The gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 2019 general elections in Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has declared that the current administration in the state under the leadership of Mr. Seyi Makinde, aggravated the current crisis rocking local government administration in the state.
Adelabu made this declaration in a statement made available to DAILY POST in Ibadan, the state capital on Tuesday.
DAILY POST recalls that local government chairmen, who were elected on May 12, 2018 during the administration of the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi, were sacked in May 2019 by Ajimobi successor, Mr. Makinde.
In December last year, Mr. Makinde appointed caretaker committees in replacement of the sacked chairmen.
The sacked Chairmen are members of APC while those who were recently appointed as Caretakers are members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Our correspondent gathered that there have been pockets of violence between supporters of Chairmen who were sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde and the recently appointed Caretaker Chairmen in the state since last week Monday.
DAILY POST gathered that the crisis over who are the authentic Chairmen took another dimension when one person identified as Abdulasisi Isa was shot dead during a clash in Surulere Local Government Area of the state on Monday. The deceased was killed when supporters of two political parties clashed over who is the authentic Chairman of the Local Government Area.
Both the sacked Chairmen and the Caretaker committees’ members have been at loggerheads since Monday when the sacked Chairmen made an attempt to resume their various offices.
But, the APC gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Adelabu while reacting, said that it was Makinde who aggravated the crisis when he appointed Caretakers as replacement of the elected Chairmen.
Adelabu, while speaking on the killing and pockets of violence that have been recorded since the crisis started, disclosed that the current crisis is preventable.
He insisted that the sacked Chairmen were fighting for their fundamental right to complete their tenure as duly elected chairmen, as he maintained that the sacked Chairmen have taken the right step by taking legal action to advance their cause.
Adelabu, therefore, appealed to the warring parties to thread the path of peace while the imbroglio is resolved. He expressed concern over the loss of life and sustaining of injuries among supporters of the sacked LG and appointed caretaker chairmen.
He said, “No struggle for reinstatement to the office of either of the parties is worth the shedding of blood of politicians and innocent citizens.”
“The chairmen are fighting for their fundamental right to complete their tenure as duly elected chairmen and they have taken the right step by taking legal action to advance their cause. The crisis was aggravated by the current government which appointed caretaker chairmen where there was no vacancy.”
Adelabu called on Makinde to do the right thing by revoking the appointment of the caretaker chairmen and either wait for the final court judgement on the case or enter into negotiation with the elected chairmen to see how they can work together and allow them to complete their terms.
He, however, called on security agencies both at the federal and the state levels to wade into the current situation and enpsure that citizens are protected, as he charged politicians to calm their nerves while the law is allowed to take its full course.
