PRESS RELEASE
October 14, 2020.
Akeredolu’s statement on old Akure Division amounts to harassment, self servitude and pettiness
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has taken note of the unnecessary outburst of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu where he expressed his disappointment, displeasure and strong resentment against the people of Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore Local governments for refusing to be swayed by the ignominious level of monetized electoral process and other sundry inducements, and still went ahead to cast their votes for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede who hails from Akure community.
PDP frowns at this high level of pettiness and self servitude exhibited by the Governor who is always fond of harassing and lording his views over and above any other views.
Our party considers this sudden outburst as harassing, self serving, unwarranted and unbecoming of a leader of his status who should have found a place in his heart to accommodate the right of all to vote for any candidate of their choice and must not be intimidated on such basis.
Our party again views the statements as self serving if the governor expected these harassed local governments to prefer him to Mr. Eyitayo Jegede who hails from the locality and wonder how the governor could have felt if he lost his Owo Local government where he also hails from.
We cannot find words to describe the unenviable action of the governor and sheer ingratitude displayed by someone who had just been declared a winner of an election, notwithstanding that the electoral process was manifestly compromised, and yet had time to discriminate against or sieve out those who voted for him and those who did not vote for him.
Honestly, we expect the governor to have risen above this pettiness, if he is desirous of making any progress in the governance of Ondo State.
Be that as it may be, our party wishes to caution the governor not to rejoice yet and so refrain from attacking and harassing the people because it is not yet uhuru for him and certainly not the auspicious time to seek vengeance if he ever needs to do so at all.
Our party is still studying the election results and how the entire process was largely compromised, and would soon come out with the next line of action aimed at addressing and redressing the clear infraction.
In the interim, we do hope that the governor would be magnanimous, at least for the little time the victory would last, rather than dissipating energy on sieving out those who voted and those who did not vote for him.
We also advise him to divest himself for once, of this type of pettiness and work on how Ondo State can regain her glory that had been lost under his watch.
Leye Igbabo
Acting Director, Media & Publicity, PDP, Ondo State.