A chieftain of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, on Monday challenged Governor Seyi Makinde of the state to reveal to the people how much he spent in the just concluded gubernatorial election in Ondo State.
According to report, Makinde served as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council in the election where Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (PDP governorship candidate) lost the election to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (APC governorship candidate).
Alao in a statement made available through his Media Aide, Omotayo Iyanda, advised Makinde to forgo taking unnecessary interest in other states affairs but rather offer governance with utmost sincerity of purpose in his own state.
He said, “As funding a governorship election is very expensive in Nigeria and as the Chairman of the PDP Ondo Gubernatorial Election 2020, Governor Seyi Makinde is hereby called upon as an advocate of public accountability and transparency to come public and tell the people of Oyo State how he helped Mr Eyitayo Jegede and his party, PDP, raise funds and how much expended on the just concluded governorship election in Ondo State, where Governor Makinde’s party, PDP, has lost.
“We have it on record how much our governor has expended on the governorship election in his desperation to win it at all cost to establish himself as a political colossus in South West. Let the governor be reminded that without the coalition of political parties, he could not have single handedly won the last election. The loss of his party at both Kogi and Ondo should tell him now that politically he is not what he thinks he is. He should excuse himself from illusion.
“In a desperado style, Governor Makinde did not only move the Oyo States hard-earned income to Ondo but also the entire Oyo Government machinery. A visit to the seat of government at Agodi on Friday prior to the Ondo election as the place was shown deserted and the arrest of Mr Babatunde Tijani (Double T), a very close aide of Engineer Seyi Makinde and Hon Babatunde Oduyoye, for an alleged electoral offence in the just concluded Ondo governorship election were proofs that the seat of Oyo State Government was deserted for a desperate move to win the Ondo governorship election.
“We would, therefore, like Governor Seyi Makinde to publish how much he pumped from the Oyo State coffers into the Ondo guber election to exert his dream and anticipated leadership in the South West PDP. What a delirium! We are demanding this action from our governor for the purpose of accountability in governance to protect the patrimony of the people of Oyo State, more so we know our governor is always a stupendous lavish spender when it comes to issues of seizing powers at all cost.
“Although Engr Makinde was not the chairman for the PDP Kogi Governorship Election Campaign Committee, an election that was also lost by PDP in November 2019, we are aware of all our governors antics, financial and otherwise, at winning the Kogi guber election. So, we do not wish to overlook the funding of the Ondo governorship election from the Oyo State treasury when all of us are not PDP members.
“Now that the Ondo guber election is over and lost by PDP, our governor should please sit at home, offer a governance with utmost sincerity of purpose to our people and stop taking unnecessary interest in other states affairs and wasteful and thankless expenses and adventures which have no direct benefit for the entire citizenry of the state.
“What about the killings going on in Ogbomoso land during and after the #EndSARS protest? All these were/are going on at home and our governor was/is busy in Ondo just for his political gains. It is against this backdrop we are calling on Engr Seyi Makinde to take governance more seriously and be genuinely responsible, transparent and accountable to the people of Oyo State”.
