Oyo APC berates PDP convention, calls it carnival of shame, lawlessness

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has berated the organisers of the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the weekend, saying that “what they did was not only a charade, but also a condemnable carnival of shame, lawlessness and impunity.”

It said “amidst series of court pronouncements ordering the suspension of the National Convention by its promoters, the faction led by the governor of Oyo state, Engr. Seyi Makinde, went ahead as Ibadan played host to delegates who were purportedly drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to elect a new set of national executive committee members for the party.”

In a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC slammed Gov. Makinde over his alleged decision to “subject the residents of Ibadan to harrowing experience throughout the duration of his party’s ill-fated show by forcing commercial motorists to withdrawal their service and assemble at the venue of the convention with a view to populating the stadium and selling a false narrative to the outside world.

“PDP has been synonymous with impunity and this played out again when a group within the party called the bluff of the judiciary to stage an illegal possession in Ibadan which they tagged national convention.

“The host governor, Engr. Makinde, has now justified the suspicion that he was out to ruin the umbrella party completely through his latest show of naivety and desperation for national leadership even when he has failed woefully in the home front.

“Rather than address the genuine concerns of protesters who were lamenting the demolition of their properties along the proposed Ibadan Circular Road project in the name of land acquisition for corridor by his agents, Gov. Makinde turned a deaf ear and also added to the suffering of the residents by taking commercial vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles away from the road to paint a picture of a successful convention of his party.

“Even as we have it on good authority that the large chunk of the September allocations of the 33 local government councils was used to fund the jamboree since most of his colleagues in the PDP refused to make financial contributions to it as expected, it is important for Gov. Makinde to note that every kobo of the public funds used on the failed PDP project would accounted for sooner than later.

“As a matter of fact, no soothsayer is needed for anyone to understand the fact that the kangaroo convention marked the beginning of the burial of the PDP as Gov. Makinde and his few co-travellers have now chosen cremation over interment for their party upon its inevitable death.

“However, it is never too late for the warring groups in the PDP to embrace peace and plan for possible relevance in 2031 general elections because they have already lost 2027.”