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JUST IN: Oyo PDP Holds Stakeholders’ Meeting, Says Moles In Party ‘Have Left in Soul And Spirit’

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that the Oyo State Chapter of Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP has held stakeholders’ meeting among the party stalwarts.

The meeting which was held today at the party Secretariat, Molete had several party loyalists in attendance. In the meeting it was concluded and resolved that the PDP in Oyo State remains one and indivisible.

The resolution of the PDP affirming its indivisibility was contained in a communique released after the meeting and made available to ODUDUWA NEWS as read in part:

“BEING A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE OYO STATE CHAPTER OF THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY ON FRIDAY 18TH OF JUNE 2021 AFTER A STATE OF THE PARTY MEETING AT THE STATE PDP SECRETARIAT, MOLETE, IBADAN

  1. We unequivocally affirm and identify with the leadership of Engineer Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde as the authentic leader of our party in Oyo State and the South Western Zone.
  2. We also use this medium to announce that our position in Oyo State PDP is in alignment with the position of our amiable governor and leader of our party in the south west, Engineer Seyi Makinde on the areas of security of lives and properties. We enjoin all the relevant security agencies to justify the good disposition of the governor towards them and see to curbing crimes in our State.
  3. We want to implore dissident voices that are fanning the flames of discord in our party to desist from such acts as the entire leadership of the party will henceforth not tolerate indiscipline and public defamation of the image of our party and the government by some sectarian elements in the party.
  4. We want to make it unequivocally clear that our party is not divided and we do not have factions. We are united and the party is becoming stronger daily under the leadership of Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha and Governor Seyi Makinde
  5. We also wish to state that the winning team, the executives that won elections i.e the present set of PDP Executives are united and we are running the party according to the provisions of the constitution of our party
  6. We say that those calling for the dissolution of the State Party Executives are ill-advised, misinformed, insensitive, forgetful and deliberately malicious. The State Party leadership is fine and we are solidly behind our hardworking governor.

“It is important to remind those who are enemies of success that when these current set of Oyo State PDP Executives came on board, there was no single national/ state house of assembly member neither was the party winning elections. The current set of Executives has led the party to win gubernatorial election, a senatorial seat, four house of representative seats, 26 out of 32 houses of assembly members and also conducted, monitored and oversaw the LG elections where the party won all the 33 Chairmanship Seats and 90% f the Councillorship positions. It is sheer wickedness to call for the dissolution of a winning team

  1. We want to also implore the entire populace of Oyo State to continue to support the governor of Oyo State in his quest to restore our state back to the pacesetting pedestals. The governor has done well in the past two years of his administration despite that the fact that we inherited a state that was badly battered, almost destroyed and our funds and resources seriously injured by the inhumane, wicked, unkind, unfair and the corrupt government of the APC and their failed leaders
  2. We find it rather laughable and preposterous that majority of the so called, self-acclaimed and passive leaders who are defaming, disparaging and embarrassing the hard earned victory of the party today were caught in bed with the opposition parties severally before the last general elections. How do you describe PDP Leaders who publicly campaigned for candidates of other parties and even mobilized their followers to vote for ADP/ADC and APC candidates on the Election Day?
  3. Many of these leaders who did not vote nor supported the candidates of the party at the national assembly and presidential elections forgot that the major negotiating data that birthed the coalition that made the gubernatorial victory easy for us was the results and the achievements of the party at the first elections which many of them worked against the interest of the party
  4. It is highly imperative to note that one of the so called leaders who even signed the poor communique at the failed Jogor centre meeting sued the party up to the Supreme Court. At what point did He actually become a true party man?
  5. We want to inform the good people of Oyo State that many of these misguided leaders have left us in soul and spirit. How else do you explain the characters of PDP Leaders who hosted many figures from the opposition in their houses? We have very well publicised images of the visit of Dr. Fola Akinosun, Sen. Soji Akanbi and others few days/hours before the National Assembly elections and many of them have also hosted the gubernatorial candidate of APC in 2019 election, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin, and other ambitious opposition figures and we are not unaware of several nocturnal meetings of some these so called leaders with leading top – notch figures from the APC like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
  6. Their game plan is to frustrate, truncate and destroy the relative peace we currently enjoy in Oyo State PDP and mortgage our hardworking governor for their selfish agenda of handing over Oyo State into the hands of the wicked, inhumane and high handed APC
  7. We want to thank the good people of Oyo State who actually separated the wheat from the chaff in the current situation in Oyo State. We are certain and we want to assure the good people of Oyo State that our governor is working assiduously with every relevant persons, institutions, agencies and stakeholders to ensure that Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibadan is more secured and conducive for all.
  8. We want to say it with all confidence that under Governor Seyi Makinde and PDP, a better Oyo State is assured.
  9. Thank you.

Signed:

A. All the State Party Executives except two
B. Members of the National Assembly including Sen Kola Balogun except One
C. 26 Members of the State House of Assembly
D. All the thirty three (33) elected Council Chairmen and Chairpersons
E. Thirty One out thirty three local government party chairmen”.

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One Dead, Several Others Injured As Park Managers Clash With Phone Sellers in Ibadan

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that earlier today fight ensued between members of Park Manager System and a phone seller at Iwo Road, Ibadan which led to the death of one person leaving several others injured.

The incident, which started as a mini fight got escalated upon the arrival of the Chairman, Disciplinary Committe of PMS, Mukaila Auxiliary who was allegedly accused to have ordered his boys to attack the phone sellers which led to the death of one while scores got injured.

Our correspondent who went to the scene to ascertain fact of what led to the incident gathered that, a man who was said to be the son of the owner of one complex at the Baba Onilu axis was about to drive in to the complex premises when one PMS member was said to have started blowing his car body and which prompted other phone sellers to questioned that act.

In consequence or what seems to be a retaliation to that is the alleged appearance of the PMS Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Alh. Mukaila Auxiliary and whom was said to have given order to other PMS members to beat all the phone sellers as a revenge for the humiliation of the PMS member.

Officers of security agencies are presently there trying to return normalcy to the area.

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MKO will not be happy in grave that democracy he died for has become autocracy- Aare Onakakanfo

The Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, says Nigeria is at war with itself because “a section” of the country consistently betrays the all citizens.

He stated this on Saturday at the annual June 12 commemoration anniversary, organised by the Oodua Peoples Congress, at the Excellence Hotel in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

He also said the late MKO Abiola “will never be happy in his grave that the democracy he lived and died for has turn out to be autocratic in nature and practice”, according to a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Aderemi.

The statement was titled, ‘June 12:Abiola will not be happy in his grave that this democracy turns autocratic- Gani Adams’.

He also criticised the Federal Government for banning micro-blogging site Twitter saying it is an attempt to gag the press and stifle freedom of expression.

Adams said, “This present danger has been threatening the fragile union of our great country. And sadly, Nigeria is sliding towards an anarchical terminal point. Nigeria is at war with itself because a section of the country has always betrayed the trust which is the bond that binds us together as a nation.

“A good example of this is the Federal Government’s ban and suspension of Twitter platform. As far as I am concerned, it is another ploy to tamper with the citizens’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.

“And if the Federal Government succeeded in banning and suspending twitter, it would easily do the same for other social media platforms. Now that the Federal Government has said all social media platforms must be registered to continue operating in the country. We must follow the trend and rise against skewed regulations. We must stop this excessive use of federal might to truncate the ideals of democracy.

“In global democracy, freedom of speech and expression is a major component of an ideal democracy. And Nigeria cannot continue to live in deceit and self-denial.”

“If democracy could not guarantee freedom of speech and expression, so what system of government will guarantee such component of good governance?” he queried.

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OPINION: JUNE 12; DEMOCRACY CUM DEMONSTRATION OF CRAZY ~ By ISMAEL TAIWO

As today commemorates the day the great hero of our democratic struggle, Chief MKO Abiola lost his life in the battle for the survival of entrenchment of tenets and principles of democracy, it is high time we told ourselves the bitter truth if truly, happenings around us truly reflect the commemoration.

June 12 will always be an unforgettable memory in Nigeria as it was a great loss to all. Chief M.K.O. Abiola, a great philanthropist contested under Social Democratic Party (SDP) along with his opponent Bashir Tofa under National Republican Convention (NRC) in June 12th 1993 elections that witnessed large turn-out of Nigerians who voted for their choice devoid of ethnicity and religious bigotry but the elections that were observed to be the freest and fairest in Nigeria were annulled by the then Military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida based on his own selfish interest being the pest that denied Nigerians from enjoying the ripe kolanut as a result of the nullification.

As the saying, past is gone; today is the present while we envisage tommorow. Nigeria has set today aside to commemorate democracy while envisaging a better tommorow, but what should perturb sensible minds is the question of rationale behind the declaration when all currently being witnessed in our system today negates the principles and tenets of democracy the late sage fought for while he was envisaging a future where generations after him would not be caged by tyranny.

Recently, the media space was awashed by wanton killings of citizens, and continuous stifling of voices of perceived enemies of the government of the day.

The stifling and gaging of media as a fourth realm of democracy could only be seen as an insult to our sensibilities seeing the same government known for serial clamping down on freedom of expression commemorating the day.

Is it not nonsensical for a government whose pilots are paranoid and could go at any length to stifle the voices of the people to declare today in commemoration of democracy day? The answer is not far-fetched, I am perplexed as you do.

A country where protests have been criminalized cannot be said to be operating on democratic norms; it is an eyesore seeing security operatives showing their gallantry and display of force on armless protesters while the killer herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers continue to unleash terror on innocent Nigerians.

I am baffled and utterly bewildered that today that should have been a day of sober reflection on where we were coming from, where we are going to as a nation could be a day the citizens would be in palpable fear and tension owing to the failure of government at all levels.

The demonstration of crazy by those who take delight in feeding fat on our common wealth by throwing millions of Nigeria into abject poverty questions the rationality of sensible minds on the commemoration of today as democracy day.

Country people, it saddens one’s heart that the democracy fought for by our heroes past can no longer be proud of in real practical sense but only to be used as a weapon of oppression in the theoretical books of our present crop of leaders.

We must as a nation have sober reflection and ask ourselves the bitter truth as Nigeria tethers on the brink of total collapse if drastic measures are not taken to redirect the pilots of the boat from demonstration of crazy while all signals pointing towards its capzise.

Ismael Taiwo, a Public Affairs Analyst
Writes from Ibadan.
taheewo2004@gmail.com

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Ex-Reps Member, Dapo Lam Hosts Social Media Influencers/Bloggers, Advises on Better Content Creation

Some selected Ibadan-based social media influencers who are prominent on Twitter and Instagram yesterday Friday 11th June 2021 had LUNCH WITH OMO OLOORE” at the Ibadan residence of the former lawmaker.

At the interactive session, issues bothering on content creation, collaboration, individual challenges, and obstacles hindering the progress of the sector were discussed.

Honourable Dapo Lam Adesina in his opening remarks appreciated the influencers for honouring his invitation and went further to charge them to raise the bar of content creation and media influencing in the state.

According to him “We have lots of talented Influencers in Oyo State, but one cannot fathom the reason behind the slow development of the sector in the state”.

He went further to advise those present at the lunch to do more of collaborating instead of doing things in isolation.

Different speakers at the interactive session/lunch while sharing some of their experiences also appreciated the uncommon gesture of the former lawmaker while majority agreed that working together is very key if progress must be made.

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OPINION: Annulment of June 12 Poll, A Moment Of Sober Reflection ~ By Aderibigbe Busari

I feel so sad anytime i remember that Nigeria as a nation has once had a freest, fairest and credible election. There is nothing as disheartening as having a credible election and the credible election was shortlived by a unilateral decision.

As another June 12 is commemorated today, issues verging on the nation’s renascent democracy have ressurected again.

The electoral victory of June 12, 1993 General Election did not see the light of the day as the then Military Head of State , General Ibrahim Babangida who superitended over the exercise, cancelled and annulled the poll despite the wide acceptability of the result by both local and international observers.

June 12 election was the manure that accounted for the country’s democratic progress. Our democratic leaders, from Obasanjo to Yaradua, to Jonathan and to the incumbent resident are indirect beneficiaries of the supreme price paid by Moshood Abiola.

The democracy the nation savours today cannot be divorced from the event of 1993, particularly the supreme sacrifice made by Moshood Abiola.

The ultimate sacrifice made by chief M.k.O Abiola nourished the seed that freed Nigeria from the yoke of the military and died for democracy to survive but wat he did not bargain for is the criminality and other social vices currently pervading our system.

Chief M. K. O Abiola is the symbol of the freest, fairest and transparent election in the annals of our history, an election where no blood was shed, where a Muslim-Muslim ticket won, an election that was devoid of tribalism, religious chauvinism, ethnicism, regionalism and favouritism.

Subsequent elections in Nigeria could have maintained this laudable quality if the election was not subverted by anti-democratic forces.

Conclusively, June 12 remains a day of sober reflection in Nigeria because it was a day the sovereignty of majority of Nigerians were traduced.

June 12 remains an indelible stain in our polity.

I can’t end this piece without asking this pertinent question:

WHAT HAS NIGERIA LEARNT AS A NATION FROM THE DEBACLE OF JUNE 12 1993 GENERAL ELECTION?

I shall continue to ask this fundamental question until we get it right as a democratic nation.

Aderibigbe Yisahu Ajibola Busari is a Public Affairs analyst.

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JUST IN: Protesters Chant ‘Buhari Must Go’ As Demonstration kicks off in Ibadan Amid Security Presence

The June 12 protesters have kicked off protest in Ibadan.

It was learnt that the protest which kicked off in Mokola Roundabout, Ibadan had many youths carrying placards with various inscriptions.

According to one of ODUDUWA NEWS correspondents who is currently monitoring the protest reported that the protest has been peaceful and that many security operatives were stationed across major areas in Ibadan to forestall hijacking of the protest by hoodlums.

It was gathered that places visited across Ibadan were calm and peaceful as few people were seeing carrying out their economic activities while some placed their shops and offices under lock amid palpable fear that the protest might snowball into violence.

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OPINION: 2years and Still Counting; An Assessment of Engr. Oluseyi Makinde’s Administration.

The recent insecurity in the State is unfortunate, uncalled for and inhumane, I want to state unapologetically that while more attention has been given, especially in recent times, to the security challenges facing our State, those challenges are fleeting and will not define the success of his Excellency. Though, his actions are towards quenching the fire that burn us which was a result of a failed central administration.

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In view of this, I wish to commend Mr Governor on his swift response to security issues and at this same not to be overwhelm with praises as we still have a long way to go, and all eyes is on the “super star”.

Within two years of Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, the State has witnessed high level of transformation, from infrastructure to human development, Welfare of the people, beautification of the environment among others.
While some will argue that it’s too early to assess the performance of this Government, I make bold to say while this administration might not be there yet, it’s important to evaluate their current performance to determine what the future hold.

In truth, one wonder how Governor Oluseyi Makinde is able to perform wonder in the State Internally Generated Revenue with 42% increase in the last one year at a time the Country witnessed the highest economic lockdown in recent time, without putting much burden on tax payers. I wish to commend the governor on this, and do hope that the fund won’t be embezzled by its official. There’s no doubt, that judicious use of the fund will contribute to the development of the State, and expand its economy.

The administration also takes pride in celebrating its achievements in agriculture with obvious evidence. This obviously in the construction of the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub at Fasola, Oyo West Local Government Area that will be ready for Commissioning in a year’s time. Proper funding of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Ageny (OYSADA) for the youths in the State. Construction of Apete to Akufo road. Upgrade of Akufo farm settlement to Agricultural estate, among others. It’s important to note, that this heavy investment in agriculture by his Excellency is also accompany with Infrastructure to aid direct flow of farm produce to the cities.

In Education, despite the success recorded by this administration, which is also evident in the abolition of fee level by secondary school students, subvention to State Owned Institutions, 25% reduction in Lautech school fee, construction of model schools across the State, among others, despite all these, the Government has refused to honour the agreement with the students body in the payment of Scholarship and Bursary, it’s important to note that the students constituency, where I belong contributed immensely to the victory of H.E in 2019, and we will continue to talk until the agreement is honoured.

I’m aware of the several meetings with students representatives, while the agreement is yet to be fulfilled, either intentional or unintentional we hope that next year during the 3rd year anniversary, we would have a course to appreciate the Governor in fulfilment of this agreement.

I have also read in different quarters that the administration is playing politics with it that it’s been delayed intentionally towards 2023 election, I want to belthe ieve this is a rumor and not the thinking rumour Excellency. Oyo Students deserves the dividend of your good governance without prejudice to 2023 Election.

Furthermore, I commend his Excellency on the job well done on the rebuild of Akesan market. I will request at this juncture, that we need more modern market, and we have to wait until one burns before converting it to a modern market.

It might also Interest you to know that the Spare Parts market in Ibadan North Local Government need a relocation, the people might resist it at first, but it has been said that a good leader take his followers to where they ought to be not where they want to be. It’s on this note that I request you meet with the market heads and see how we can relocate the spare parts dealers, the place is congested and we should not wait till any bad thing happen before we do what is right. For a start, 30% of them can be moved.

Lastly, I wish your Excellency success in the remaining of your 2years, I do hope that you will be able to sustain your good work as the people decide come 2023.

Ajani ‘Kayode writes from Ibadan.
ajanikayode2@gmail.com.

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