Demola Omotoso, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former local government chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, has accused Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, of abandoning the political structure that fought for his victory in the 2019 gubernatorial election.
Omotoso, who was the party’s house of representatives’ candidate in the 2019 election, stated that many of those who are now Makinde’s leutenants are alien to the struggle that gave him victory in the last poll or they were on the other side then.
He therefore advised Makinde to look for those who worked for his victory in 2019 with the same zeal he used in the build-up to the last election.
He asked him to court them all over.
Omotoso who was Aanuoluwapo Omorinde’s guest on this week’s edition of BOTTOM LINE on IBR 92.5 FM, Ibadan said “it annoys me whenever we demand justice and some people talk about the vault being opened. I was the returning officer for my party, the PDP in my local government in the 2019 gubernatorial election. If you don’t understand what politics is, you don’t get such assignment! My local government produced the highest votes for the governor in the election and that shows how much we worked but all of a sudden, we were sidelined. All we are asking for, is justice and equity. Many of those who are now with the governor are aliens to the struggle then”.
He speaks further “there was practically no meeting called then, that I did not attend to ensure that Engineer Seyi Makinde win the election. I know the governor to be a deliberate person. He doesn’t just take decisions without thinking it through. So, I want to believe that he is also deliberate in his decision to sideline some of us but I advise him to change”.
He alleged that there are plans to also sideline him in his local government.
“One thing I will not condone is the plan to sideline me in my local government. By all standards, if you call for PDP leaders in my local government using the two parameters, I am qualified but there are plans to sideline me too. Those who are parading themselves as leaders of the party in my LG have at one time or the other left the party except for myself and Chief Hazeem Gbolarumi who have not left the PDP since inception. I joined the PDP in year 2000 and since then, I have never left the party and will not for whatsoever reason leave.”
When asked if he was aware of his appointment as chairman, Governing Council of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Omotoso said he was never given any appointment because he was not officially informed. He however admitted that he heard of what played out but said he was not interested in talking about it.
When reminded that Makinde facilitated a national assignment at the party level for him in 2019 and that the same man cannot turn against him, the former council boss said “all these things are not beggarly. I laboured and worked for my party. I served as the executive chairman of my local government twice and in caretaker capacity twice. So, I have lived for the PDP. There are three elected executive positions in Nigeria; that of the president, governor and the chairman. I am happy to have served as a chairman. So, as regards the national assignment, I have paid my due.”
