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‘We rejected Makinde’s offer to avoid being corrupted’ – Oyo ALGON speaks

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The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), in Oyo State has given reason why it rejected Governor Seyi Makinde’s pay-off offer, but rather stuck to what would be the outcome of the legal battle.

Governor Makinde had on Monday through his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa said he would comply with the judgement of the Supreme Court that ruled that the illegally sacked council gaffers be paid their salary and allowance for the duration of their tenure that they were sacked.

In the statement, the governor also said he was not surprised at the judgement lashed out at the victorious council bosses noting that he had since fifteen months ago offered them the same option of paying them off but that the embattled ALGON members had insisted on returning to office to complete their tenure.

Speaking on behalf of the sacked council chiefs, during a ‘Thank you visit’ to legal luminary, Chief Niyi Akintola SAN at his Agodi residence, in Ibadan, the Chairman of Oyo ALGON, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, said the association deliberately took the decision so as not to be part of the government’s corruption.

He noted that the concern of the chairmen was neither the money nor the office, as wrongly claimed by the governor, but the need to deepen democracy at the grassroot.

“How can you give me money for the work I didn’t do and I have not done. Governor Makinde wanted to pay us last year when we have not done the work. And it is not legal and at the end of the day, it is all about corruption

“If we had collected the money, we were encouraging corruption. And anybody can come up later in the year or in the nearest future to challenge us that we collected money for the work we had not done.

“But, now, any proclamation from the Supreme Court is law. This is law. A judgement has been given, the money is due to us and we can collect it now. When he (Makinde) wanted to pay us, the question was, why will he pay us? Why will he even sack us in the first instance when the court said it’s wrong? Why would you do that? If you had done that and you said you want to pay us, that in itself is corruption, so we will never be part of a thing.

“For us, if we had collected the money at the time, and when people see us, will they not say it was all about the money?

“But for us, it was not about the money or the office, it is about the rule of law and I am saying it, I personally don’t ever have interest in contesting any local government elections again in my life.

“But the whole idea is for us to show that we want democracy to be entrenched at the grassroot and that is what we have done. We have laid precedence and for generations to come, the sacrifice we have made will always be enjoyed by those who will occupy the office at the local government level”, the ALGON boss added.

Meanwhile, the council bosses from the 33 local government areas (LGAs) and 35 local council development areas (LCDA) were in attendance to express their appreciation to Chief Akintola who provided them legal services pro-bono up until the Supreme Court.

According to Aleshinloye, “we are here to thank Barrister Akintola SAN. Like we did yesterday, we were in Ilorin to say the same thing to Barrister Yusuf Alli SAN and we couldn’t have done anything better, because Barrister Akintola identify with us being a member of the party; a leader for that matter. It is on record that he did not collect any money from us. Well, whichever way you look at it , we have to appreciate him for doing that.

” Like I said, we were with Yusuf Alli yesterday, he stood firm, and at the Supreme court , he did very well. Likewise, Barrister Kunle Soboloju. He started this case, he won the case at the High Court and he handled several filings on behalf of ALGON, the young gentleman needs also to be appreciated. We will make sure that we visit him as well; same with Seun Abimbola”, he continued.

Remarking, the Oyo APC gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Akintola informed that he decided to offer free legal service to the embattled council bosses as parts of his contributions to the development and progress of the party.

Akintola, however charged the party faithful and leaders in attendance on the need to be united, attributing his commitment to the progressive fold and sacrificial services to some of the things learnt from the late Chief Bola Ige.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ibarapa East/Ido: I’ll sustain quality representation, development, says Osuolale 

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File photo of Hon.Osuolale Niyi Yusuf

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Hon. Osuolale Niyi Yusuf, has promised to sustain quality representation and development in the constituency if elected.

Osuolale made the promise on Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital while speaking with journalists on his ambition and his plans for the constituency.

The former Education Secretary and councillor said his focus would be on effective legislation, people-oriented representation and the facilitation of projects that would address the immediate needs of the people.

According to him,  representation should not be limited to attending legislative sessions, but must also involve listening to the people, understanding their challenges and ensuring that their concerns receive attention at the appropriate level.

The APC chieftain said people of Ibarapa East/Ido need a representative who would remain close to them and continue to engage with them after elections as it is presently witnessed.

“I want to assure the people of Ibarapa East/Ido that if given the opportunity, I will give them quality and effective representation. My interest is to represent the people well and ensure that projects and interventions are directed towards areas where they are most needed,” he said.

Osuolale also acknowledged the work of the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, saying that his performance had created a standard that any successor would have to respect.

“Hon. Aderemi Oseni has set a standard that must not be lowered. Whoever is coming after him must be prepared to sustain the quality of representation and, where possible, improve on it,” he said.

The APC candidate said his experience in public service had given him an understanding of the importance of consultation and accountability in governance, stressing that he would make the people central to his legislative activities.

He identified education, infrastructure, youth development, women empowerment , health care services among others as areas that deserved continued attention, adding that he would work with community leaders and other stakeholders to attract meaningful development to Ibarapa East/Ido.

Osuolale therefore appealed to the people of the constituency to support his aspiration, promising that, if elected, he would regard the mandate as a responsibility to serve rather than an opportunity for personal gain.

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Oyo 2027: Alli appoints Oladele, Olaosebikan, Tunji media directors

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has appointed three experienced journalists and communication professionals as directors in his campaign media and publicity team ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The appointees are the former South-West Bureau Chief of The Nation, Bisi Oladele, who was named Director of Media and Publicity; a former Chief Press Secretary to the late Oyo State Governor, Lam Adesina, Kehinde Olaosebikan, as Director of Strategic Communication; and a former Special Adviser to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy, Bolaji Tunji, as Director of Public Affairs.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Media Consultant to Alli, Dare Adekanmbi, and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Thursday.

Also appointed to the team are the immediate past Chairman of the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ademola Babalola, as Deputy Director, while the Oyo State APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, will serve as Secretary.

Oladele, a multimedia journalist and communication strategist, has over 25 years of experience in journalism and public relations.

He was until his latest appointment the Executive Editor of Newspeak Media and Chairman of the South-West Guild of Online Publishers.

Oladele holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (English) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and a Master’s degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He is also concluding a PhD programme in Political Communication at Lead City University, Ibadan.

He is expected to work with other communication professionals, including Ayotunde Olude, to drive the campaign’s media, publicity and strategic communication activities.

Olaosebikan, a veteran journalist and media practitioner, served as Chief Press Secretary to the late Governor Lam Adesina and brings considerable experience in government media relations and strategic communication to the campaign.

Tunji, also a journalist and communication practitioner, served as Special Adviser to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Communication and Strategy.

According to the statement, the appointments were made to strengthen the campaign’s media visibility, strategic communication, public engagement and information management ahead of the 2027 general election.

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Oyo South: Ibadan security groups back Oseni’s senatorial bid 

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Oyo APC senatorial candidate, Aderemi Oseni addressing the crowd in Ibadan today

The Ibadan Security Initiative, a coalition of indigenous security groups operating across the six local government areas of Oyo South Senatorial District, has declared its support for the senatorial ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Aderemi Oseni.

‎The declaration was made on Wednesday at the Recreation Club open field in Ibadan, where leaders and members of the groups gathered to publicly endorse Oseni ahead of the election.

‎The coalition comprises no fewer than 20 indigenous security organisations, including the OPC Fasheun, Agbekoya Solidarity, OLM, Ifenisese Oodua, Agbekoya Peace and Unity, LLVG, OPC Gani, Omo-Ibile, Agbekoya Warriors, OPC New Era, FYCC Alajobi, Agbekoya Farmers, IROD, IYF, Itesiwaju Agbekoya, Hunters Ode, Soludero Hunters Guide, Oyo State Vigilante Group, Soludero Association, Kobolese Vanguard and Majiyagbe Vanguard.

The groups have structures and members across the local government areas that  make up Ibadanland.

‎Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its Commandant, Chief Musliudeen Kehinde Ege, commended Oseni for what he described as his “superlative performance” as a member of the House of Representatives.

‎Ege said the groups had followed reports of Oseni’s interventions and representation before deciding to identify with his senatorial aspiration.

‎He said: “We have been hearing a lot of good things about you as a result of your quality representation and impactful development, even beyond Oyo South.We are proud to identify with you and openly declare our unflinching support for the realisation of your ambition. We will not only make this happen at the polls with our huge followership and networks, we are also going to ensure that the votes are well secured.”

‎Addressing the gathering, Oseni thanked the security groups for the confidence reposed in him, assuring them that he would remain committed to quality representation and people-oriented development.

‎The lawmaker said his legislative agenda for Oyo South would focus on people-centred legislation, strategic engagement at the national level and efforts to attract meaningful development projects to the district.

‎Oseni, who is currently representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and chairs the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), also assured residents that his interventions in communities would continue.

‎He said his support for communities, religious bodies, artisans, traders, market associations and other development stakeholders across the district was driven by his desire to improve the welfare of the people and would continue until the election.

‎The APC candidate also appealed to the gathering to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Sarafadeen Alli and other APC candidates.

‎Responding to requests earlier presented by the security initiative, Oseni donated a bus, three Hajj slots and N20 million to support the activities of the groups.

‎The donations, according to him, were part of his commitment to supporting initiatives that contribute to community development, security and the welfare of the people.

(c) Mega Icon Magazine 

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