•Wants Them To Remain In APC
The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has alleged communications minister, Barr. Adebayo Shittu and notable members of the Unity Forum worked against the party during the just concluded Ibarapa East State Constituency bye-election.
The seat, Insight Oyo recalled, became vacant due to the death of Speaker Michael Adeyemo who represented the constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly.
Reacting to the letter written by Shittu to President Muhammadu Buhari and notable APC leaders in the country, its spokesman, Olatunde AbdulAzeez, alleged that the minister and other carried out anti-party activities, adding that they raised a candidate from the same constituency of the candidate of the APC all because he wanted to undermine the chances of the APC.
Olatunde, in a chat with Premium Times, added that Shittu was full of fallacious claims “which is something he is fond of.”
He challenged the minister to state three vivid examples of undemocratic tendencies the governor has exhibited. He also accused Shittu of carrying out anti-party activities in the state.
“He said the party lost the by-election in Oorelope since the governor was sworn in the second time but all the elements in the party that are causing trouble now were solidly with us then, yet we lost the by-election.
“The by-election in Ibarapa which he claimed that it’s because they are no longer with us that the party lost; they were the ones that are guilty of working against the interest of the party.
“They were carrying out anti-party activities. They raised a candidate from the same constituency of the candidate of the APC all because he wanted to undermine the chances of the APC,” he said.
Olatunde alleged the minister was “mobilising people and telling them not to vote for the party.”
He further stated that Shittu did not contribute to the reelection of the governor “because he was the one that took the governor to court despite every reasonable element in the party pleading with him to be reasonable.
“He is reaping from where he did not sow because if at all, reward is given based on contribution, then he doesn’t deserve that ministerial position he is enjoying now.
“Other antecedents of the minister are there for everybody to claim. He has never been found to very stable in every ramifications. If he actually loves Buhari, this is not the time for him to be working against him,” he said.
He, however, noted that the party does not want Shittu and “any of his co-travellers to leave the party.”
“We want peace and reconciliation. We want them to come and amicably settle it but whatever is their choice is left for them. If he cannot be submissive to the leadership of the party here and the state governor, he certainly cannot be submissive to President Buhari in Abuja,” he added.
