The Management of Parrot 101.1. FM, Ogbomoso, on Wednesday morning turned down an arrangement of a live interview programme with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, citing tension in the land as the reason for cancelling the programme.
Makinde’s convoy had arrived at the premises of the radio station at about 10:50 am for a live interview programme scheduled for 11:00 am but he was quickly invited for discussions by the management of the radio station as he came down from his car.
Makinde, his campaign director, Prince Dotun Oyelade and a PDP leader, Jacob Adetoro, and other party members later had a discussion with the General Manager of the station, Mr Daramola Adeniyi, for about five minutes over the matter.
The General Manager of the station, Mr Adeniyi, speaking on the development said, he had called Prince Oyelade a few minutes before the arrival of Makinde to intimate him of the tension in the land.
Adeniyi, on behalf of the management, later decided to have a recorded interview instead of a live programme with Makinde, but the PDP governorship candidate and his team rejected the offer.
The development angered Prince Oyelade who questioned Adeniyi on the sudden change of an agreement from a live interview to a recorded programme. This, Oyelade said the PDP team had an option to accept, maintaining that they bargained for a live interview.
Makinde then advised the team to leave the premises, saying “let us go and do a road show, then we will from there go to Ajilete FM.”
Mr Adeniyi who debunked insinuations that the proprietor of the radio station and former Governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, was behind the cancellation of the programme, said, “we had an information that tension is brewing in the community this morning. Also, some people, mostly members of the PDP had been protesting in the neighbourhood distributing inciting leaflets with “O to ge” inscription. So, we felt that going on live with Engineer Seyi Makinde this morning could worsen the already tensed situation occasioned by the development.”
The situation was however, turned to a peaceful rally around the neighbourhood of Ogbomoso by the PDP team.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
