From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has accused the state governor, Seyi Makinde, who is seeking re-election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of being desperate to win the Saturday March 11, 2023 governorship poll in the state at all cost.
The allegation was contained in the reactions of APC in the state to the endorsement of Makinde for second term in office by three purported support groups for the President-Elect of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was the presidential candidate of APC for the February 25, 2022 presidential election in Nigeria.
The APC, in a statement by its state publicity secretary, Olawale Sadare, on Sunday, said members of the public should be wary of the antics of “some merchants of lies and propaganda who are being sponsored by Governor Seyi Makinde and his agents to promote fake endorsement of the governor’s second term ambition with a view to misleading the electorate.”
The APC said: “First and foremost, we would like to state that there are no pro-Tinubu groups registered with Oyo APC by the names ‘Southern for Tinubu BAT Democracy, Yoruba Campaign for BAT, and Tinubu Campaign Movement.’ The two names mentioned in the fallacious news report are fictitious. The latest fake news came from the same unscrupulous elements who promoted one non-existing Alhaji Bashir Adeola as Oyo APC chieftain purportedly supporting Gov. Makinde. We challenged them then to produce that person but they ran away.
“It is an established fact that Governor Makinde has embarked on a spending spree to get support for another term in office as he invited some stakeholders with Oyo PDP to the Agodi Government House few days ago and gave them N500 million as a bait, but the fact remains that no reasonable polician in the state would trust him (Makinde) again in spite of the fate suffered in his hands by those who assisted him to become governor in 2019.
“Among shameful acts being perpetrated by the drowning governor and his lackeys are; coercion of senior public servants (especially tutors-general, education secretaries and headteachers) to turn public school environment into campaign grounds for PDP candidates, sponsorship of miscreants drawn from the PMS to intimidate residents and prospective voters across the state, payment of heavy sums to some media executives so as to influence the content of their news and programmes in favour of the PDP, enlistment of support of pastors and some other religious leaders and so on.
“”As a matter of fact, we have uncovered the plot to dish out many fake news, concocted opinion polls and damaging publications in all the available media apparatuses so to create an avenue for condemnation of INEC after a winner other than Governor Makinde would have emerged the winner. We are also aware of the preponderance of disgraceful media engagement of some turncoats who left our party last year and are now working for Governor Makinde, but we would not dignify them with any response until our victory this weekend.
“As a serious political party, our focus is on the March 11, 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections, where we poised to better the feat recorded on February 25. We would not allow any confused desperado to distract us and it is at this juncture that we are appealing to the good people of the state to be resolute, stand their ground, and be ready to prevent Oyo State from falling into opposition again under Tinubu presidency.”