You Speak For Yourself Not Party Or Members – Oyo PDP *’Your grouse against Makinde very selfish and anti-people’

By Ogundele Olanrewaju

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oyo State chapter, has replied some members of the party who claimed to be aggrieved and who, on Monday, reportedly passed a vote-of-no-confidence on Governor Seyi Makinde and the present administration, on grounds of lack of personal gratification and political benefits.
This desire is against the overall development and growth of Oyo State.

The statement was made by the ruling party’s State Publicity Secretary, Engr Akeem Olatunji, on Monday, Sept 20, 2021, and made available to newsmen, indicated that Oyo State Chapter of the PDP is grossly disappointed in the anti-party conduct of the so called disgruntled members who claimed to be aggrieved, wondering if they played politics as a private business for personal gains or for public good and the development of Oyo State.

Oyo State PDP learnt that some members of the party who converged at a private venue in Ibadan, on Monday, accused Governor Makinde of reneging on his promises prior to the 2019 governorship election, leading to what could be termed as passage of vote-of-no-confidence on Governor Makinde.

According to Oyo State PDP, the party wondered why the so called members resorted to blackmail, while embarking on a campaign of self aggrandizement.

The question to ask is: Have these so called members explored all available party mechanisms designed for resolution of internal political misgivings and misunderstandings? The answer is no!

The party’s press statement maintained that while the ruling party acknowledged personal aspirations, political interests and other reasons for political participation by individuals, it strongly frowned at any form of anti-party activities by anyone or group of persons within the party.

Oyo State PDP added that politics is local and should be played based on individual popularity and general acceptability at the grassroots, especially at the ward and local government levels, stressing that anyone who is ready to dine with the devil to destroy his or her own house is merely acting out of gross ignorance of history.

The party maintained that the days of playing on parochial sentiments of the people as a result of poverty of the mind and political illiteracy, are long gone, just as it added that even the person in the hinterland at a very remote area with little or no access to internet or telecommunication is now politically conscious to know the sincere politician who truly loves the masses.

“We want to state unequivocally that no man or woman with genuine love for his or her own household would want to destroy the family except such man or woman has started receiving gratification or personal benefits to accomplish such task.

“There is no part of the world where the political landscape is devoid of mixed feelings from time to time due to presumably unachieved expectations for whatever reason, but that is never a licence to embark on a campaign of sheer political blackmail in order to recruit unsuspecting political members into a selfish, perilous and very personal scheme to bring down a God Sent Man simply because of some unfulfilled personal and political gain, to the detriment of the masses.

“Some of the members who claimed to be aggrieved are merely acting out their frustrations after their candidates in government were either redeployed due to incompetence or shown the exit door due to gross misconduct bothering on challenge of integrity. The fact remains that they will never tell you details of their supposed grievances against Governor Seyi Makinde other than the very parochial narrative of ‘unfulfilled promises’, and these spurious claims are merely aimed at currying undue and undeserved public sympathy.

“Let it be clearly known to the entire PDP family in Oyo State, Nigeria, and the entire world that the so called aggrieved members of our great party who ‘jokingly’ passed a vote-of-no-confidence on Governor Makinde did so without a single basis of government failure to fulfill it’s electoral promises, and have, therefore, delibrately embarked on a mission of political blackmail in their pursuit of absolute personal gratifications and benefits, regardless of the redemption Governor Makinde has brought to assuage and attend to the suffering of the eight years of the past administration, which witnessed draconian, wicked, and emperor-like rule by the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC).

“As the party’s congress approaches, their voices against Governor Makinde and his performing government have been raised to the rooftops not because GSM has stopped performing or breaking new grounds of success in governance, but simply because they felt their personal political expectations and gratifications were denied them in the larger interest of the good people of Oyo State.

“While we acknowledge that it is in order for politicians participating in politics and political activities to have personal aspirations and political expectations for their commitment and services to the party, it is very important to stress emphatically that such personal or political aspirations and expectations must not at any point override the ultimate interest of the party and, therefore, there should never at any point be a foreclosure to healthy political engagements and communication within the party among party stakeholders and stockholders.

“We want to, once again, urge all our leaders, brothers and sisters who feel aggrieved for whatever reasons to sheath their swords and not further project themselves to the public in like manner as those in government between 2011–2019 who, out of sheer greed, covetousness and selfishness plunged Oyo State into the pit of backwardness, a backwardness that is now being redressed and redeemed by the Seyi Makinde administration that has been working tirelessly to return Oyo State to the path of growth and development” the PDP statement concluded.