Politics
Stop Dropping Tinubu’s Name, Oyo APC Warns Makinde
The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has told Governor Seyi Makinde and his supporters to desist from making false claims about having the endorsement of the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ahead of the next week gubernatorial election saying that it was a height of desperation and insincerity.
There have been insinuations from Agodi Government House that Gov. Makinde played a key role in the victory recorded by Sen. Tinubu in Oyo state last Saturday when he polled a total of 449,884 votes to defeat the presidential candidates of the PDP, LP, NNPP and other political parties in the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC queried the rationale behind the insinuations about Gov. Makinde being responsible for the delivery of all the three Senatorial and eight House of Representatives seats to the APC (while two are still pending) in the same election where Gov. Makinde’s PDP also fielded its best candidates whose electioneering the governor campaigned for and funded heavily.
“Those behind the wicked rumour are some unscrupulous elements whose motive is to mislead the public and attract undue sympathy from certain quarters outside the state. To set the record straight, Oyo PDP did its best to secure victory for all its candidates at the last Saturday election but they failed simply because Oyo APC was far ahead of them in terms of preparedness, human resources and strategy.
“We therefore challenge Gov. Makinde or any of his agents to present any evidence of the purported agreement or deal between them and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu if they are truthful. The only thing they harmed with is the courtesy visit which the presidential candidate of our Party paid to the Agodi Government Secretariat on the day of our Presidential Rally and this, as far as we are concerned, happened because a statesman like Sen. Tinubu cannot pay an official visit to any state without paying a courtesy visit on the sitting governor.
“The truth of the matter is that the five aggrieved PDP governors were naive and lacking in political strategies. Gov. Wike was the only one among them who was courageous enough to assist the cause of Sen. Tinubu and he did not do at the expense of his PDP as all the National Assembly candidates of the APC failed in in his state. In the case of Oyo, there was no report of any serving political office holder or appointee of the PDP who mobilized for Tinubu or any other APC candidate at the poll.
“For the avoidance of doubt, candidates of Oyo PDP were able to win in about four federal constituencies and this indicates that members of the ruling party approached the election with all seriousness as they garnered good votes in most polling units where their party emerged second. Just last Tuesday, Gov. Makinde invited all PDP stakeholders in the state and he gave them N500m as gifts for the job they dis for their candidates in the last weekend election. Meanwhile, the lie about a deal with Sen. Tinubu cannot fly because the President-elect is a core Progressive democrat who can never engage in any anti-party activity.” Sadare stated.
In the same vein, Oyo APC has raised the alarm over alleged reports of some agents of the ruling PDP moving round public primary and secondary schools across the state to mislead both teaching and non-teaching staff as they fabricate all sort of lies against the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Sen. Teslim Folarin. “We are using this medium to disabuse the minds of public servants in the state. Sen. Folarin, if elected governor, would not only ensure prompt and full payment of salaries and other entitlement due to public servants and pensioners as he would do more to make life easier for all and sundry.
“Members of the general public are enjoined to disregard all manner of misinformation and rumours traceable to Gov. Makinde and his agents as they are only trying to mislead voters ahead of next Saturday election. The level of desperation behind exhibited by the governor’s clearly indicates that they are being hounded by their own shadow. If Gov. Makinde had done well in the last four years, he would not have to be paranoid to face the electorate again as seeks reelection.” Oyo APC 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.
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