The senator representing Oyo South senatorial district, Dr. Kola Balogun, has dismissed insinuation that there is crises within the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Balogun who made this disclosure while featuring on BOTTOM LINE, a weekly political programme via the telephone on IBR 92.5fm Ibadan at the weekend, was reacting to the perceived crisis between him and another top chieftain of the party, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia.
OYOINSIGHT.COM understands that Balogun and Olopoenia, both of whom are from Ibadan North East local government area are not in good terms. This, sources told this newspaper, dated back to the build-up to the 2019 elections when Balogun was handed the senatorial ticket of PDP after defecting from the African Democratic Congress, ADC. Not happy with the decision, Olopoenia was said to have voiced his dissatisfaction. He was later accused of working against Balogun, who would later defeat opponents including former governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was then completing his second term as governor.
Balogun and the chairman of the disciplinary committee of the Park Management System, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi ‘Auxilliary’, OYOINSIGHT.COM recalls, had last week been taped on a live radio programme calling Olopoenia a non-Ibadanman.
Declining further comment on Olopoenia, Balogun said Oyo PDP is a strong family.
“There is no crisis in Oyo PDP. But you know, in politics, rancour will come up and if there is anything like that, an internal mechanism is in place to handle that. But you can be rest assured that Oyo PDP is a big strong and united family. I would not want to speak further on it” he said.
This is just as he said that the current National Assembly led by Senator Ahmad Lawan is not one that has been pocketed by the executive.
Saying that he was hearing the allegation that the 9th Assembly being a rubber stamp from the anchor of the programme for the first time, Balogun noted that it will be unfair for a cross section of Nigerians to take the resolve of the serving Legislators to work harmoniously with the Executive arm of government to mean weakness.
“That allegation is not true. I am just hearing it from you that the 9th Assembly is being called a rubber stamp by some of my constituents. But in any case, we have only resolved to work together with the Executive in the interest of Nigerians”.
On his achievement within the last one year in office, he said irrespective of the vituperations of the opposition, the feedback he gets from his constituents is quite satisfactory as the traders who have benefitted from the soft loans he facilitated and communities he has given transformers to among other initiatives testify that his gestures are unprecedented.
Balogun described the autonomy for state legislature and judiciary recently granted by the President through Executive Order 10 as an initiative that is enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended hence, it is should be embraced by all.
