BAYO AGBOOLA from Ibadan reports that uncertainty hovers over the second term bid of the Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, because of his involvement in the G5 versus Atiku Abubakar’s debacle
Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, is no doubt, running a dicey race to in his quest to secure a second term in office as the executive governor of the Pace Setters state.
Makinde’s two-fold battle
In less than two months to the election, Engr Makinde, though seems not to be complaining aloud, is presently faced with “internal and external political battles” which may likely determine his reelection bid come March this year.
Makinde’s internal political battle is not far-fetched as it is a result of the prolonged in-house supremacy tussle within the PDP in Oyo state and the ongoing confusion in the party over whether the governor, together with his other colleagues in the PDP G5 camp, would support the party’s presidential candidate for the February 25 polls or not.
The seemingly external battle mostly surrounds the expected political knocks and jabs from the opposition political parties in the state, essentially, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord.
The internal political battle between Makinde and PDP major stakeholders in the state has, to say the least, weakened the party in the state with some leaving the party for another party in the state just to have their political ambition realized, while on the other hand, the G5 stand is not helping the frosty political situation in the party.
To some of the PDP chieftains and stakeholders in Oyo state, Engeer Makinde, will be doing himself political disservice should he continue following the G5 governors till the day of the presidential election, February 25 as this may pitch many of his PDP loyalists and the core pro Atiku groups in the state against him in the governorship election day.
Stringent opposition
In its latest opposition to Governor Makinde’s style of administration, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, faulted the governor’s recent claims that his administration had delivered on its promise to the people and that such submission revealed how insensitive, primitive and untruthful the governor could be.
“We have watched with dismay how Governor Makinde has centred his reelection campaign on the fictitious and fallacious claims of performance in office. The governor moved from Igbo-Ora in Ibarapa to Ogbomoso and later Oyo town on a jamboree expedition and he gave the same uninspiring speech which was premised on promise delivery and midas touch. This has been established to be a statement meant for media hype as usual since there is nothing on ground anywhere around the state to justify such claims”.
The state APC stressed: “It is the height of insensitivity and hypocrisy for Governor Makinde to have claimed excellence in governance when it is obvious that he is the worst civilian to have ruled the state in about 47 years of its existence.
“With close to N800 billion which he has had in his possession since 2019, the governor cannot boast of any tangible achievement which can make him rank among the best even in this current political dispensation even as he cannot lay claim to anything capable of guaranteeing a robust future for the state.
“On one hand, he told the people of Ibarapa he had delivered on his promise only to plead for their understanding on the other hand when he realized nothing was working anywhere in the zone.
“The people of Ibarapa have been the worst victims of insecurity under Governor Makinde, and in addition to this, none of their seven major cities can boast of standard or modern infrastructure of any kind. As we speak, Lanlate has been cut off from other parts of the state due to the collapse of the only bridge linking it to Eruwa.
“In Ogbomoso where Makinde again scored himself 100 per cent, tongues are wagging on the unfulfilled promise of a fly over construction at Takie junction which he made two years ago. Many communities do not have access roads and they include; Patemota/Kaka, Katangua / Akowonjo, Bolanta/Masifa, Amama and Isale Ora.
“Just like the situation in all parts of the state, the local government councils which helps the economy of Ogbomoso have been grounded while residents are always at the mercy of kidnappers, armed robbers and hoodlums who strike at regular intervals.
“Also, the people of Oko in Surulere are still agitated over the fake promise of a juice factory made to them by the governor in 2021. The security situation in Oyo town and its environs is even more worrisome as hoodlums, cultists and political thugs unleash terror on the hapless citizens everyday.
“Governor Makinde is yet to complete the Silo project in Awe while he has not also fulfilled his promise on the construction of Atiba Hall and Atiba FM. Students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education who did their first degree programs have not received their certificates since 2020 because the state government refused to release fees paid by them to Ekiti State University (EKSU) with which EACOED was in partnership while there is nothing on ground to indicate the elevation of the College to a University status as orchestrated by the Makinde administration”.
APC added, “as we speak today, education is in shambles in Oyo state as this manifested in WAEC delisting 50 schools recently while teachers and pupils groan as basic facilities and funding are lacking. Taps are dry and roads are in deplorable condition while nothing works in the Agriculture and other key sectors.
“If Gov. Makinde has not built anything close to the First Technical University, another Agodi Gardens or College of Agriculture, Igbo-Ora in the last 43 months, he should not mislead the world over any performance claim.”
Makinde speaks on his scorecards
Governor Makinde on his part while campaigning in Oyo East, Oyo West and Atiba Local Government Areas of the state last Friday said if he is re-elected, his administration would make concerted efforts to lift the local economy of Oyo state and the entire communities in the historic Oyo town and that the efforts of his administration in expanding the economy of the state through agribusiness had begun to yield immense results as about 10 agro-processing industries have subscribed to the Fashola Agribusiness Industrial Hub being put up by the state.
Emphasizing that his government would do more in the area of engaging local contractors and industries, the Oyo state governor said, “if re-elected, I will implement Omituntun 2.0, which centres on sustainable development and consolidation of gains already recorded by the administration under Omituntun 1.0”.
He stressed that his administration has achieved quite a lot but that he would build on the foundations he had laid in the last 44 months.
At Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa Local government areas of the state, Governor Makinde said “the state has achieved infrastructure that target the economic development agenda of the administration”, saying, “all we have done are targeted towards the economic development of our state and I promised during 2019 campaign that we would evolve programmes and policies that will take our people from poverty to prosperity and we have laid that foundation.
He continued, “We got back the LAUTECH so that our children can conveniently go to their own state university and graduate in record time. We have started a major road network that can connect all our zones, because it is important for us to be able to easily move from Ogbomoso to Ibadan to Oyo to Oke Ogun and from there to Ibarapa zone. Once we have achieved all that, then, it means the zonal roads are completed and other infrastructure will come in.
“We have started Ogbomoso-Fapote to Iseyin. Out of the 76.8km, at least over 50 km has been tarred right now. We have also completed the major bridge over Odo-Ogun and I have driven on top of it myself.The road that links Awe from here is a major linkage between Ogbomoso zone and Oyo zone. We have not been able to deliver on it, but under Omituntun 2.0, we will construct the road.
“I can share with you the problem we have on that. The resources we have is limited. A particular administration has done some works before us and if we carry out a project that will not last two years, we will be back to square one. Go and examine the major roads our government is doing, they can last 15 to 20 years before we begin to talk of rehabilitating them.
“So, what it means is that we won’t go back to what we have done, and we will only continue to work freshly on those we have not touched under Omituntun 2.0. So, we have come to appeal to you the same way we did in 2019 to vote for all of us”.
Pro Makinde PDP chieftains taunts opposition
However, the ruling party in Oyo state, the PDP has asked opposition parties contesting against the Governor Makinde in the March 11 governorship election to have a rethink as it was impossible for anyone or group of persons to unseat a performing governor whose street credibility daily soars very high.
They said the coming March 11 guber election results would shock opposition parties in the state to their bones and that Oyo geopolitical zone like other zones in the state has also fully aligned itself with the sustained accelerated development under Governor Makinde who is also the governorship candidate of the ruling PDP in the March 11 election.”
Oyo PDP in the statement by its Publicity Secretary, Akeem Olatunji, stressed that the call on opposition party candidates to drop their ambitions from various quarters at the present political era was born out of brotherly affection away from politics and politicking, and
that there was “no other proof needed to confirm that the coming election is already game over in Makinde’s favour considering the love and passion shown by the masses”.
He noted, the handwriting was already bold enough for even a visually impaired person to read or the sound loud enough for the deaf to hear.
Olatunji reiterated that wasting scarce resources to campaign against the people’s mandate remains a journey on a one way street to a dead end.
Stressing that while it was normal for politicians and political parties to play politics, Oyo PDP maintained, “it was exigent and imperative for a politically savvy minded person to decode the right political time and season to make certain political moves otherwise the end result was always a dead end.
He said, “February 25 elections results would be so landslide that the ruling party’s corporate existence would be adversely threatened with the gale of defection that would follow from top to bottom into the PDP.
“Governor Makinde, based on his unprecedented sector by sector achievements in less than four years has seriously embarrassed critics and dissenting voices in the state with tangible success stories such that it was safe to assert that March 11 governorship election was only for Makinde to grab.
“Political race only becomes competitive if an incumbent has failed on his promises to the people governed. Governor Makinde has fulfilled his campaign promises predicated on the four cardinal pillars, and substantively enjoys maximum support and full backings of the masses in the present political season.
“It would amount to a politically reckless act of a neophyte for any of the opposition candidates to think he or she could come against a very popular candidate as Governor Makinde in an election that has already been won based on the masses full support even before the poll.
“As much as we may want to assume everything is about politics, only individuals with desperate underneath ulterior motives would seek to go against a man that is fully committed and dedicated to making Oyo state pride of the nation for us all regardless of political affiliations.
“It is often said in this part of the world that the voice of the people is the voice of God. We strongly believe it. It was the people who themselves wanted Seyi Makinde in 2019 against all odds, it is still the same masses that have adopted the governor as the people’s mandate for 2023 so, all we can do is continue to serve the people and sustain the happiness that has spread wide like an airborne suiting elixir which brings comfort, relief, joy and restoration of lost glory”.
With less than two months to the March 15 governorship election, all hands are now on deck across the nooks and crannies of Oyo state as to what could be the outcome of the governorship election.