The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State has said that the ‘mega status’ of the party is making the All Progressives Congress, APC, jittery.
Reacting to statement credited to a National leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that opposition party is dead in the state with the defection of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, ex-deputy governor Taofeek Arapaja, ex-Senate leader Teslim Folarin and others into the APC.
A statement by its spokesperson, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, disclosed that the decampees had joined the APC more than two years ago, describing the event as a jamboree and ‘money-wasting’.
The statement reads: “It is absurd that 90 per cent of the so-called decampees have seized to be PDP members more than 2 years ago while the remaining 10 per cent are politicians who make their living through politics and hence the need to be in the ruling party at all times because they lack ideologies and principles.
“The PDP pities Sen Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unenviable job of selling a rejected Oyo State APC to the electorates whereas the party hierarchy including the National Chairman of APC knew that Oyo State APC is moribund and the Saturday’s official declaration was just a charade to celebrate the birthday of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in an elaborate and wasteful manner without taken into consideration the non-payment of between 9 to 16 months salaries of Oyo State tertiary institutions’ workers.
“It is in fact laughable that the APC which has totally failed in bringing together her old members who worked for her success in 2015 could recourse to panic mode just because the PDP has succeeded in uniting its fronts through the political sagacity of her leader, Sen Rashidi Ladoja.
“We were very much aware that Sen. Tinubu, Governor Ajimobi and the so-called decampees left the venue dejected due to the refusal of the National Chairman, Odigie Oyegun, and other party echelons to grace the occasion.
“It is on record that the only Minister from the State, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, Sen. Monsurat Monsuru, Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari, Hon. Dapo Lam-Adesina and many other honorables on the platform of APC boycotted the events to the surprise of Sen Tinubu and the self acclaimed Constituted Authority, Sen Ajimobi,” he added.
The party stated that the Ajimobi has resorted to a failed attempt to give a false hope that APC is still alive in the State when all the indices show that APC is virtually dead but the undertakers were admitted with funfair last Saturday.
The statement reads further: “President Buhari’s low key celebration of his 75th birthday is worthy of emulation, this is a milestone also coming after his recovery. It calls for celebration but the mood of the nation and Oyo State in particular where poverty is at an alarming rate calls for sober reflections. What is the significant of 68 to 75.
The whole page of some National newspapers on Sat 16th of December 2019 were used to congratulate Gov Ajimobi by govt agencies. This is wasteful.
“It is disgusting and highly embarrassing that the Governor Ajimobi led APC government that has repeatedly failed to conduct local government elections since 2011 and has flagrantly continued to violate Nigerian constitution is living in a fantasy world that they can still get electorates votes in 2019, it is impossible.
“The good people of Oyo State have come to discover that APC is a fraud, a party of untrustworthy fellows who have failed to keep a single of its numerous promises repeatedly made to Oyo State populace.
“Since the centre fails to hold under APC, the PDP has come to the rescue. APC needs to be reminded that the era of falsehood, deceits and scaremongering, which their government is known, for has gone. The good people of Oyo State are just anxiously waiting for 2019 to kick them out and that’s a promise.
