Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday described the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state as a party that loathes constructive criticism, and abhor fair competition, saying APC would rather want to be left to continue its unalloyed feudal aggrandizement and misrule over the people of Lagos.
The party scribe, Prince Muiz Dosumu, said this in a statement titled: “The guilty will always be afraid,” copy of which was made available to journalists in reaction to APC secretary, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi’s criticism of Oyo State governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, who said the ruling party should be ready for a defeat by PDP, come 2023.
The governor made this prediction last Thursday when his reconciliation led team met with the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George at his Ikoyi office.
”I am not amazed at Lanre Ogunyemi’s ridiculous profanity and disrespect to constituted authority. The APC chief scribe simply exposed the inherent fear and intolerance to opposing views and opinions. He should be reminded that we are not in a Gestapo state, where oppositions are merely seen and not heard.
”Why the frenzy and fright over a factual statement credited to the Oyo State governor, Hon. Seyi Makinde, one of the most outstanding governors in Nigeria today. Why would Lanre, or his paymaster, throw decorum to the winds over a statement of fact, on the impending doom that will sooner befall his underperforming party in Lagos? You loath constructive criticism, and abhor fair competition, you will rather; your party continue in it’s unalloyed feudal aggrandizement and misrule over the people of Lagos,” the scribe said.
The PDP chieftain, while declaring that the days of APC were over as Lagosians needed a fresh breath, took a swipe at his APC counterpart for labeling the free and fair election that brought the Oyo State governor, Makinde into office as a “chanced victory.”
”Your days of menacing prance is over, Lagos needs a breath of fresh air.
”In your illusion, you labelled one of the most popular and credible elections, that was devoid of thuggery, ballot box snatching, or political intimidation of voters (unlike Lagos), a chanced victory.
“How could you a whole state secretary, demean yourself to the level of labelling the politics of one of the most politically sophisticated states in Africa as “Amala” politics? It is a slap on all Oyo State indigenes, and I believe you need to tender an unreserved apology. You did not even stop at that, but rather labelled Lagos PDP, as an “association of sharing loot. Well, the whole world is not oblivious of whose house bullion vans were driven into, at the eve of the last Presidential Election,” Prince Dosumu recalled.
Speaking further, the PDP secretary argued that there were several fundamental issues calling for urgent attention in Lagos, including the worsening drainage system, array of bad roads, area boys menace, filthy environments, poor health facilities, power problem, lack of affordable housing for the teeming populace, near zero employment opportunities for graduates, disorganised transportation system, among others.
According to Dosumu, these issues should draw the attention of the APC scribe and not a statement of fact made by Governor Makinde, ”that a government that had imposed itself on a state, for over twenty years of our democracy and still dragging its feet on how best to run a proper government, would be flushed out soon.”
”It is no wonder, that; if for over twenty years of governance by a particular political party over a state, and the state is still having all the above teething problems, there is no gainsaying that, the government would be jittery and afraid when the opposition finally seems settled and poised to find it’s bearing,” Dosumu said.
