The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, on Monday, said the ruling party is jittery over the emergence of Eyitayo Jegede as the standard-bearer of the party and resolved to cheap blackmail.
The party described the allegation that the last week party’s primary was characterised with violence as a mere falsehood and desperate attempt to paint PDP black ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
In a statement issued and signed by the Director of Media and Publicity in the state, Mr Zadok Akintoye said the party’s primary was regarded as one of the peaceful primaries in the history of election in the state.
Akintoye who said the allegation was a sheer falsehood, least expected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the governor as Chief Security Officer of a State.
He said “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State Chapter, has been drawn to a statement credited to the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on the peacefully held primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of July 22 2020.
“The governor was quoted, through an interview with the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogo, as saying that the exercise was violent and that certain unnamed facilities at the Dome were destroyed”
The party said “Without any feeling of hysteria for his trumped-up allegation, it is important to let the governor realise that as an attestation to the peaceful conduct of the primary poll, virtually all those who contested against the winner of the election issued respective statements, commending the peaceful conduct of the PDP primary election.
“Besides, not a single word of complaint has so far been expressed by the management of the state-owned event centre, that there was a damage of any sort, at the facility.
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Akintoye in the statement however said “the Information Commissioner’s expression, on behalf of the governor, quite ridiculously serves as a sheer recapitulation of the age-long saying that, ‘Before the farm owner gets the time to blow the whistle, the thief is accusing the owner of the farm of stealing’.
“Otherwise, how would one describe the orgies of violent acts unleashed on perceived strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by heavily armed thugs, fighting the cause of the governor.
“Only two days ago, some political thugs linked to the powers-that-be in the state, invaded Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, coercing harried students into supporting the Aketi Second Term Agenda.
“Ironically, these same students who are now being forcefully herded into a selfish agenda are stultifying under outrageous tuition fees imposed on them by the Aketi government, and invariably, on their parents”
Akintoye noted that the APC and its candidate are jittery of the party’s candidate and resolved to cheap blackmail urging APC to keep its house in order before spreading fake rumours and allegations.
He said “To further amplify this administration’s anti-violence hypocrisy, suspected APC thugs linked to the governor’s second-term agenda recently turned terrorists in Owo town, shooting and attacking perceived political opponents, without any comment from Aketi.
“Last night, a group allegedly belonging to Aketi team attacked another group that belonged to Adelami, an APC governorship aspirant in Owo, the governor’s hometown, leading to serious injuries on both sides.
“Therefore, if there is anyone promoting thuggery, it is Aketi’s desperate party, the APC, under his leadership. That is why he should first remove the log in his eyes before taking out the candy in our mouths.
“Fact is; Aketi is afraid of PDP’s Eyitayo Jegede’s emergence and it is understandable. If he’s a man of honour, he should just withdraw from the race and stop wasting the scarce resources of Ondo State on a project that is destined to fail.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Akeredolu should send his sleuths to town, to see how the common people are exultant, that a liberator in Eyitayo Jegede has come”
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