Press Statement
…Says Awo Never Deceived But Stood For The People
The PDP National Campaign Council for Ondo Governorship Election has
described the attempt by the APC candidate, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, a
failed governor, to compare himself to the highly revered statesman,
Obafemi Awolowo, as sacrilegious, profane and extremely disrespectful.
The PDP campaign asserts that Governor Akeredolu can never and will
never be remembered like Chief Awolowo, the great national leading
light, but will be remembered, after his defeat at the poll on Saturday,
as that self serving governor who failed and betrayed his people when
they needed him the most.
Governor Akeredolu’s pathetic attempt to use the name of Awolowo to
beguile the Ondo people is indeed the highest desecration of the name
and memory of the late patriot, who represents light, progressivism,
development, welfarism, unity and social uprightness, which are
manifestly lacking in Akeredolu’s brand of politics.
Of course, Governor Akeredolu is at best the opposite of Awolowo.
Awolowo built schools, Akeredolu ran them down; Awolowo granted free
education, Akeredolu increased school fees by more than 100 percent,
Awolowo empowered the people, Akeredolu deprived and impoverished them,
Awolowo built infrastructure and grew the economy, Akeredolu entrenched
corruption and wrecked the economy of his state.
Awolowo believed in, cared for and respected the people but Akeredolu,
in his arrogance, exposed his disdain for the people by declaring them
his “enemies for life”.
Akeredolu should know that Awolowo never made fake promises; never
deprived the people. Awolowo’s brand of politics was not about
deception, highhandedness and recourse to violence as being witnessed in
the Akeredolu regime. Rather, Awo made the good of the people the symbol
and focus of his politics.
Of course, Awolowo was never a “political terrorist” and never assembled
a battalion of thugs to kill and maim his people. Awo never bred and
armed thugs like Isaac Kekemeke and Idajo to unleash mayhem, attack
political opponents and seek to disrupt elections.
Furthermore, Akeredolu should know that Awo would never had allowed the
diversion of COVID-19 intervention funds meant for the welfare of the
people, for which he had refused to give account but referred his people
to an Abuja based NGO.
Akeredolu should know that his pathetic recourse to mouthing of fake
progressivism cannot earn him even the littlest of reverence accorded to
Awolowo’s statue and history can never be kind to him for attempting to
beguile the people.
Moreover, Akeredolu’s promise to perform if reelected is a direct
admission that he wasted the opportunity given to him in the last four
years, for which the people have reached a consensus to replace him with
our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede on Saturday.
Our campaign therefore counsels Governor Akeredolu to respect the wish
of the people and accept their decision to replace him with Eyitayo
Jegede, instead of this desperate recourse to violence and sacrilegious
reference to the revered memory of Chief Obafemi Awolowo
The PDP National campaign demands that Governor Akeredolu withdraws his
blasphemous comparison with Awo and apologize to the Ondo people, the
South West zone and Nigerians at large.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
Chairman, Publicity sub-committee
