Ajimobi, Shittu in War of Words over APC Ward Congresses

Segun Atanda/

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu today engaged in a war of words over last weekend’s ward congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The minister had reportedly said that the governor was after him because of the fear that if he emerged as governor, he would send him to jail for allegedly mismanaging the state resources.

But, the governor in his reaction said the minister was the one that should be afraid of jail because of the numerous allegations of corrupt enrichment that had been made against him by his former aides.

The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Communications and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, noted: “In any case, Shittu should be the one that should be afraid of going to jail in view of many allegations made against him as minister. Few of these are his alleged illegally-acquired property in Ibadan and Abuja and sudden unexplained and stupendous wealth not commensurate with his emoluments.

“In addition, his recent attempt to covert and appropriate a parcel of land belonging to Saki community, which was stoutly resisted by his own people, has shown his level of greed, avarice and penchant for appropriating what does not belong to him.”

The statement describes the governor as “a distinguished Senator of the country who had successfully traversed the corporate world and got to the peak of his career as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of a multinational; a position that requires a high degree of integrity, ability and capability.

“Similarly, Governor Ajimobi’s track record in his first term earned him an unprecedented second term, a feat for which he would forever remain grateful to the good people of the state.”

The statement advised aggrieved stakeholders in the just concluded ward congresses of APC to explore the party’s internal organs for seeking redress rather than engaging in actions capable of further sowing the seed of discord within the party.

Shittu, while addressing newsmen at the APC national secretariat after a meeting with the National Working Committee on the outcome of the ward congresses, said the governor was desperate to stop him from becoming governor of the state.

The minister said: “I want to say that if anybody is desperate in the Oyo political firmament, it should be Governor Ajimobi who believes that if Barrister Shittu succeeds him he will be in jail. That is what he is reported to have always told people who mentioned me to him.

“He thinks that I am too principled, firm, unbend-able and uncompromising when it comes to the issues of morality. It is he who is desperate to stop me not me being desperate to become governor.

“The rules are clearly there and like somebody who believes in the rule as a lawyer and man of law and order, if I follow the rules to contest the primaries in a free, fair and credible poll and did not win, I will take up something else. I am not desperate to become the Governor of Oyo State. It is the other way round because the governor is desperate to stop me for whatever reason.”

Shuttu added, “Governor Ajimobi has failed in so many things, including human relations and others I cannot say openly in the media. Why is he afraid of going to jail if another Buhari like me comes to power in Oyo State? Why is he afraid of primaries?

“For seven years, he has been running the Local Government alone without elected officers. What it means is that the LGA funds come directly into his pocket. He committed so many atrocities and that is why he is afraid of a Buhari coming to power in Oyo State.”

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