BEING TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) ONDO STATE, HON FATAI ADAMS.
Party Leaders here present,
Gentlemen of the Press,
I welcome you here this morning, as we gather to ruminate and present our trauma to the nation over the precarious state of our dear State, Ondo, that is currently and needlessly beleaguered through a criminal interplay of selfish determinism by cliques within government circles, and the Governor’s family overbearing interplay in government business, this we believe is very unpatriotic.
Please permit us to immediately underscore the fact that our hearts and prayers are with the Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu over his current health challenges, we continue to wish him well and fervently pray that God in His infinite mercies will heal and restore his health.
We are however deeply concerned about the ruinous cost the health challenge of the Governor has bestowed upon the State, the most obvious is the emergence of a cabal, largely informal that have seized every initiative, mindlessly driving our State to penury.
As we speak, there is no clear leader of Government business, the Governor remains on his sick bed, the Deputy Governor is still battling for his political survival, irrespective of President Bola Tinubu’s much proclaimed intervention and our State continue to wander in darkness. Most disturbing however is that our finances are suffering as hard earned resources of the State are being pilfered by interest groups within and outside government, this is to the detriment of our development and wellbeing.
STATE OF OUR FINANCES
We feel duty bound to say that the resources and finances of Ondo State is our commonwealth, therefore concerned and totally interested in its management. For the past years that Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has been Governor, not once has any financial update been given to the citizenry. Curious and inexplicable expenditure has been the order of the day, therefore we demand for a balance sheet on the finances of our State, this we do because when our Party was in government, due regards was given to giving an account update every month, or at the end of every financial year by the Agagu and Mimiko administrations.
The issue of the palliative fund totaling N7billion is of absolute concern and interest to the people of Ondo State, who readily declare that no palliative came their way and therefore seeking answers to the administration of the fund. Government is hereby invited to render an account of how this money is spent immediately or cause actions to be taken to unravel the many debauchery that was perpetrated in the name of palliatives in our State.
The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State, is more committed to discharging its responsibility to the people and will take cogent actions to expose the many underhand actions devised to fleece the State of its money, assets and resources. In a short while, we will prepare and release to the public a compendium of illegal and illicit actions taken by functionaries of Government, to compromise our financial health, assets requisitioned illegally and sundry unpatriotic actions geared towards compromising the wellness of our future.
AKEREDOLU MUST TRANSMIT POWER
We continue to wish Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu well in his quest to get back to full fitness, however the collective wellbeing of our State and its people is most paramount. The business of administering the State is no tea party or picnic, this demands every attention that can be mustered. Much as we know, our Governor is sick or at best recuperating, thus he remains missing in action and our State deserve every attention, this is why the Constitution made provisions for a period like this.
We wish to remind Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of his admonition to President Umaru Yar‘Adua when he was ill, he said and we quote, “no matter how much you love your country, it should not be at the detriment of your health. It is not your Party or your wife that will determine whether you are capable of handling state matters; it is only your doctors…” . It is now crystal clear that Akeredolu’s doctors have since instructed him to stay away from his office and state, this certainly underscores the fact that he is currently not fit to handle State matters; we urge Mr Governor to please use his then advise to the late President Yar’Adua and again transmit power to the Deputy Governor in the interest of our dear State. We have heard stories of how Babajide, rides the Governor’s official convoy to visit his friends, that is ludicrous and an errant abuse of power and privileges. The mass of Ondo State people abhor, detest, disapprove and reject such actions.
We also note the total indiscipline and rudeness of some members of the State Executive Council to the office of the Deputy Governor, it merely indicates that the Akeredolu administration is rudderless, not cohesive and bereft of the required legitimacy to remain atop of the affairs of Government any longer.
We urge Governor Akeredolu to have a sense of history, he must care enough about what history will record about him, truly he is Governor, still ailing, the health of the State cannot be dragged to his sick bed alongside him; posterity will not take kindly to this mean and shortsighted attitude.
DISREGARD FOR THE RULE OF LAW.
On Wednesday, 29th November, 2023 the House of Assembly began the screening of certain persons to fill the vacant positions in the Local Government Areas across the State, this is patently an action that contradicts the provisions of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Section 7(1) which expressly states that “the system of Local Government by democratically elected government council under this Constitution is guaranteed and accordingly, the Government of every State shall subject to Section 8 of this constitution ensure their existence under a law which provides for establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils”
In furtherance of Section 8, the Ondo State Local Government System, Establishment and Administration and other Auxiliary Matters Law, 2006 requires that there should always be an election to fill all vacant positions to the office of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Councilors in the Local Government Areas.
These provisions of the law were flagrantly disobeyed, and trampled upon by the House of Assembly in its quest to serve purposes inimical to the Local Government system.
In view of the above, we immediately went to Court to challenge this rape of the Constitution and an injunction was given to the effect that those interlopers should not be sworn into office as they remain unknown to the law.
To our consternation and further confirmation of our declaration of the absence of leadership in Government business, some officials of Government and the APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, organized and swore in those interlopers as officials of the Local Governments, this is indeed a criminal action and an absolute disrespect and disregard for the rule of law. Most unfortunately however, a supposed senior citizen and presumed learned person, Princess Oladunni Odu presided over the illegal swearing in of illegal officers at the unholy hour of 11pm on Thursday night.
In view of the above, we will certainly approach the Court to commit those responsible for these illegalities to jail for contempt of Court.
APC AS ALBATROSS
The APC remains as an albatross to Nigerians, its rule and time in Government continues to spell doom to people and institutions across the nation. Nigerians today regret that they ever gave APC a chance to superintend over their lives, they are just looking forward to a time they can vote it out. There are medical reports that since May 29, 2023, the rate at which people die in Ondo State has increased by 25% which confirms the trauma that plague our state and other parts of our nation.
We note the many gibberish outburst of the APC Chairman in Ondo State, Ade Adetimehin, denigrating our Party, much as his many outbursts can be regarded as clownish and pedestrian, we need to address them nonetheless.
About two months ago, Adetimehin declared that seven members of the State Working Committee of PDP will decamp to his Party in days, weeks and months have since gone by, nothing of such happened and will not happen. Again at their peace meeting with President Tinubu, he again said that PDP members are decamping to his APC every day, this of course is another lie, much as we admit that we lost some members to APC, we need to let Adetimehin know that his incongruous tact and managerial ability has since made many of those who joined APC with fanfare to return quietly to the PDP, at the appropriate time, we will celebrate their return.
We however put Adetimehin and his Party on notice that henceforth, every act of misdemeanor by him will be challenged with dispatch.
