The Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has described the circulation of posters in some parts of the state which bore the photograph of the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, with some governorship candidates of the opposition in the state as a fraud.
He stated this on Thursday in Ibadan while answering questions from journalists. This is sequel to the discovery of some campaign posters in Bodija and other parts of Ibadan which bore the pictures of Gen. Buhari, Ladoja and Alao-Akala with ‘Sai Buhari, Sai Akala’ boldly written on them.
Governor Ajimobi said it was obvious that virtually all the opposition parties in the state worked for President Goodluck Jonathan, attacked General Buhari in the build-ups to the presidential election and should therefore desist from deceiving the people by claiming to be in support of the president-elect.
“They can’t do that! That is fraud and they are known for fraud. They were never for Buhari; they took money from Jonathan and openly canvassed for him. They voted for him. Why, all of a sudden, are they trying to associate themselves with Buhari? They can never be for him and they should not defraud the people. The people of Oyo State are smarter than that; they are very intelligent people. They know the truth. If they like, let them go and wear Buhari’s mask, people know who is behind the mask,” he said.
Speaking on the overwhelming victory of Gen. Buhari in the last election, Governor Ajimobi said Nigerians were tired of ineptitude of the PDP administration and decided to make a change by voting overwhelmingly for Buhari.
“Nigerians had been retrogressive and the people felt there must be a change. They want to be progressive, hence they voted for the progressive government of the country and I believe the same thing will be replicated in all the states,” he said.
Governor Ajimobi said, for the first time in the history of the state, the progressives took the three senators in the state and 12 Representatives, adding that “Oyo state people have spoken, Nigerians have spoken. This is the time for the progressives and it is time for progress in Oyo State,” he said.
In the same vein, the All Progressives Congress, Oyo State chapter, has also taken a swipe at the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and the candidate of the Accord Party, Rashidi Ladoja, over some posters circulating in the state capital with their photographs and the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
The party said they were merely trying to benefit from where they did not sow and to curry undeserved sympathy from the electorate ahead of the next week polls in the state.
Reacting to the development, the APC, in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, described the development as another shameful act which tended to take the people for fools.
“They are perhaps afraid that once Buhari is sworn in, the cases of corruption against them would be accelerated. Not a few people found it unbelievable seeing the picture of the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Alao-Akala’s campaign posters. Since Wednesday evening when those disgusting posters were sighted in parts of Ibadan, a good number of concerned citizens have been expressing their amazement at the development,” the party said.
The APC said it viewed the action of the sponsors of such obnoxious campaign materials as a desperation taken too far and another in the series of their grand delusion.
“The least discerning member of the public knows that Gen. Buhari, who is of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is so principled that he cannot contemplate throwing up a corrupt element for an election or appointment. Notwithstanding his staunch membership of the APC, the whole world knows that Gen. Buhari would always go for the best and in the case of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi is Buhari’s choice.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the evil posters as well as other fake and offensive campaign materials being circulated by failed politicians to mislead voters in the state. We equally call on law enforcement agents to track down those circulating these materials and their sponsors with a view to making them face the music as a result of their wicked actions against the society,” the APC said.
