi on September 30th 2018
“Adelabu even after he lost the election passed several insults on the leaders of the party, blaming them for his loss in the election, and how he was involved in fisticuffs with an aide of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, his main allies who is also a Personal Assistant to the former governor at the Governor’s Oluyole residence.”
The group further advised Adelabu to place his failed ambition in the right perspective, saying the real reason for his thrashing is his aloofness to the party, it’s leaders, co- contestants, and his arrogance.
“On some of the issues raised by Awogboro in his statement, the group disclosed that one of the factors that caused the defeat of APC in the election was also some of the people used during the campaign who have no wherewithal to lead such sensitive and serious business just like Awogboro.
“Awogboro according to our findings is from Ekiti State, as a matter of fact chairman, of recently dissolved Yoruba Youth Council, Ekiti State chapter. In the past eight years with no serious means of survival except politics. He was formerly with Chief Femi Olaore, also a senatorial aspirant of APC and left when the latter can no longer trust him.”
“The said Awogboro who cannot be described as a professional journalist despite his Diploma certificate in Journalism from Institute of Journalism, Iyaganku, Ibadan due to his inability to be engaged by any media outfit can not be taken serious for whatever reason and his not qualified at all in any issues especially politics in Oyo state”.
The statement, however cautioned Adelabu and his team to engage only professionals in the pursuit of his political career and always warn his sympathisers in getting their facts right to avoid been sued in the court of law for libellous statements.
