A
socio-cultural group, Oyo Development Initiative (ODI), has warned
former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, not to set the
people of the state against the governor, thereby returning it to its
old path of chaos and violence.
It made this known in a release issued by its Coordinator, Dr. Adesola Okanlawon.
According
to the group, from recent utterances of Senator Ladoja, it was apparent
he had begun his usual divisive politics that could be likened to the
proverbial rat which aims to scatter the bowl of cowpeas once it cannot
have a bite of the beans.
"The
people of Oyo State know Ladoja for whom he is. He is a wily old
politician who is steeped in the politics of tar-brushing his opponent
with concoction and lies so as to get an upper hand. This will then brew
chaos. It is in the midst of this that he thrives. Knowing that the
world is acclaiming Ajimobi for his developmental strides, he knows that
the only way to dim the governor's star is to intensify his campaign of
calumny" said the group.
While
deploring Ladoja's attack on the government's recently constructed
fly-over bridge, the group urged all men of goodwill to condemn the
former governor's obsessive bid to destroy a legacy that has lifted the
profile of the Pace-setter State beyond comparison.
"Ladoja
was in government for close to four years and all he did was to make
life unbearable for the people. He refused to constitute boards of
parastatals which would better the lives of the people, for more than
one year. He destroyed a church at Ring Road and demolished shops
without building a single shop as alternative, all through his barren
reign. Right now that we have a man who is changing the landscape,
Ladoja is so consumed by hatred and peer jealousy that he wants to pull
down the house," the group said.
The
group said it was laughable that Ladoja would claim to have a first
class in engineering while alleging that Ajimobi had no 'O' level
certificate.
"It
is his kind of politics. Here is a man who cannot sustain an argument
without blabbering and waffling and presents as a farmer who has not
been to the four walls of a school deriding a man whom many who come
into contact with affirm is cerebral and possesses depth," the group
said.
The ODI urged the people of the state to demand from Ladoja what he did for them while in office.
"It was his fascist and tyrannical government which promoted Adebayo Alao-Akala to the undeserved height of governor of Oyo State. The two PDP regimes were like a blood-sucker as our people's blood was shed on a daily basis. Ladoja couldn't manage men as even Akala proved to be a better manager of Baba Adedibu. Nor could he manage resources as the EFCC has charged him to court for allegedly misappropriating Oyo shares money," the group said.
The ODI said the people were wiser now than the days when Ladoja held court like an affliction in Oyo State.
