The raging media war between Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state and the Senator representing Oyo South senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin will take more time to settle as aide of the latter on Monday warned Ajimobi not to set Oyo state on fire ahead of the 2015 election.
The media aide to Lanlehin, Wale Sadare tookl special adviser to Governor Ajimobi, Dr. Festus Adedayo, to the cleaners as he cautioned against subjecting the entire State into another round of political turmoil through unguarded manipulation of public opinions in a bid to champion the cause of second term in office for his bossM
Commenting on the statements credited to Adedayo while reacting to an exclusive interview granted by Lanlehin and published last weekend, Sadare accused Adedayo of being "unnecessarily overzealous.
"It is to the common knowledge of genuine members of the defunct ACN that Sen. Lanlehin has never been found wanting on the issue relating to party loyalty. It was this same virtue that enabled him address the palpable schism in his party with a view to getting the governor retrace his steps and promote cohesion among party faithful as against the current winner-takes-all mantra being at play.
"If the record must be set straight, Distinguished Senator Lanlehin, in the said interview, only bared his mind on the fate of those who worked tirelessly for the victory of the governor in the 2011 elections only to be discriminated against in the business of governance and party administration on no account other than being steadfast as party faithful.
"In that same interview, Sen. Lanlehin again encouraged the governor to mend fences where necessary so as not to give room for the opposition to take over from the progressive party in 2015. And since sovereignty belongs to the people, he did not mince words to admonish the governor not to fall cheap for the antics of hangers-on as well as patronage seekers who are fond of making fake endorsements. Rather, he should devote the rest of his tenure to run an all-inclusive government.
"As a matter of fact, Sen. Lanlehin is a seasoned politician who cannot be cowed or blackmailed into abandoning the progressive fold. It is on record that he left the then Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2003 to pursue a collective interest of the Yoruba and he came around to popularize the Action Congress (AC), which later became ACN, throughout the nooks and crannies. At about the same time, Adedayo's boss left AD, in controversial manner, to pursue his personal ambition in ANPP. One now wonders; why the pot is calling the kettle black?
"By this latest development, the governor's aide has confirmed our fear that Oyo State might be in for another do-or-die episode in the anal of its socio-political history. Or how does one explain the situation whereby every stakeholder who volunteers to offer useful suggestions on how to move the State forward is branded unprintable names or made to face media attacks?
"If Gov. Ajimobi can disregard the party manifesto and chooses to embarking on some anti-people policies at the expense of the popularity of the supposed ruling party, we owe a duty to put him into check. This has never gone down well with the clique of political jobbers he made for himself but we shall not be deterred by their antics.
"It is also worrisome to know that the likes of Alh. Bello Oladeji and Mr. Wasiu Olatubosun were falling on top of one another to launch media attacks against the person of Senator Lanlehin in their bid to mislead the governor and thereby polarize the progressive camp before the proper take-off of the newly registered All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the emergence of APC indicates a new dawn with more people of different political background coming on board. This implies that the folly of the ACN days, in terms of selfishness, arm-twisting and political brigandage, must have gone with the defunct party. Sen. Lanlehin was highly instrumental to the transformation of the progressive movement into a winning platform and as a result of this, he cannot abandon a house he built with the collaboration of many others who are now being maltreated by Gov. Ajimobi." Sadare stated."It is also worrisome to know that the likes of Alh. Bello Oladeji and Mr. Wasiu Olatubosun were falling on top of one another to launch media attacks against the person of Senator Lanlehin in their bid to mislead the governor and thereby polarize the progressive camp before the proper take-off of the newly registered All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the emergence of APC indicates a new dawn with more people of different political background coming on board. This implies that the folly of the ACN days, in terms of selfishness, arm-twisting and political brigandage, must have gone with the defunct party. Sen. Lanlehin was highly instrumental to the transformation of the progressive movement into a winning platform and as a result of this, he cannot abandon a house he built with the collaboration of many others who are now being maltreated by Gov. Ajimobi." Sadare stated.
