Ahead of the March 18 governorship election in Oyo state, a Pro-democracy group, The League of Progressives For Good Governance in Oyo State has endorsed the Accord Party Governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
While speaking on behalf of the group on Wednesday, in Ibadan, the General Secretary of the Group, Hon. Lekan Adeyemo said Oyo state which widely acknowledged for its pacesetting status has fallen in the hands of a government that lacks proper understanding people’s priorities. Hence, there is a need for change of leadership of the state.
He said: “Oyo State has been taken off the radar of development and it has retreated among comity of states in virtually all developmental indices. Sadly, the state widely acknowledged for its pacesetting status has fallen in the hands of a government that lacks proper understanding people’s priorities but rather, doing things by impulse, with the resultant effect of not making the expected impacts in the life of the ordinary citizen. Without mincing words, governance has gone on holiday in Oyo State!
“It is this unfortunate situation that has motivated us into coming out to alert our dear people of Oyo State that we must not allow things to continue to like this. We’ve got to make a choice through our votes this Saturday and it should be stated that the incumbent governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, who is seeking a reelection has nothing more to offer us in Oyo State, as every patriotic citizen of the state has seen his apparent limitation in term of capacity and capability to deliver on his mandate.
“In 2019 when he became governor, Seyi Makinde pledged to rule Oyo State with the fear of God, deliver good governance and return the state to its hitherto pacesetting status. Part of his promises was also to ensure security of lives and property, improve the state’s economy and further improve the wellbeing and welfare of the people. Alas, Makinde has failed in virtually all the indices of development!
“As far as security is concerned, it has been a story of woes, as innocent citizens, on daily basis, live in perpetual fear of attack by the rampaging hoodlums under the leadership of Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxilliary.
“It is unthinkable that a governor who swore to protect his people will live them at the mercy of an ex-convict, who ought to be excommunicated in a saner society, has been on the prowl terrorizing the state, killing and maiming innocent citizens with impunity, while he looks away as if nothing is happening. It was so bad that Auxilliary is still walking freely even when he was implicated in the killing of a phone seller at Iwo Road, the attack on the aggrieved leaders and elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during their parallel state congress at Jogor Centre during which several people were injured and vehicles destroyed and the killings at Igangan.
“Aside this, Oyo State has been groping under an unprecedented debt burden. Seyi Makinde’s administration has gone on borrowing spree in spite of proclaiming improvement of the state’s internally-generated revenue from N1.7 billion to N3.3 billion and executing its so-called projects through alternative project funding approach. It is saddening and shocking that the state’s economy has been pushed to the point where overdrafts are being taken to pay salaries while several billions of naira are being wasted on powering street lights with diesel generators after the removal of the cheaper and environmental-friendly solar-powered street lights.
“Suffice to say that our tertiary institutions are also being run through consultants, an aberration which has stifled the development of education in our state in the last four years. Also, Seyi Makinde has done everything possible to frustrate the much-desired local government autonomy owing to the pilfering of local government allocations through phony and fraudulent projects being executed by the state government under the cover of Joint State-Local Government Allocation Committee (JAC).”
Adeyemo also spoke extensively about the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, whom he described as an interloper in the progressive circle, who believes in taking what rightfully belong to others by force adding that it is totally alien to the progressive ideology.
He said further: “We are all aware of how he shamelessly circumvented the entire process and employed his inglorious jagba syndrome to fraudulently obtain the APC governorship ticket last year, thus destroying the otherwise cohesive party that had brought growth and development to the state during the golden era of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi and it also believes he is in relationship with Atiku in conjunction with Gov Adeleke of Osun state to return the progressive fold back to PDP,if he wins the election.
“It is unfortunate that such a character like Teslim Folarin with no known professional career other than politics could be thrown up to aspire to govern a state as politically sophisticated as Oyo State which was once governed by such intellectual giants as the late Chief Bola Ige and Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, a world-acclaimed mathematician and first-class brain.”
Stating while Chief Adelabu is the right candidate, the group stated that the standard bearer of the ACCORD party, Chief Bayo Adelabu, is a candidate to beat and he has the progressive ideology to make Oyo state progress accordingly.
He said: “Indeed, it is only by electing Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank, with vast experience in corporate governance and development, that our dear state can be saved from imminent collapse. We must also state that the peace which has eluded the state will return if he is elected governor of Oyo State.
“Adelabu, no doubt, represents the true face of progressive and will provide a platform for the progressives who have been put in disarray by the likes of Teslim Folarin and Seyi Makinde who are confirmed conservatives but who have been deceiving the people with their fake progressive mantra and disposition. In fact, it could be safely said that PDP and APC have been hijacked by conservatives, going by the characters in those political parties. Aside this, voting for either Seyi Makinde or Teslim Folarin is endorsing the continuation of the current reign of anarchy, brigandage and impunity in Oyo State.
“We must not allow our dear state to continue with that unfortunate renown. Another sad development in our body polity today is the ongoing series of alignments, realignments and endorsement of Makinde and Folarin by some political parties and politicians, akin to the transfer season in the ever-exciting world of soccer.
“These characters who are falling over one another to endorse and adopt these two candidates are not being motivated by the love of the state but by the pecuniary benefits, essentially financial, which they stand to gain through their macabre dance. If our dear state will witness growth and development as it did during the Ajimobi administration, the likes of Seyi Makinde and Teslim Folarin must be stopped, notwithstanding their desperation to mount the saddle from May 29, 2023.
“A vote for Bayo Adelabu is a vote for peace, progress, economic transformation, infrastructural development and social emancipation. We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that he has what it takes to lead Oyo State as governor and we are using this opportunity to appeal to the good people of Oyo State to come out en masse on Saturday, March 18 to vote for Bayo Adelabu for a new Oyo State with life in abundance. Thank you all for listening. God bless you”
