Former governor of Oyo State, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala says he is working to unite members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared that his loyalty is for the party and an individual.
Alao-Alaka stated this in response to a purported letter from the Unity Forum calling on him to join them as “disrespectful and insulting”.
His response was captured in a statement issued by his Media team signed by Head, New Media & Public Affairs, Akala Campaign Organization, Mr Jeremiah Akande seen by insideoyo.com.
“The statement as far as we understand, falls low beyond the reasoning and exposure of the foremost APC governorship aspirant in the state and it smacks of conspiracy and contrived attempt by those whose only stock in trade is to go low, while we remain up there in our dealings and aspirations saying, “the purported statement to say the least, exists in the minds of the purveyors of this lie and falsehood to score cheap political points.”
“Otunba Alao-Akala as a former governor, understands the position, the enormous powers and authority the office of a governor wields and therefore, would not support nor make any attempt at denigrating that revered office. There is no doubting the fact that governor Ajimobi is the leader of the party in the state, but he is not the party. Akala’s loyalty is to the party and could therefore not have made the alleged statement that “Me and my household are for Ajimobi.” it said.
Emphasizing that “it is a well known fact that Otunba Akala’s major supporters and political backers are made up of market women, artisans, students and the civil servants”, the Media Team added that, “it would therefore, be out of place for anybody in his right senses and steady state of mind to credit such a statement to a man whose main source of inspiration and support are the commoners who have been clamoring and agitating for his return to office for the simple reason of wanting their lives to be once again, bettered by his return to the Agodi Govt House in 2019.”
“As an APC chieftain, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has remained at the forefront of making sure that any aggrieved member is pacified before the next election. For clarity sake, shortly after the factionalized congress of the party, Otunba Alao-Akala has been talking to even the governor and the party leadership on the need for them to find a way out of the logjam in the overall interest of the party, a task he personally made public to lead.”
The Akala Media Team stressed that “it is therefore, preposterous and unfounded, for anyone to ascribe such a statement to a man who has been toiling day and night to ensure permanent and acceptable peace within the party”, adding that, “agreeing without conceding that such a letter was ever written to His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, everyone who knows his desire for unity in party would agree with us that his response would never have been couched in such a ‘gutterish’ and derogatory language said to have been made by him.”
“Such statements are most times products and outcomes of excesses of political jobbers and hangers on seeking undue relevance from those those in power. For the records, the source , sponsors and purveyors of this inanities are well known to us. They are simply afraid of the rising profile of the former governor and in order to cause an imaginary friction among Otunba Alao-Akala, the Governor and the Unity Forum (which he has put in all he has to bring back to the fold), they must at all cost bring a wedge between Akala and Ajimobi for their political gain.”
The Media Team then urged members of the public, APC members and followers of Otunba Akala “to ignore such rants by a faceless but known group as Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala would continue to give his all at ensuring that peace, unity and oneness return to the party for the task ahead of us to be made even easier.”
