New Telegraph

APC has taken Ogun back by 30 years –State PDP Chairman, Sikirullahi Ogundele

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ogun State, Hon. Sikirullahi Ogundele carpeted the Governor Dapo Abiodun on his activities. Ogundele, who spoke in an interview, said that the last time Ogun State had a performing Governor was when the PDP ruled the state from 2003 to 2011, stressing that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government has failed the gateway state. OLADIPUPO AWOJOBI reports.

What is your assessment of the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State?

I don’t want to judge, the Bible says we should not judge. I will only make comments. But, I must be honest with you, the last time we enjoyed governance in Ogun State was during the era of the PDP. That was the time we enjoyed good governance in this state.

The PDP government came out with a blueprint, they carried the people of Ogun State along with their needs and their plights. Where they needed water, water was given to them, where they needed road, road was given to them.

What we are having since the past nine years is such that the state has been taken back by 30 years. During the time of former governor Olusegun Osoba of the state, the state was said to be a civil servants state, but when former governor Gbenga Daniel of the PDP came, it was turned to an economic viable state. Our brother, Senator Ibikunle Amosun came on board, and he ran a ‘tiki taka’ government as he embarked on whatever came to his head.

He started pointing to the houses he would demolish. So, the state that was moved from being a civil servant state to an economically viable state was taken back because salaries of workers were not being paid as and when due and the contracts that were given out were given to aliens. They would collect money from Ogun State and take them to their states. The bridges that were built were mere beautifications because what the roads could as well serve without the bridges. All the money that were being put into these projects deflected the local markets because people collected these money and took them to their various states.

That was what we had during the time of Senator Ibikunle Amosun. We saw emotions reflecting in his administration. You remember how the government was being operated. You will see conspicuously the emotion of Mr. Governor reflecting in governance. If you criticise him today, you will see your structure being pulled down tomorrow. When a government is being run one has got to go along with the people by asking for their inputs in your blueprints. Where they need water, you give them water. Not that where they need water you go and construct road. This is exactly what is happening in Ogun State even now.
Till today, the man has spent about 15 months in government, no direction, no vision, he has not called the people of Ogun State to come and see his blueprint whereby they can have an input. He is not acquainted with the problem of Ogun State, may be because he is not living in the state.

If you were to advise Governor Dapo Abiodun, what will you tell him to do?

Someone that is not prepared to be Governor, he has about 20 to 30 advisers, they must have been advising him, I don’t want to waste my time and saliva giving him empty advice. I am sure that the man is not even mentally and physically fit to be the Governor of Ogun State. Look at the last time he had encounter with doctors during the COVID-19 palaver, he referred to the medical officers of the state as irresponsible. If he is matured and very responsible, he wouldn’t have used such words against the people that put their lives on line to save the lives of other people.

How prepared is your party to take over governance in Ogun State?

We are taking over now. When I emerged the Chairman of the party, I promised to run an all-inclusive administration. I promised that I was going to run a united PDP. By the grace of God, we have successfully achieved that, those who are in ADC and ADP have come back. We embarked on convincing our people to come back. When Otunba Gbenga Daniel won the governorship election in Ogun State in 2003, he won with almost about 800,000 votes, when the PDP was united. In 2007, when he recontested, he won with almost about 800,000 votes again. When former governor Ibikunle Amosun came in 2011, he won with just 300,000 votes when the PDP broke up into different parties. In 2015, he also won with just 300,000 votes. The present Governor of the state, won with just 200,000 votes. That was his total votes. Then, we decided to talk to our people on the reason we should come back and stop running an NGO party administration. To God be the glory, even those that are in APC, ADC, Mega, Labour, SDP, ADP and others have come back to the party, when they noticed our genuine intention to run party administration. They are now back and we are looking forward to a successful 2023.

You said that the party has started to galvanize people from other political parties, how are you handling that?

I can tell you that we started talking to them immediately after the death of Kashamu Buruji, may his soul rest in perfect peace. We convinced them on why they should not befriend the ruling party. Buruji is no more, so I don’t want to judge him. The reasonable ones are back with us, Engineer Bayo Dayo is solidly with us, Sodipo is already with us. But those that we have mentioned, we are still talking to them and I believe that they will join the mainstream.

Are you still going to use Hon. Ladipo Adebutu as the Governorship candidate of the party?

It is open to everybody, let’s get the party together, let’s get some of the mistakes that have been made corrected. We are working on that and by the grace of God we are going to get that done.

What is your view about #EndSARS protests in the country?

I want to align with them, but my grouse is the way our system is being operated. Our system has been bastardized and poverty has been weaponised. There is high pauperization of the people. They have used poverty as a weapon for the people not to have a sense of governance. On the protests, I have seen Nigerians complaining today, protest tomorrow and the third day is election day, they will sell their votes. That has been the problem in the country. Like I said, pauperization is at its height in Nigeria. People need to be well informed about their conscience Their sense of judgement over what happens on election days is wrong. They will complain today, protest tomorrow and the next day, they will start collecting money for their votes. So, where are we going?

Read Previous

Those who opposed my reappointment were ignorant –Rector Bida Polytechnic, Dr Dzukogi

Read Next

TO MAKE ’94 EAGLES, YOU HAD TO BE EXTRAORDINARY –Okechukwu

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *