- Don’t involve us in union matters, says PDP
Condemnation has trailed withdrawal of official vehicles of market women across 30 local governments of Osun State and the Area Office by Governor Ademola Adeleke, after they attended the presidential rally of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Osogbo.
The Nation recalled that the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Rally was held at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo on February 2, and the market women, including their leadership, attended the event.
It was gathered that the state government officials, in company with operatives of the police and some suspected political thugs, forcefully retrieved the official vehicles of the market women across the state, saying they attended Tinubu’s rally.
The Iyaloja General, Chief Awawu Asindemade, confirmed the development to our correspondent. She said the official vehicles withdrew by the Adeleke government were given to them by the ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
She said: “We are not bastards. We attended the rally of Asiwaju Tinubu in Osun State. It is our choice and we have a right to it. We back Tinubu’s presidency, it is our turn. We have lost the chances for 60 years running. He will emerge as president by God’s grace. The current governor in Osun State met us in the state. We worked with his elder brother (Isiaka Adeleke), who was the governor. They did not collect the official vehicles of other unions, but they collected ours.
“We work with the government of the day. I attended the swearing-in of Adeleke and several programmes of the new government. Before they got to power, they had created several factions of their market women, which they are recognising now. He will not be the first to be the governor and not the last. History will always be there.”
The leadership of APC in Osun State, through its Acting Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, described the forceful withdrawal of official vehicles of market women as insensitive, inconsiderate and vindictive.
The Caretaker Chairman of PDP, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, in a statement warned that they should not be involved in the market women union tussle, saying: “It is a bid to seek sympathy.”