Makinde pledges support for Adeleke, says APC won’t win Osun, Oyo
Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, declared support for his Osun State counterpart, Ademola Adeleke, in the political battle ahead of him, saying the All Progressives Congress will not win in Oyo and Osun states.
Makinde recalled how APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, after the national ruling party recorded victories in Edo and Ondo polls, claimed the party would win in Oyo and Osun States.
However, the Oyo Governor stated that such a declaration came from a man distracted from the reality on the ground, urging the people of Osun to remain resolute and stand by Adeleke.
He made the statement in Osogbo, Osun State, at the commissioning of the Stadium Roundabout/Oke Baale Roundabout/Ilesa Garage Roundabout dual carriageway.
Although Makinde did not mention Ganduje’s name during the event, his remarks were widely seen as a veiled response to the APC National Chairman, who spoke in Akure shortly after Ondo Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, was re-elected in the November 16 governorship poll.
Ganduje had said, “Our next target now is the South-West geopolitical zone, and you know we are good at hitting the target, and this is Osun State and Oyo State. We will do all that is possible to bring them into the fold so that we have political homogeneity in the South-West geopolitical zone.”
But the Oyo Governor, who rates himself and Adeleke as the true progressives in the South-West, warned the APC not to rejoice over their victories in Edo and Ondo, as the results are being challenged in court by the PDP.
“The people of Osun State must come first, and they have been put first. Two years ago, they made a political choice. They moved from one political party to the PDP. Then someone, I believe, got a bit distracted after the Edo and Ondo elections and said they are coming for Osun and Oyo. People, are you not waiting for them? You will show them.”
“Well, I want to assure them that the game is not over in Edo and Ondo. We are challenging the result in court. We are a law-abiding party, and we believe that the corpse they hurriedly buried will be exhumed,” Makinde said.
Commenting on the road being inaugurated, Makinde commended Adeleke for completing the project, which was initiated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola.
He said, “I was given a brief history of it, and he himself mentioned it. This road was started by Governor Aregbesola. Adeleke didn’t say, ‘I won’t do it because I won’t take the credit.’ He didn’t say, ‘If I finish it, the credit will go to someone else.’ He has completed it. Thank you for completing this. This is cementing your position of leadership.
“I am rounding off. I have two years left, and I am glad that Nigeria has become too advanced for mediocre minds who cannot think one inch deeper. Such minds are the ones who will say, ‘I am not the initiator of a project, so I don’t need to complete it.’ We have a new set of leaders emerging. He didn’t also say that he belongs to a different political party.
“I can keep thanking my brother for breaking out from the fold of usual politicians and doing something unusual. I can only encourage you, and I promise you my support in the battle ahead.”
Earlier, Governor Adeleke paid tribute to Aregbesola, whose administration started the Osogbo Ring Road project, noting that the completion of the road fulfilled his promise not to leave any projects of his predecessors unfinished.
Adeleke subsequently advised against reckless driving and violating safety protocols while using roads in the state.
He said, “We are recording increasing accidents on many freshly completed roads due to overspeeding and one-way driving. I appeal to road users to be safety-conscious.
“I am therefore directing security agencies and road safety authorities to enforce safety codes on our brand-new roads. The Ministry of Works should also consider constructing speed breakers where necessary. We must secure our people as we provide better roads and services across the sectors.”
