A former deputy governor of Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, has described the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde as a gross failure.
Gbolarumi, who has picked up the gubernatorial form of the Peoples Democractic Party with the intent to wrestle the 2023 gubernatorial ticket of the party from Makinde, stated this during a press conference on Tuesday.
According to him, the PDP was established 24 years ago with the primary aim to provide good governance that ensures probity and participatory democracy, and which guarantees human rights and fundamental freedoms of all person resident within the state. But these aims “has not been fulfilled,” under the current administration, “despite all proposed interventions by stakeholders of the Party.”
“Some of the expected achievements from the Governor, by members and elders of the Oyo State PDP that worked assiduously for him to be elected on the platforms of PDP, he has grossly disappointed them on, particularly, economy, insecurity, education, agriculture, healthcare, rule of law, the entrenchment of democracy, etc. Engr. Seyi Makinde never wanted to relate to the PDP platforms for deliberations and suggestions on how to move Oyo State,” Gbolarumi said.
He noted that the series of economic scandals linked with the Governor are also disturbing, especially in the face of the poor state of the state’s economy.
“The most disturbing political and social problems in Nigeria anchor on poverty and low access to economic opportunities, which ultimately affect improvement in the well-being of the people. In that wise, therefore, it is highly embarrassing to the Oyo State branch of the party that, amid abject poverty, a series of economic scandals have been attributed to the Governor and state government, and which are yet to be logically cleared.
“Whatever economic policy that the Governor has been making use of in his administration, such has not focused on creating a market-based economy driven by small and medium scale businesses: made accessible to the people, the basic needs of life nor aided him in pursuit of a strong. virile, and diversified economy that is built on stopping or reducing rural-urban migration, due to investments in modern agricultural facilities, methods, and training. Meanwhile, the Governor’s excessive borrowings keep getting huge, and all of these are contrary to the major vision of supporting his candidature in the first place.”
He also described the continuous attacks on members and elders of the Party either at events venues or their residences which have made them quite unsafe in the state as disturbing.
“We have commenced striving in reconciling all the forces alienated by recent political events in the state, and also try to heal divisions and destruction of our harmony caused by the recent ruthless imposition of power in the Oyo State PDP. National is, therefore, enjoined to ensure that the Party does not lose to another Party, due to the present situation of things, as elimination of grassroots support is completely threatened. PDP was founded in 1998 (24 years ago), so, Sense of history and its lessons are left to conclude our story,” he added.
Speaking on concerns by observers in some corners of the state that the Governor has the financial strength and structure to win the party’s primaries, he maintained that he has God on his side.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Director-General of the Hazeem Gbolarumi Campaign Organization, Mukaila Aborode, noted that supporters of the PDP chieftain are confident of defeating the Governor at the party’s primaries.
“Our mission is simple; It is for a better Oyo State. A state with confidence in its people and future. It was not a mistake to have christened Oyo the pacesetter. The force of change outside Oyo State is an indication that there is a need for change here,” Aborode, a former Commissioner for Environment, said.
