The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Oyo State, has taken a swipe at Professor Adeolu Akande over his comments on Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s approval of 8 billion naira contract for the construction of a power plant which, according to the state government, will provide uninterrupted power supply to both the Agodi Government House, the State Secretariat and environ, as well as power the Adamasingba Sports Complex, describing the Oke-ogun-born Professor as a political toddler.
According to a press statement by Akande earlier on Sunday, the Professor was quoted as saying “Makinde’s administration seems to have lost sight of the primary problem facing the state in its choice of awarding contracts at gargantuan cost”.
The party said the Oyo State Government House and the Oyo State Secretariat, both at Agodi, Ibadan, do not belong to ‘Seyi Makinde but Oyo State.
Akande was also quoted as saying “The government is commiting the present and future generations to debt that will not enhance economy of the state nor improve the well-being of the people”.
But the ruling party said Makinde has provided the best welfare that has improved the standard of living and quality of life of the people stressing that an ineffective government secretariat on account of epileptic power supply occasioned by failure of Akande’s federal government to fulfill its promise of providing regular power supply, will have even worse effects on the economy and indirectly the people’s well-being.
The ruling party in a signed press statement on Sunday, December 12, 2021, by its State Publicity Secretary, Akeem Olatunji, and made available to newsmen, condemned Akande’s statements saying that the State Government House is the administrative seat of power which must run on 24 hours uninterrupted power supply, describing Akande’s criticism as maliciously false and deliberately misleading with the sole aim of gaining what the party called ‘fictitious’ political relevance.
According to the ruling party’s statement, Akande was expected to show the conduct and character of others in the league of Professorship also regarded as custodians of knowledge, researchers, and solution providers having gained his professorial title, saying that even the cost of surviving the present administration under the APC-led federal government till 2023 has continued to scare Nigerians to their bones.
The party queried why Akande perpetually turned blind eye to what was described as ‘unspeakable’ hardship the federal government which he (Akande) belongs – as a political appointee – has brought upon Nigerians through countless white elephant projects including rail contruction to Niger Republic at what the party called “worst gargantuan cost,” as well as unaccounted external borrowings that has taken Nigeria’s debt profile from about N12.06 trillion in 2015 to about N35.5 trillion within only six years.
The Oyo state PDP said “it is very appalling and totally unacceptable for Akande to, in his desperate move, curry public attention in the political scheme of Oyo State, utter reckless and misleading statements that are not backed by facts and figures, noting that “a situation where a supposed researcher becomes one of the problems the state government must tend to, is an egregious distraction Governor Makinde can do without.
The party said in a more saner clime, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain would have buried his head in shame and returned to the classroom where his services may be needed, having witnessed the monumental corruption and abysmal failure of the APC led government in the last eight years in Oyo State, urging Akande to appreciate the magnitude of Seyi Makinde’s selfless and purposeful leadership to the state.
The statement reads: “It is very sad and disheartening for a man many would, by reason of his academic title as a Professor, to make manifestly reckless statements not backed by facts and figures.
“It has become common place for the sinking APC leaders to try to seek cheap political relevance by always launching deceitful attacks and outright falsehood which is their trademarks to curry public attention.
“If Akande or any of the APC leaders in Oyo State had any shame, should they not be begging for forgiveness from the people of Oyo State? Should they not go about meekly wearing sackcloth on account of the mindless pilfering which caused our senior citizens to lose pensions and gratuities?
“The Government of Oyo State under the leadership of the best Governor in Nigeria by public ratings and facts is engineering the state with science and logic and since the people who gave Governor Makinde their mandate remain happy with him, we do not welcome any uncharitable comments from a complete novice in any elective office in Nigeria to utter reckless and unguarded comments, all in the name of seeking public attention for political reasons.
“It is noteworthy to state emphatically for the purpose of record that once completed the power plant will also continue to be the property of Oyo State for the benefit of successive governments. If Professor Akande has any modicum of shame, he would keep quiet or rather channel his negataive energy towards the present federal government which he serves but whose economic policies have taken a bag of cement from less than two thousand naira in 2015 to almost five thousand naira in 2021.
“Professor Akande should do us a lot of good by telling us why inflation rate now stands firmly at two digits while naira to dollar exchange rate continues to spike making the cost of absolutely everything to rise beyond the reach of the common man. Akande should tell us why he lost his voice when the last APC government in Oyo State was constructing 1km of road across the state at almost a flat rate of 1 billion naira per kilometer.
“The people of Oyo state know better now because we in PDP have realized that testing the APC with power between 2011–2019 has clearly shown everyone the truth that APC is best off the stage before some would have said APC could have done better if they hadn’t been given the chance. The truth of the matter is that Akande should consult with the ministry of public works if he requires more understanding of how Makinde is magically turning things around positively without struggles.
“We will not dignify him further by reeling out details of the power plant project which has been commended by players in both private and public sectors. He should go and find out for himself before he comes out again to publicly make mockery of himself with frivolous statements not backed by any proof or evidence. Akande should go and make himself relevant in his APC before joining issues with us; for now, he is still a political toddler surviving on Buhari’s feeding bottle.
“Finally, we implore Akande and his fellow pseudo-leaders in APC to stop dancing naked in the market because an ordinary party primary by their party produced a plethora of Chairmen, thereby making of mockery of the process. Akande and co should go and remove the log in their eyes before pointing at the spec they claim to see in someone else’s. In any case, since APC leaders like Akande are blinded by pettiness and deceit on account of a failed primary, what good should anyone expect from them.”
