Category: South West

Ahead of January 25 visit to Ogun State by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the South West Agenda for Asiwaju Tinubu (SWAGA), in Ogun East has  mobilised its supporters for a hitch-free visit. 

The three federal constituencies have had combined meetings to welcome the APC standard-bearer. The SWAGA Remo Federal Constituency meeting took place in Sagamu on January 4; the one of Ijebu Federal Constituency took place in Ijebu Ode on January 5, while that of Waterside/Ijebu North/Ijebu East took place at Ojowo, Ijebu East Local Government, on January 6. The Ogun State SWAGA leader, Owodunni Opayemi, an architect; who was the first to speak at the meetings held in Sagamu, Ijebu Ode and Ojowo assured party faithful that they were working for Asiwaju Tinubu and that on his mandate they would stand.

He urged the teeming followers not to relent on continuous canvassing for the APC presidential candidate “because there are only a few weeks to the election and the official declaration of Tinubu’s victory.”

Opa, as he is fondly called by his admirers, said there were adequate arrangements for the people concerning their festive period gifts and souvenirs, adding that the gifts would be delivered to each local government coordinator for onward distribution to party members in the constituency.

He urged the people to mobilise themselves and get their permanent voter cards (PVCs) “because Ogun State is fully determined to give Tinubu more than one million votes in the February 25 presidential election.”

The SWAGA Coordinator in Ogun East, Olayinka Ganiu Odufuwa (OGO), advised the people to be calm, faithful and support Tinubu.

He said many PVCs were still waiting for collection at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission across the constituency.

For Ijebu Federal Constituency, the member representing the constituency, Kolapo Osusanya (KKO) and his wife, enjoined members to troop out and vote massively for Asiwaju Tinubu.

The meeting was attended by the representative of SWAGA national body, Otunba Tayo Adebanjo (Hennesy), Samuel Opabiyi, Mrs. Olufunke Arigbabu and Alhaja Ayinke Hassan (No-Rival).

Others at the meeting were the Vice Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government, Mrs. Adeyemi Comfort; a Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor, Tunde Odebata;  Bayo Ogunbamowo; Niyi Ogunfadebo; Chief Gbenga Adesanya; Chief Ogunde Idowu; Alhaji Olatunde Rufai; Alhaja Ogunlana; Mrs. Funmilayo Tiamiyu;  Adams Jimoh; Alhaja Moji Onikosi and Chief (Mrs) Oduwole.

Prominent APC members in Ogun State who also participated at the meetings included Femi Opasanya; Mr. Adefoluwe Adesanya; Prince S. T. Ayoola; Comrade Shittu Emmanuel Adesola; Otunba Rasaq Odusote and Otunba Kunle Oseni. Others from Remo Federal Constituency were Omoba Ade Adesanya (Ade & Ade), Alhaji Mayowa Oyederu, Alhaja Fadeke Odusanya and Captain Festus Opanuga. Waterside/Ijebu East/Ijebu North also had in attendance councillors from the federal constituency, who came to show their support for Asiwaju Tinubu.

The leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Idanre Local Government of Ondo State and the lawmaker representing Idanre/Ifedore Constituency in the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Adefisoye, have traded blame over destruction of shops and shooting in Idanre, the headquarters of Idanre Local Government.

Idanre residents fled as PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in exchange of gunfire.

Eight persons were reportedly injured.

PDP accused Adefisoye of using fake soldiers to disrupt its meeting and destroy shops in the vicinity.

The Director, Media and Publicity of the PDP in the locality, Mr. Fasoranti Adeyemi, said the fake soldiers and thugs, on the instruction of Adefisoye, attacked PDP members without provocation.

Adeyemi said in a statement that the attackers stormed their meeting venue in two Hilux vans.

“The ‘military’ action started around 5:45pm and lasted till 7:05pm. Oyin Ni Temi Shop was destroyed. Our MHA candidate, Aderemi Oyewole Gulder, was attacked.

“No amount of threat, intimidation and harassment will stop Idanre/Ifedore from voting for PDP candidates in the February/March 2023 elections.

“We urge the Commander 32 Artillery Brigade to investigate these men in Army uniform that perpetrated the destruction.

“Adefisoye, who brought them, should be interrogated to explain where he got the soldiers from.

“Although we know he’s the vice chairman, House Committee on Army, he’s not expected to use the office to illegally acquire Army uniform and firearms.

“Many people were injured during that attack on our members and shops in Idanre,” he said.

Adefisoye denied the allegations, saying he didn’t bring soldiers to the town.

He claimed it was the PDP candidate for House of Representatives, Festus Akingbaso, who attacked him.

Said he: “I didn’t bring soldiers to Idanre. It was the candidate of PDP for House of Representatives, Festus Akingbaso, and his supporters that attacked me.

“They destroyed my cars. The windscreen of my car was pierced by bullet.”

The governorship candidate of Accord Party in Oyo State, Chief Bayo Adelabu, has described his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts, Governor Seyi Makinde and Sen. Teslim Folarin, as candidates without stakes in Oyo State because they have no investments in the state.

Adelabu said the duo, who obviously have enough wealth to invest and employ hundreds of jobless residents, only take their money abroad, confirming that they do not have genuine love for the people,  whereas he keeps investing in the state to confirm his love for the progress of Oyo  State.

Adelabu, who was the candidate of the APC in the last governorship election, made the assertion in a BBC Yoruba video interview, which has gone viral on the social media.

But the duo faulted his claim, describing it as irrelevant.

Adelabu said: “Before Governor Seyi Makinde was sworn in in 2019, he declared N48 billion assets. The APC governorship candidate, Sen. Teslim Folarin, has represented Oyo Central three times, meaning he has been collecting government money for 12 years. Please ask both of them why they have not established a factory, even if it is a pure water factory that will employ at least five persons, in Oyo State?

“Why are they taking all their money abroad? They are like birds which fly as soon as the tree falls. They are portmanteau politicians. If anything negative happens, they will easily relocate abroad. I cannot leave Oyo State because my treasures are here…”

He added: “Wherever your treasure is, is where your heart goes. Since I lost election, I have not relocated from Ibadan. I have met and engaged more people that can be of help in my election. And I have also learnt and invested more in the state. There has been no year that I did not add new investments in the state since 2019 because as a stakeholder, I won’t want the state to regress or collapse. All my businesses and family members are in Oyo State. My friends are here. I grew up here.”

He said he joined politics and was willing to serve the people because those who did well in serving people in the past had written their names in gold. He cited the example of his grandfather, Chief Adegoke Adelabu, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe Alhaji and Tafawa Balewa, among others whose names remained memorable by reason of service to humanity.

“But we don’t remember the rich people of yesteryear. We don’t remember them because they only lived for themselves, their families and friends. Those we still remember might not be very rich, but they served the people creditably. This is why we still remember them. That was why I also paused in pursuing money to seek opportunity to serve.”

He said love for the people should be the number one criterion in recruiting leaders for public office, stressing that anyone with high academic qualification or monetary wealth without deep love for the people would end up a selfish leader.

But Governor Makinde poo-poohed his claim, saying it was thin on reality.

He said his investments were not for charity, adding that he had been doing charity for the people of the state since 30 years ago.

Reacting through the Chairman, Communication Committee of the Seyi Makinde Campaign Council, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the governor said:

“The allegation of Chief Adelabu is thin on reality. Only a few months ago he was recorded pouring encomiums on Seyi Makinde’s achievements within four years.

“His so-called investments in Oyo State are not for charity, but to make money, whereas Makinde’s investments dated back to 30 years ago when he constructed a laboratory for his alma mater as a veritable charity.”

“Adelabu did well by investing in hotels for the wealthy, while Makinde used the people’s resources in his care to buy back LAUTECH, pay over N20 billion debt to pensioners, increase IGR from N1billion to N7billion, pay salaries promptly, re-energise the economy and open up the rural areas for our farmers.

“If Chief Adelabu brings in a dozen Marriot and Raddison hotels to Ibadan this year, he will still be a million miles away in comparison to his nemesis.”

Also reacting through the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Mr. Olawale Sadare, Folarin said: “We would like to ask him (Adelabu) what individual candidate’s choice of business has got to do with political campaigns? “The statement credited to the Accord Party governorship candidate has further portrayed him as a learner in the field of politics. Whatever success he is laying claim to in the business world was there in 2019 when he ran an uninspiring campaign for the same post and he lost scandalously.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Sen. Teslim Folarin has been involved in the business of government at the zenith level in the country for more than 20 years now and he has never been found wanting. His chain of business in the corporate world did not matter to us when he was seeking the ticket of our party because neither the Electoral Act nor the APC Constitution requires him to submit the record of his private business engagement.

“If Mr. Adelabu feels he is the best investor in the world, he should leave politics for the serious players and strive to compete favourably with the Dangotes, Adenugas, Elumelus or even Bill Gates of this world. The fact remains that the remnants of Mr. Adelabu’s bloated ego will be finally deflated in the next general election and the shame of electoral defeat will make him run away from future contest. We at APC will never take him seriously because he is not ready to learn at all.”

One hundred inmates of the Agodi Correctional Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, have regained their freedom. One of them is a 16-year-old, charged with murder.

The Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, said the boy is underage and could be more hardened if he continued to stay in prison. He added that the boy’s mother had undertaken to take him for rehabilitation while he (Justice Abimbola) would monitor him.

The first batch of 58 inmates were released on Monday and the second batch of 42 yesterday. Their release followed recommendations by the Oyo State Monitoring Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, led by Justice Abimbola.

He said the committee considered cases and lists of inmates brought by the Correctional Centre, NGOs and by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on prerogative of mercy, adding that age, health challenges and prolonged detention were the three major criteria considered in releasing the inmates.

The judge noted that the exercise was also in tune with his power of release and prerogative of mercy to aid prison decongestion.

Comptroller of Prisons at the centre Sunday Ogundipe described the exercise as historic, being his first experience. He thanked Justice Abimbola and his team for meeting the need to decongest the prison.

Ogundipe added that the Agodi Correctional Centre has capacity to hold only 339 inmates, but had not less than 1,109 inmates.

NBA Chairman (Ibadan branch) Mrs. Folasade Aladeniyi hailed Justice Abimbola and the team for the initiative, noting that the exercise was a step in the right direction where people deserving of mercy were duly considered.

Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court admonished those released not to truncate the mercy they received by going back to crime.

The three-day exercise ends today at the Abolongo Correctional Centre in Oyo.