Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
A senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District and governorship aspirant under the plattform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Senator Teslim Folarin has come under severe attack over what is being dubbed as uncomplimentary remarks about Governor Seyi Makinde”s administration in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor ‘Mr. Taiwo Adisa in a statement on Tuesday, flayed Senator Folarin for claiming that none of the opposition party’s gubernatorial aspirants is as bad as Makinde.
Responding to Senator Teslim comment on the activities of the present administration in the state during his declaration of intent to vie for the governorship seat in 2023, Adisa said the Oyo State electorate would not fall for the lies of APC chieftains, including Folarin, against Governor Makinde.
The Governor’s aide declared that it was laughable that despite the massive development of infrastructure, improvement in the education and health sectors and other efforts of the Makinde government in the last three years, Folarin could still say he was coming to rescue Oyo State “because every tangible project in the state was done by the previous government.”
According to Adisa, rather than Folarin articulating details of his agenda in comparison to Makinde’s globally acclaimed Roadmap to Accelerated Development of Oyo State, 2019-2023, he only marshaled a couple of lies, which insulted the sensibilities of Oyo State residents across the five zones of the state, who have continued to laud Governor Makinde for good governance in the state.
Adisa, however, commended Folarin for telling residents of Oyo State what they already suspect; that governorship aspirants in APC were bad products, as according to him [Adisa], there is no basis to compare Makinde with any of them.
Adisa said: “We have read with amusement words credited to an Oyo APC governorship aspirant, Senator Teslim Folarin, that he is coming to rescue Oyo State and that none of the aspirants in the ill-fated APC, Oyo State chapter is as bad as Governor Makinde.
“Indeed, we must commend Folarin for letting the Oyo State public know that governorship aspirants in APC are bad products. However, there is no basis to compare any of the APC governorship aspirants with Governor Makinde.
“Nobody can compare light with darkness. In three years, Makinde has done what the APC government failed to do in eight years; building over 500 kilometres of road, putting in place a free and qualitative education system, improving the health and security sector and all that.
“Senator Folarin was also credited to have said that all tangible projects in the state were done by the previous government. This is an outright lie and we are sure that the people of Oyo State do not need such a lie. The people will not fall for cheap lies and deceit.
“It is easy to ask whether it was the previous APC government that built the 65 km Moniya-Iseyin road, the 45km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road, the 12km Awotan- Akufo concrete road, the 38km Oyo-Iseyin road and the 76 km Ogbomoso-Iseyin road, which are at various stages of completion as we speak.
“The people will also ask whether it was the failed APC administration of 2011 to 2019 that built the magnificent Bus Terminals at Ojoo and Challenge as well the Terminals at Iwo Road and Old Ife Road, which are nearing completion.
“It can be seen that Folarin has not been in touch with the reality in Oyo State, he thus needs to connect with Oyo State people and his followers, who could tell him the state of things regarding infrastructure development under the Makinde government.
“He needs to at least be conversant with his local government, Ona-Ara, where massive developments are ongoing. He needs to be told that in his Ona-Ara Local Govt of origin, the Makinde government is building the 37-kilometre Akanran-Olorunsogo-Dagbolu and 21 Ajia-Airport Road with spur to Amuloko and the two will be commissioned shortly.
“In order to end his apparent lack of information or is it denial of reality, we will volunteer to take the senator on a tour of tangible projects across the state, from Moniya-Iseyin Road, to Asipa-Sabo-Gedu-Oroki Road to the Saki Township Road, and also visit ongoing road projects in Oyo-Iseyin and the 76-kilometre Iseyin-Ogbomoso roads and end the trip in Ona-Ara.”
Adisa warned Folarin to stop his unnecessary obsession with attacking Makinde, urging him to focus on how to convince his partymen in the APC to accept him as candidate despite his undemocratic credentials.
“We urge Folarin to focus his energy on convincing those he met in APC, when he defected from PDP which he ruined with his undemocratic tendencies, rather than inciting the people and engaging in baseless conspiracies against a government that is delivering good governance,” the statement added.
