Oyo State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the steps being taken by outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi led-administration as calculated to lay political and economic landmine for the governor-elect, Seyi Makinde.
Saying the victory handed the PDP in the just concluded 2019 election as historical and comparable to Arab Spring in the Middle East, the party said it has resolved to treat governance in the next four years with all sense of due diligence and seriousness.
In a statement issued by the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Akeem Olatunji in Ibadan yesterday, the party accused the outgoing APC government of looting the treasury under the watchful eyes of the state officials, especially Ajimobi, the 68 local councils and local council development areas (LCDAs) chairmen and local governments’ director of works.
It said just within the last six months, a minimum of N19 billion was misappropriated from the 33 local governments’ Excess Crude account without recourse to laid down rules and procedure.
The statement added that the “government hurriedly awarded over N30 billion frivolous contracts” after the outgoing governor’s candidate lost the gubernatorial election to PDP.
“If truly Governor Ajimobi and APC is desirous of progress, development and wellbeing of Oyo State people, he should have limited his outgoing government to resolving the financial challenges facing the six state owned tertiary institutions, including Ladoke Akintola University in Ogbomosho, completion of ongoing projects, paying backlogs of salary arrears to pensioners and civil servants and most importantly, clear about N300 billion debt his administration incurred in the last eight years.
“Juxtaposing the above scenario with suit filed by the APC gubernatorial candidate, Chief Bayo Adelabu, against the overwhelming victory of Seyi Makinde of PDP, it is evident that the reason for the frivolous awards of contracts and post-election litigation is to bogged down the incoming Makinde-led PDP administration and deprive the state of much-needed development gear to take our people out of the miserable poverty level they have been subjected to in the last eight years.
“If indeed the outgoing government and APC are committed to serve Oyo State people, we expect them to extend hands of friendship to the incoming PDP government by reversing all secret employments and contracts awarded immediately after the election was lost and won. APC should also accept their loss at the poll as the final verdict of the almighty electorates, who have decided in their own wisdom to give PDP candidate a clear lead in 28 out of 33 local governments’ election results, “the party said.
When contacted, the state All Progressive Congress (APC) spokesperson, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde faulted the PDP allegations, describing them as baseless and unfounded.
He said it was saddening that the PDP is still in campaign mood and could not put on its thinking cap and be strategising on what to make of the mandate given them by the electorate.
He reminded the PDP that in 2011, the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that won Oyo State gubernatorial election did not begin governance until May 29, 2011, adding that the assets and liabilities of government inherited were faced headlong.
“Like the earlier post, the life of this current government will only expires on May 28, 2019,” he stated.
Dr. AbdulAzeez rhetorical asked the incoming PDP government to make their findings properly about the last-minute employments, which the PDP made in 2011 at both the state and local government levels, and whether the CAN asked for their reversal.
“No, we didn’t. In fact, our government employed more hands. And if there is any sector that needed more before the life-span of this government, is PDP asking the government to go on holiday, which is anti-people you promised to serve?
“In APC government, there is no secret employment. If that is the stock in trade of PDP, the APC government has since corrected that. That is why the YES-O Cadets and virtually all government employments were made open through online processing.
“Over 200 trade groups and artisans have been empowered by this government with over N2 billion revolving loans and over 320 tractors purchased for agricultural intervention in Oyo State, the first state government to acquire such hefty figure.
“We would have ignored the advice of the PDP to APC on litigation filed on the gubernatorial election, however, they should tell us why the PDP/ Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), former Accord Party candidate, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja went to court in 2015 and why is PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in court for their lost elections. Honestly, PDP is an expired party, replete with strange ideological hypocrites.
“ACN government of Ajimobi met debts and paid those he could and God sparing our lives till 2023, I will love to remind the public the debt the PDP government would be leaving behind,” Olatunde said.
Credit: The Nation
