The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has expressed dismay over what it described as “myriad of disappointing actions already taken by Engr. Oluseyi Makinde less than 24 hours after the inauguration of his government warning that the new governor might create more crisis for himself in no time if care was not taken.”
Oyo APC in a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday and made available to journalists by its assistant publicity secretary, Prince Ayobami Adejumo, regretted that the new governor started to breach the Oath of Office right from the venue of the Swearing-in ceremony when he failed to condemn the activities of his party thugs who were on hand in their large number to harass innocent people and perceived opponents.
“We, at the APC, had resolved to give him (Gov. Makinde) a benefit of the doubt since he was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial poll in the state while the Court is yet to decide on the attendant petition before it but events in the last 24 hours have suggested to us that there is fire on the mountain.
“How can one swear to an Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic and then turn back few hours later to wage war against democracy at the grassroots? The decision to dissolve elected officials in all the local government councils across the state is not only misplaced but a gross violation of the nation’s constitution as well as a coup against constitutional democracy.
“One would have expected Gov. Makinde to resist pressure from his PDP members who are desperate for political office appointments at the third tier level as mere compensation and uphold the sanctity of the rule of law in view of the fact that the current council chiefs hold a valid 3-year mandate from a popular election and in addition to that there is a Supreme Court verdict which shield them from being sacked from office irrationally.
“Rather than dissipate time and resources on unnecessary actions in order to satisfy the whims and caprices of some political hangers-on, it would be in the overall interest of the state for the governor to approach governance with caution and seek proper guidance from God and appropriate resource persons. The good people of the state are better informed after the successful two terms of Senator Abiola Ajimobi and they deserve the best from his successors.
“The most important challenge before the new PDP administration is how to improve on the fantastic security architecture left behind by Sen. Ajimobi. The same bad eggs among the commercial driver’s union who unleashed terror on the citizenry with impunity during the previous PDP administrations are at it again, according to reports from some parts of Ibadan- the state capital, and the government seems unperturbed.
“While we call the attention of the higher authorities to the issue of purported dissolution of elected council officials by the new PDP administration in the state, it is pertinent to note that Gov. Makinde has just demonstrated that his party would do everything possible to frustrate President Muhammadu Buhari’s mission to deliver Autonomy to local governments in the country.
“Meanwhile, we urge the governor to eschew impunity tendency and get down to serious business of governance by being proactive on key issues such as non-negotiable payment of N30, 000 minimum wage to workers, security of lives and properties among others,” APC stated.
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