Oyo APC accuses minister of ‘excessive gov’ship ambition’

The APC in Oyo State has accused the Minister of Communication, Barr Adebayo Shittu, of desperation to get the governorship ticket in the state for the 2019 general elections.

The APC also alleged that the minister did not work for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general elections.

It alleged that the minister only worked for his erstwhile boss, exgovernor Rashidi Ladoja of Accord Party after he (Ladoja) lost APC governorship primaries in 2015.

The chapter equally urged the APC national secretariat to ignore Shittu’s petition against the incumbent governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

The minister had earlier petitioned the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, that Ajimobi was working against the interest of the party as 2019 was fast approaching.

The party, in a statement by its Director of Media and Strategy, Dr. Abdl-Azeez Olatunde, said the recent defections of the former governor of the state, Otunba Alao-Akala, former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, former and serving members of the House of Representatives, former senators, former Secretary to the State Government, former senatorial candidate, former state chairman of the PDP, former state Secretary of the PDP, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, present and past State House of Assembly members and commissioners among others to APC was an indication that Governor Ajimobi was gaining more people for the party rather than losing them.

“Contrary to the reckless insinuations made by the minister, the Oyo State APC is doing extremely well. Rather than lose any member to the opposition, the Oyo State APC under the leadership of Governor Abiola Ajimobi has been moving from strength to strength.

“It is quite saddening, highly disheartening and a monumental disservice to our party that a serving minister of Oyo State origin will as a matter of habit stand the truth on its head, and close his eyes to the reality of the rising political profile of not only our party but also of our leader.

“The fact is that his petition is rooted in falsehood and premised on cheap blackmail,” the statement said.

“Mr Shittu’s participation in the activities of our party in his ward and local government is marginal. He has consistently been antagonising every laudable move of the party in his local government. He has never supported the party financially and morally. He is a monumental political failure,” the statement added.