Tag: Akala
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Ex-Oyo Gov, Akala replies Makinde for calling opposition ‘charlatans’
A former governor of Oyo State and an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has advised the incumbent Seyi Makinde against abusing or using foul language for his predecessors in any circumstance.
Akala gave the advice in an interview with reporters at the empowerment programme of Sen. Fatai Buhari in Iseyin on Friday. The lawmaker distributed vehicles, motorcycles, laptops, start-up capital and other items worth about N120 million to his constituents in the 13 local governments of the Oyo North Senatorial District.
While inaugurating the Light-Up Oyo State project in Ogbomoso on Wednesday, Makinde had stressed that his administration was delivering on its campaign promise to use the state’s resources to impact the people of the state. Judging by his administration’s achievements, the governor took a swipe at the opposition and vowed that “charlatans” would no longer govern Oyo State.
But when asked to respond to Makinde’s attack, Alao-Akala said: “I don’t believe he said that. If he said that, he is making a mistake. You don’t address your predecessors as charlatans. You don’t do that. It is unstatesmanlike. You just have to talk like a statesman that he is going to be after he must have left office.
“You would see the way we have been addressing him. None of us who has been in that office before has ever addressed him that he is not doing very well. He is doing his best. The best may not be enough for the people. When it is time for campaign, we will campaign. But don’t use that word ‘charlatan.’ It was unstatesmanlike for him to use.”
Sen. Buhari explained that he embarked on the mega empowerment for the third time because it is a direct dividend of democracy for the people. The lawmaker added that since he started four years ago, he has seen many beneficiaries whose lives have been transformed by the work tools and start-up capital.
The items include 20 cars, 270 motorcycles, 100 laptops, 600 grinding machines, 250 sewing machines, cash support of N20,000 for 100 widows, 100 elders and the vulnerable, N20,000 cash bursary for 100 students, N100,000 start-up capital each for 10 youths and N10,000,000 for various community projects.
At the programme were APC State Chairman, Akin Oke, and top party leaders including a former deputy governor, Iyiola Oladokun, and Sen. Teslim Folarin. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, was represented by Dr. Yunus Akintunde.
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Oyo Governorship: Akala suspends ambition, drums support for APC candidate
A former governor of Oyo State and governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Adebayo Alao-Akala suspended his ambition to form alliance with the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adebayo Adelabu, ahead of the March 9 election.
Alao-Akala, while announcing the alliance, said he had jettisoned his ambition to contest under the ADP.
He, however, insisted that candidates of the ADP for the state House of Assembly election would still have his support.
Messrs Alao-Akala and Adelabu are two of the five leading governorship candidates for next Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections in Oyo.
Recall that Alao-Akala last year dumped the APC when he discovered that he could not secure the ticket of the ruling party.
His announcement of the alliance comes two days after he had a meeting with an APC national leader, Bola Tinubu, in Abuja.
Mr Alao-Akala, in a statement signed by Wale Ohu, Director General, Akala Campaign Organisation, declared that he decided to form an alliance with APC instead of other opposition political parties in the interest of the people.
The statement reads in part: “Following the outcome of the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections, the Alao-Akala Campaign of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), has decided to go into an alliance with the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adebayo Adekola Adelabu ahead of the March 9th Governorship and state elections in the state.
“However, all Action Democratic Party (ADP) candidates contesting for the House of Assembly seats will go into the elections with the full support of His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.
“This serves as the true position of things against the rumoured defection of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala into the APC.
“For the benefit of hindsight, the unfortunate breakdown of alliance talks with the main opposition parties in Oyo State vis-a-vis our great party – the Action Democratic Party (ADP), the African Democratic Party (ADC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) which the former Governor of Oyo State and Osi Olubadan, Senator Rashid Adewolu Ladoja Initiated is not but unconnected with the fact that, personal interest and sentiments over-rided the general interest of the people of Oyo State.
“The diverse and unachievable interest that pervaded the coalition amongst other connected issues that were raised and left unanswered led to the pull out from the coalition talks.
“So also, against the spirit of equality, Justice and fairness, the decision of certain interest within the coalition parties to narrow down the face of the coalition to a particular zone of the state also contributed largely to the breakdown of the coalition talks.
“Left with no other option upon being approached by the National Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to help salvage the party in Oyo State and with the promise of the APC gubernatorial candidate Bayo Adelabu expressing his readiness to work with the Action Democratic Party, adopt and implement the core values of our party and it’s manifesto and the intervention of the presidency hinged on our performance at the last elections and grassroots network not only in Ogbomoso but also in other parts of the state,
His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala accepted to support Bayo Adelabu of the All Progressives Congress for the Gubernatorial election.“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, wishes to assure the good people of Oyo State that the hindrances of the past which led to our earlier exit from the APC which is dead and buried will never rear its ugly head again with a promise of a new lease of life with the new ADP/APC coalition Government which the new alliance promises to bring forth amongst many other suitable conditions which is cast in iron and under the strict supervision of the National Leadership of the APC”.
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Oyo governorship poll: Tinubu initiates alliance talks with Alao-Akala to boast APC’s chances
In a smart move to avert losing control of Oyo State, the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and a former Governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, have met over possible partnership ahead of the governorship election in the state on March 9.
Alao-Akala, who is running for governor on the platform of the Action Democratic Party, confirmed the development on Wednesday.
“It is true. Both of us have been meeting and we will continue to meet. I will call you in 24 hours to let you know the state of things,” he said.
Top sources close to the two politicians said that Tinubu initiated the meeting after the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, won the presidential election in the state.
A PDP candidate, Dr Kola Balogun defeated Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s who contested the Oyo-South senatorial election.
A source close to Tinubu said Ajimobi’s defeat showed that the people of Oyo State could vote against the APC candidate, Adebayo Adelabu.
The source said, “Tinubu and Alao-Akala met on Tuesday. Tinubu asked Alao-Akala, who has many supporters in Ogbomoso, to collapse his structure into that of Adelabu. We know that if Alao-Akala was in our camp, there was no way Atiku would have had such a good outing in Oyo State, especially Ogbomoso.
“The PDP governorship candidate, Seyi Makinde, is popular and he is also an Ibadan guy like Adelabu, which means that they will both split the votes in Ibadan. The APC will need to forge an alliance with elements in Ogbomoso to get an advantage.”
When asked why the APC did not forge an alliance with Alao-Akala before now, the source said they would have done so but Governor Ajimobi told them that there was no need to worry.
He added, “We knew that the people were not too happy with the governor as far back as June 2018 when the PDP candidate, Adebo Ogundoyin, won Ibarapa-East Constituency by-election which was held to fill the vacant position created by the death of former speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo.
“We knew that Alao-Akala and Ajimobi had met last year before Alao-Akala joined the ADP. He had made some demands but Ajimobi did not play the politics right. Also, Ajimobi’s decision to convert some chiefs to full monarchs was unpopular among many people.”
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Ajimobi sacks Alao-Akala’s son as council chair for supporting father’s governorship ambition
The Governor Ajimobi led Oyo State government has endorsed the sack of Mr Olamijuwon Alao-Akala, a son of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, as the Executive Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.
In his place, former Vice Chairman Abas Bello has been sworn in an acting capacity to chair the council.
The decision followed the change of party by the sacked local government chairman from the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) to the Action Democratic Party (ADP), the platform on which his father is contesting the governorship seat.
The government made the announcement as well as the swearing-in of the acting local government chairman yesterday through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Bimbo Kolade, at the state secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.
The sacked council chief was elected on May 12, last year, on the platform of the APC, but alongside some of his councillors, he defected to the ADP to support his father’s ambition.
At the swearing-in of Bello, the commissioner said the ministry, on February 18, received official correspondences from the council’s legislative body announcing the suspension of Mr Alao-Akala.
He said the councillors suspended the chairman for alleged “misconduct and abuse of office”.
Kolade recalled that apart from Alao-Akala, who was then suspended, four other councillors from the same local government were also suspended.
The commissioner named them as: Mr Olawunmi Olutayo, Adeniyi Adekunle, Oladele Sunday and Alagbe Ayodunmade.
He said four others from the neighbouring Ogbomoso Central Local Council Development Area (LCDA) were also affected.
Kolade said: “Other councillors who were suspended from Ogbomoso Central Local Council Development Area (LCDA) are: Akande Ranti, Olabode Abiola, Salaudeen Muhammed and Muhammed Yusuf.”
The commissioner presented a letter of authority to Bello, urging him to discharge his duties according to the rules.
Bello promised not to jeopardise the confidence reposed in him.
He also promised to ensure the success of APC in the forthcoming general elections.
