Addressing newsmen through its General Secretary, Lekan Adeyemo, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists press centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, the group, however, endorsed the candidacy of Accord Party, Bayo Adelabu, for Saturday’s election.
The group said, “There is no gainsaying the fact that we are at a critical moment in the history of the state where, as a people, we must collectively reflect on the currently pitiable state of our dear state and come together to rescue it from the brink of precipice.
“It is nothing but an understatement that we are at trying times in the state, owing to bad governance as well as lack of vision and the requisite capacity to lead the state out of the doldrums.
“It is this unfortunate situation that has motivated us into coming out to alert our dear people of the state that we must not allow things to continue like this. We’ve got to make a choice through our votes this Saturday and it should be stated that the incumbent governor, Makinde, who is seeking reelection has nothing more to offer us in the state.
“As far as security is concerned, it has been a story of woes, as innocent citizens, on daily basis, live in perpetual fear of attack by the rampaging hoodlums under the leadership of Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxilliary.
“It is unthinkable that a governor who swore to protect his people will leave them at the mercy of an ex-convict, who ought to be excommunicated in a saner society, has been on the prowl terrorizing the state.”
The group lamented that the state had been taken off the radar of development and has retreated among comity of states in virtually all developmental indices.
On APC, Adeyemo said, “It is unfortunate that such a character like Folarin with no known professional career other than politics could be thrown up to aspire to govern a state as politically sophisticated as the state which was once governed by such intellectual giants as late Bola Ige and Omololu Olunloyo, a world-acclaimed mathematician and first-class brain.
“To us, the standard bearer of the Accord party, Adelabu, is a candidate to beat and he has the progressive ideology to make our state progress accordingly. Indeed, it is only by electing Adelabu, a former deputy Governor of the Central Bank, with vast experience in corporate governance and development, that our dear state can be saved from imminent collapse.”
