From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has been taken to the cleaners by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for making negative comments on his impeached deputy, Rauf Olaniyan.
The governor had featured on a radio programme, ‘State Affairs’, in Ibadan, the state capital, during which he answered many questions bordering on the interactable crisis confronting his party (PDP) at all levels, governance in Oyo state, his chances in 2023 among other things.
Makinde also made some startling revelations on why he moved against Olaniyan, who he got impeached by the State House of Assembly on July 18, 2022, and replaced immediately with Bayo Lawal.
In its reaction to Makinde’s comment, the APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the governor deserved condemnation for what it described as “an act of Executive recklessness coming from a power-drunk and vindictive character who found himself in power by default.
“It is most uncharitable for a governor to have sponsored the removal of somebody who shared a joint ticket with him midway to their tenure of office over hear-says and unsubstantiated allegations of disloyalty and corruption. How can a governor say that he went for his deputy’s head and got him impeached because he had been told that the latter consulted some marabouts over his political future? Is it not ridiculous for a University graduate of Electrical Engineering like Gov Makinde to claim he was inflicted with Covid-19 through magic?
“It is now crystal clear that the story about Gov Makinde contracting COVID-19 in 2020 was scripted and acted for the purpose of getting an alibi to hang his then deputy even though we raised some questions, at that time, to invalidate the claims made by him (Makinde) because we knew certain things did not add up. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) may have to visit Gov Makinde and learn new things about how COVID-19 could be contracted since he has revealed that he personally got it through magic.
“Furthermore, the whole world is interested in knowing more about how Olaniyan who was not allowed to have anything done with the state treasury could have been involved in any case of corruption or financial malpractice to validate the allegation of connivance with an unnamed contractor who handled the ill-conceived renovation of his official Quarters. Gov Makinde should also be told in clear terms that we are aware of all he did to commission a popular shady character in Ibadan for the purpose of giving false revelation against Olaniyan over the same matter while the day of reckoning is fast approaching.
“While we sympathise with Engr Olaniyan, who has been made a victim by the same man who effortlessly ditched virtually all the people that helped him to win the 2019 gubernatorial poll, we salute him for the rare display of courage, patience and maturity throughout the period of 38 months which his travails lasted. As a matter of matter, Oyo state could have been made to experience another round of political unrest and tension if the well-cultured former deputy governor had wanted to fight back or used his own connection too to resist the injustice meted out to him but he chose to remain calm during and after the whole drama.
“Interestingly, nothing could be more gratifying than Gov Makinde exposing himself as a man who rewards good with bad because most of his godfathers in the PDP, who he has chased away from the Party, had informed the whole world how Olaniyan’s acceptance of the deputy governorship role and subsequent efforts paved the way for his (Makinde) electoral victory in 2019. Engr Olaniyan has now found a safe haven in the APC and his teeming supporters as well as sympathisers and conscious people of Oke-Ogun cannot wait to pay Gov Makinde back in his own coin in the next general election.”