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.
