Embittered by the statement from the camp of the deputy governor, Bayo Lawal, castigating the Democratic Peoples Platform (DPP), a pressure group within the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the group’s release lampooning the deputy governor’s “no one can rival my political influence in Oke-Ogun claim”, the group on Saturday, 10 September, 2022 in Saki, headquarters of Saki West Local Government, has issued yet another release wherein it reacted accordingly.
Maintaining it would’ve let the deputy governor’s camp’s release slide had it resorted to issues rather than name-calling, Dr. Kunle Lamidi, its spokesperson, defended the group’s initial release, as mere words of caution and reprimand against a “last minute invitee lashing out at party hosts”, and that were the deputy governor a perceptive politician, he would’ve made concerted efforts at correcting all the unforced errors he’s been committing since assumption of office.
“We’re ashamed at the amateurish response from a group of sycophants under the label SeyiBayoDe, whose name even reveals it is a ragtag assembly hurriedly instituted to promote the interest of our replacement deputy governor. The release was not only empty, it was also full of childish allegations. The writers, were they as ten percent as brilliant as members of our group, would’ve taken precious time to study our release, and be diligently studious enough to craft a meaningful response (if any), which would’ve spoken to the issues.
“Why we owe no one any apologies as to the medium by which we disseminate our releases, we’re appalled at the disingenuous attempt by this camp of newbies fazed by the lure of their principal’s undeserved promotion to link us with Senator Teslim Folarin, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to whom we have no sympathy, familiarity or relationship. That attempt was just too pedestrian and unbecoming of a holder of a dignified position as that of the deputy governor.
“To insinuate, that members of our group which comprises foundation members of the PDP, who have stayed true to the ethos and practices of the umbrella party, and have never left the party, even for a second, were recruited to issue the release for a peanut price of Ten Thousand Naira (N10,000), is most unfortunate and smacks of the rantings of someone dizzied by unexpected wealth. If the faceless Oluwagba Onaara, a non-existent individual who mistakes a nickname for a name had been privy to our membership register, he’d have covered his head in shame at being deployed by the ragtag SeyiBayoDe Assembly for this petty assignment,” the group said.
Informing the deputy governor not to mistake calls on him by significant segment of the Oke-Ogun region as conferment of the party’s leadership, as the visitors were in no way active politicians but gatekeepers in their own right, the group noted that the visits were mere courtesies extended to the dignity of the office of deputy/acting governor, as well as an appreciation of Governor Makinde’s laudable achievements in Oke-Ogun, and not necessarily to the person of Barrister Lawal, whose political trajectory was already publicly advertised.
Insisting the deputy governor was way too junior in political accomplishments to the likes of Senator Hosea Agboola, Senator Gbenga Babalola, Chief Jacob Adetoro and other established PDP leaders from Oke-Ogun, having never won any election in his entire life, despite contesting on three different occasions for the Oyo North Senatorial seat, under the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Accord and African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2003, 2011 and 2019, DPP told Barrister Lawal not to unnecessarily overreach himself.
“Save for his appointment as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the government of Alh. Lam Adesina between 1999 and 2003, we cannot recall any notable political height reached by our replacement deputy governor, to warrant this current swagger, like a kid handed his favourite candy,” the group argued.
Warning the deputy governor’s camp to be wary of responding irresponsibly to releases like the group’s which seeks to correct their principal from further dividing the PDP through his needless insistence at claiming what is not, DPP warned that despite the discomfort and sleepless nights its current campaign of sanity was causing some people, it would not back down until common sense prevails, as that was the only way by which standards can be maintained and party discipline instituted.
“For the sake of emphasis, we stand true to our commitment to the success of our leader, Engr. Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, and indeed all PDP candidates in the 2023 polls. What we would not condone, are attempts by latecomers to a show whose ticket they were pitifully gifted at the venue’s entrance to continue posing as show organisers. Not minding the yards of aso-ebi purchased by a guest, he cannot be mistaken for the host.
Concluding in its release, DPP warned against what it called recent undue and unwarranted persecution of its members, particularly those of them currently in government, saying such wouldn’t bode well for the health of the ruling party.
“We have received intelligence about ongoing compilation of names of suspected members of our group by people who have become displeased by our campaign of sanity for the purposes of victimization, persecution and stigmatization. We can only condole them of their bereavement, cos like the Americans say “we ain’t gonna back down”.
