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The Action Congress (AC) in Oyo State has condemned a statement credited to former minister of justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Richard Akinjide, in which he allegedly remarked that only Ogbomoso zone is entitled to the governorship seat of the state in 2011.
He reportedly made the comment during last week’s Oyo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders’ Forum where state governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala was unanimously adopted as the party’s candidate for the 2011 governorship election by the party elders.
Peace in Oyo
Mr. Akinjide had also, in an interview with NEXT last month, expressed his support for the second term bid of Mr. Alao Akala.
“There is peace in Oyo State and Governor Akala, whom I support is doing very well and if he want to get a second term, I will back him up on it and he will win and his opponent swill lose in the election,” he said. “There were eight by elections in Oyo State under Governor Akala, and we won all. We did not only win them but the opponents lost to wide margins. So, where is the problem?”
However, in a statement released in Ibadan on Sunday, the AC’s director of publicity and strategy in Oyo state, Wasiu Adewale Olatunbosun, described the comment as cowardly and one made to prepare a soft-landing for the senatorial ambition of Mr. Akinjide’s daughter.
“The political and legal abracadabra of 1979 which robbed the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, an opportunity to emerge President, was spearheaded by the likes of Akinjide and Nigeria still suffers from that mistake till today,” the statement said. “The same person is now again at the forefront of promoting mediocrity and incompetence in order to actualise a personal desire by hook or crook. This is another coup against the masses and it must stand condemned by all well-meaning indigenes and residents of the state.”
High disadvantage
The party maintained that such an arrangement will put other zones like Oke-Ogun, Ibadan, Oyo and Ibarapa at a “high disadvantage”.
It also used the medium to comment on what it called the lopsidedness in appointments into the State Civil Service under the Akala administration, which it said has jettisoned the principle of due process.
The AC equally frowned at the delay in the payment of staff salaries and poor condition of public facilities in the state.
“All appointments now take place at the governor’s private residence on weekends when lists are always prepared by politicians and close friends,” the party said. “These happen while most qualified graduates are made to cough out varying sums without them getting any job.
“Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state has improved to over one billion naira monthly while close to three billion naira is received as monthly allocation from the federation accounts with inflow of proceeds from the excess crude accounts and other sundry sources, yet workers cannot get their entitlements as and when due.”