The All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, has said that there is a gang-up between the opposition parties in the state, especially Accord, Labour and the Peoples Democratic Party to instigate violence and use such isolated cases to puncture the three and half years of peace that its party-led government had brought to the state.
The party said the parties and their runners who are trying to come back to government are like the traditional smelly vegetable called Ebolo, which cannot hide its smelly antecedent.
In a release signed by its Director of Publicity in the state, Mr. Olawale Sadare, the party said: “We do not need to join the emergency advocates of peace which Ladoja, Akala and Folarin have been since they started campaigning to come to Agodi Government House. They are all one hand of violently leprous fingers.
“We do not have to convince the people of our state that ours is not a violent government or party. In the three and half years of our being in government, we have demonstrated that we hate violence. Can Ladoja and Akala say the same about violence? Their governments almost grounded Oyo State. They are like the proverbial Ebolo vegetable which cannot but demonstrate its smelly antecedent,” the APC said.
The APC said having identified that the battle in the next gubernatorial election would be between a government that has stood for peace and safety of lives and property, as against regimes in the past where there were political murders, arson, violence and brigandage, and whose major actors are seeking to come back to office, the opposition parties are struggling to paint the APC “as a violent party too.”
According to the party, the recent violence in Ibadan South East which reportedly led to the death of one person, as attested to by the police, was a gang war between an Accord Chief Thug and some factions in that locality and has nothing to do with the APC.
“If our people don’t know anything about Ajimobi, they know he can’t stand violence. He ordered a Pilgrims Board member sacked and charged to court for being violent. That violent man is with Akala now. He outlaws thugs and Indian hemp at Governor’s Office. He is one governor who does not go about with thugs. Let them tell us their own antecedents. Luckily, the world knows the truth,” said the APC.
On allegation of capital flight, the APC said it was an attempt by the opposition to profile its government stating that no government has patronized local contractors like the party.
“Our party-led government will soon publish the names of all contracts awarded in Oyo State wherein we have Ladoja, his Campaign Director and Ladoja’s harem of wives as beneficiaries. Let them explain to the whole world how that amounts to capital flight. The truth of the matter is that, in about four years, non-local contractors are less than five, the rest are sons and daughters of Oyo State,” the party said.
The party said that it is a shame that Ladoja and Akala, as well as Teslim Folarin are seeking to come to government, going by their individual antecedents while in office and government.
