Osun: APC, PDP trade words over ex-gov Oyetola

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State has warned former governor Adegboyega Oyetola to stop using President Bola Tinubu’s name to disrupt governance in the state.

The party also warned the former governor to stop his alleged disruptive activities.

The party gave this warning in a statement issued by the state chairman, Sunday Bisi, and obtained by DAILY POST on Monday in Osogbo.

Bisi accused the former governor of being a bad loser who has been dropping Tinubu’s name to perpetrate political evil in the state.

The statement read, “We are constrained to bring to the attention of Mr President and the entire Presidency the untowards activities of former Governor Oyetola which are capable of destroying the peace and stability of Osun state and negatively undermine the presidential agenda for Osun state, South West and Nigeria as a whole.

“We start by noting that the opposition has a legitimate right to play the role of the opposition. Such opposition roles do not however entail evil moves targeted at destroying the peace of the state, misrepresentation of presidential intention, the deliberate disruption of state-federal relations or attempted unlawful abuse of federal power against state officials performing their statutory roles. That will amount to malignant behaviour and a direct threat to democratic ideals.

“Surprisingly, Mr Oyetola has been dropping Mr President’s name to manipulate federal agencies to serve his selfish interest. The other time, he hijacked SMEDAN SME programme to serve his own faction of APC, even leaving out other APC members, giving Mr President a bad name. He did the same on rice distribution which he allegedly took from NEMA but which he shared to his faction against reaching out to the generality of Osun people as Mr President clearly preferred in line with the law.

“Rather than working to unite his party ahead of 2026, he is busy trying to make the state ungovernable, disrupting federal – state collaboration and attempting to use federal agencies such as the FCT DSS to harass state officials. We learnt Oyetola has used the FCT DSS to threaten arrest of the Spokesperson to the Osun State Governor for performing his statutory duties of projecting and promoting Mr Governor.

“We warn that such an attempt at arm twisting is a failed strategy as officials and citizens are entitled to the enforcement of their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution and as the same constitution also regulates human rights and intergovernmental relations among the three tiers of government.

“Mr President should call Mr Oyetola to order before plunging Osun into an avoidable crisis.”

Reacting, the Osun All Progressives Congress, APC, in a statement by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, described Oyetola as a peace loving man.

The party dismissed the claim by the PDP that Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, is endangering the peace of Osun as not only outlandish but bogus.

The Osun APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, stated that the state PDP chairman and his cronies simply cooked up a lie to suit their purpose.

“Oyetola is not known for violence. Osun APC is known for its peaceful disposition. All these played out during the reign of Oyetola as Governor.

“This explains why, despite the attempt on his life during the EndSARS protest in Osogbo, Oyetola never abused his office to intimidate or harass anyone. So, if Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson or any PDP chieftain for that matter has any issues with security agencies, they should go and sort themselves out and stop the cheap blackmail of dragging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into a matter that has no basis.

“The first reaction was to ignore Sunday Bisi and his co-travellers. But because they lumped other issues into it, including the issue of a fathom rice from NEMA, the APC is compelled to put the records straight.

“We have always said that Osun PDP leaders and their handlers strive on propaganda and cheap blackmail.

“We are not known for violence. If anyone has issues with security agencies, he should go and sort out himself. Dragging the presidency into it is cheap blackmail and has no basis,” Lawal added.