PDP, APC Exchange Words Over Akeredolu’s Olive Branch

“It is unthinkable that Akeredolu can ask our candidate to join a government that has pauperised civil servants in the state through the payment of 30 per cent salaries that are not even regular”, PDP said.

“We are not asking them to join our government since we are not forming a coalition, but we are asking them to defect instead of going through the backdoor”, APC replied.

It is a war of words in Ondo as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) trade words over an olive branch extended by the state’s governor, Rotimi Akeredolu following his victory at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Ondo PDP Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei said in a statement issued on Saturday in Akure that the governor should instead work toward the betterment of the welfare of people of Ondo State.

The party also condemned an invitation by Governor Akeredolu to the PDP’s candidate at the governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), to join him to move Ondo State forward as laughable.

Akeredolu extended the olive branch to Jegede in his reaction to the Supreme Court judgment.

The Supreme Court had in a 4-3 split decision declared Akeredolu the winner of the October 2020 governorship election.

The PDP, in its Saturday’s statement, said its candidate could not be part of Akeredolu’s government that had thrown many students of tertiary institutions out of school because parents could not pay astronomical fees.

“Our party and its candidate cannot be part of government that has crippled the healthcare system in the State. We cannot be part of a government that has withdrawn free shuttle buses meant for school children.

“It is unthinkable that Akeredolu can ask our candidate to join a government that has pauperised civil servants in the state through the payment of 30 per cent salaries that are not even regular.

“Civil servants now have to take loans to be able to pay house rents or send their children to school.

“Just on Friday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) at the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa embarked on an indefinite strike.

“It is important to stress that before the October 2020 election, Eyitayo Jegede and the PDP drew up a well-articulated manifesto on education, healthcare delivery, agriculture, industrialisation, welfare of civil servants and much more in contradiction to what is obtainable now in the state.

“To this extent, there is no meeting point between what was designed by the PDP and what Akeredeolu’s scorecard shows,’’ it stated.

The party spokesman added that the Supreme Court verdict had again exposed the impunity which is the trademark and the foundation of the APC and its government at all levels.

Responding to PDP’s charges, APC chairman in Ondo State, Mr Ade Adetimehin, said that the opposition party’s standpoints were mere media hype.

Adetimehin said the PDP should release statistics of Akeredolu’s government in comparison to what previously obtained in the state.

“When PDP was in government in Ondo State, what did it achieve?’’ he queried.

“This is just media hype. PDP should give statistics.

“Akeredolu is the only governor financing three universities at a time.

“Before now, there was no teaching hospital in the state, but now we are building two gigantic teaching hospitals; one in Akure and one in Ondo.

“Our doctors could not do their `housemanship’ before the assumption of office of Gov. Akoeredolu,’’ he said.

According to Adetimehin, PDP’s problem is that it has yet to recover from the Supreme Court’s verdict.

He noted that the APC’s invitation to the PDP and to Jegede was meant to ask them to defect to the APC.

“We are not asking them to join our government since we are not forming a coalition, but we are asking them to defect instead of going through the backdoor.

“They want to take what does not belong to them. In the governorship election, the PDP won in three local council areas, whereas the APC won in 15 local council areas of the state.

“As a student, if an examination is conducted and you score F9 and you want to come back through the backdoor to turn your F9 to pass, is it done?’’ Adetimehin queried.

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