Aregbesola has impoverished Osun

                         Aregbesola has impoverished Osun – PDP

JUNE 9, 2014 

              OLAOLUWA

The Chairman, Osun Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, in this interview with TUNDE ODESOLA, comments on issues bordering on development and infrastructure in the State of the Virtuous. Excerpt:

 How does your party hope to cope with the gale of defections besetting it?

What you should be asking is how we preparing for the swearing in? We are not missing those who are leaving our party? We have more than enough supporters to flush out the Rauf Aregbesola-led government in Osun State.

The projects on the ground shows that Aregbesola has done more work than what did the Peoples Democratic Party-led administration did in seven and a half years.

What work did he do? I can’t see the work he has done. Which of his works has he completed? Has he completed his 100 school buildings; where are the schools? They are abandoned projects.

He said he will construct the Gbongan-Osogbo Road but the fact emerging shows that he can’t finish the road. What’s the essence of the bridge he’s constructing at Gbongan? He should explain what he has done with the loans his administration has taken. How far has he gone with the Orile-Owu – Ijebu-Igbo Road? All we have is propaganda. Aregbesola’s government has undermined the people of Osun and empowered foreigners from other states, whom he has put in positions of authority in the state. This has led to capital flight because these elements don’t live in Osun. They take Osun money to Lagos and their respective states. They come to Osun only during the week and move back to their states during the weekend. Osun is not a state of occupation.

Violence was rife in Osun when the PDP was in power. The recent governorship primary of the party too was embroiled in violence…..

No. We are orderly. We are thorough. When vying for an election or primary there could be disagreements because PDP being the largest party in the country, you’re bound to have many people and many interests competing. But we always resolved our differences amicably. Alhaji Shauib Oyedokun is the head of our reconciliation committee. I was in Abuja last week where Alhaji Muazu called for peace and orderliness.

But a former leader of the party, Chief Isiaka Adeleke, was beaten up at gunpoint during the Osun governorship primary of the party in Osogbo recently.

It’s a lie. He wasn’t beaten. There was no such thing. The PDP is bigger than any individual and we must all learn to obey party regulations. PDP governorship campaign in Osun is based on integrity, honesty and delivery of democratic dividends.

There’re insinuations that former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola is also on the way out of the party.

No. Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola is not on the way out of the party. He is a member of our reconciliation committee. He’s in the struggle with us to free Osun from Aregbesola.

Insinuations are rife that your party’s candidate, Chief Iyiola Omisore, is unfit to occupy the governorship post.

What’s the meaning of that? The minimum academic qualification for that post is a school certificate and this man, who is a chartered engineer, has a PhD. Your incumbent governor, who claims to be an engineer, is not registered by the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria. Omisore was a deputy governor and a former chairman, senate committee on appropriation. So, how is he unfit?

Aregbesola has inaugurated a committee to look into the attack on Adeleke. What’s your view about that?

You can see that he’s a confused man. What is his concern about the primary of another party? Up till when Adeleke claimed he was beaten, Adeleke was a member of our party. So, you can see a preemptive conspiracy. All the claimed attack and later defection were predetermined. The proverbial wind has blown and we have seen the rump of the cock. We thank God that we didn’t leave an enemy within us before the election.

But the governor has the right to protect lives and properties of Osun people, irrespective of party affiliations?

Aregbesola should set up a panel to finish Gbongan-Osogbo Road and other unfinished projects dotting the state. He should set up a panel that would see to the handover of power to Omisore. We won’t attend any kangaroo panel. If he wants to join the PDP like his members are doing, he can come. He knows that the time is up; that’s why he is going to the houses of PDP leaders like the late Alhaji Ademola Rasak aka Landero, Oyinlola and others. After all his O-YES, O-Reap, O-Ambulance, O-Bop, O-this, O-that, he would soon say O-bye-bye to Osun after the election.

How is the PDP going to share positions if you win the election?

The result you are able to achieve in your area will determine the position you’ll get. The first 14 posts will go to commissioners. The second level of positions will be special advisers, and so on and so forth. We won’t allow people outside Osun to come and take us for a ride again. Anybody, who is from Osun and is outside the state, should come now and work, we won’t give posts to anybody who doesn’t work.

Why has your party consistently called for the removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Rufus Akeju?

Akeju served as a civil servant under APC leader, Bola Tinubu, when he (Tinubu) was governor of Lagos. We have persistently said we don’t want him. We don’t know why Prof. Attahiru Jega has refused to change him for us. Two teams in a game should both agree on the referee. If a team says, it doesn’t want a referee, such a referee should be changed. There is a court judgement which says that Akeju should not conduct election in Osun. We are appealing to President Goodluck Jonathan to do something about this.