BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Immediate past Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Adebayo Adeleke, has debunked insinuations that the former state governor, Gboyega Oyetola, and members of his cabinet were planning to leave the state following the end of their administration.
Adeleke said there was no reason whatsoever for them or any other member of the All Progressives Congress to run away from the state as being rumoured, adding that if the APC could allow PDP to be at peace in the state without any form of attack or intimidation, there was no reason for the APC not to be allowed to enjoy peace as an opposition party.
Speaking on a radio station in Osogbo monitored by our correspondent at the weekend, Adeleke, said the exit of Oyetola’s government and APC was for a short while, stressing that the governor would regain his mandate soonest.
He said the government of Oyetola performed so well in the state that he could walk around the state freely any time he so wished.
Speaking in Yoruba while reacting to speculation that Oyetola, his cabinet members and other APC bigwigs were already planning to run away from the state, the APC chieftain said, “Is there anyone in this life that won’t lose his political position? Is there anyone in this world that will not lose his life? We are not that kind of people. It’s like when people vomit beer parlour comments. Some people will say there is just one more minute for them to go, so what? Even if we agree that the person that is there will spend four years, that’s how people will remind him of his exit too, someday.
“Before you know it, four years is complete. It’s what someone has achieved that one would think about. We have a home to fall back on. I can guarantee you that where I was born, there is nowhere I can’t walk in Osun. There is none. All this noise about whether some people will run away, we are not that kind of people. It’s only the guilty conscience that is afraid. I will be in my hometown, Iree, after leaving office.
“We are in Osun and when we were in government, did we sack them (PDP) from the state? So, why should we now be afraid? Whenever we walk the streets, people hail us and commend us for our achievements. Recently, when Governor Oyetola stepped out, he asked his aides to pick a vehicle that has a transparent screen so that he can wave at the people. That’s a sign that the people of the state love him because he performed well.
“Don’t let me deceive you, nobody can pursue anyone out of this state. All those rumours are baseless. We won’t fight anyone. If we can allow another party to exist while we govern the state for 12 years without rancour, intimidation and attack, then why should anyone attack us?” he queried.
Reacting to the comment that APC would regain Oyetola’s mandate soon, a Chieftain of the PDP in Osun, Bunmi Jenyo, described APC members as day-dreamers, saying that Adeleke’s mandate cannot be “stolen.”
