2023: PDP replies Folarin, Adelabu, says Makinde best governor in Oyo

By Richard Thomas, Ibadan

Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Dayo Ogungbenro has faulted the statements credited to Senator Teslim Folarin and Oloye Adebayo Adelabu rating Governor Seyi Makinde’ s administration as poor in performance.

He said no governor has performed like Governor Makinde in the history of the state.

Ogungbenro stated this during an interview with journalists at the party’s headquarters at Molete, Ibadan, adding that both Senator Teslim and Oloye Adelabu cannot withstand Governor Makinde in administrative and government business.

Senator Folarin and Oloye Adelabu had on Monday and Tuesday declared their interests to run for the office of the Governor of Oyo State in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

They also rated the performance of Governor Makinde poor in infrastructure and provision of the dividend of democracy to the people of the state.

“Let them wait and see in 2023. The consensus of opinions and attestations of three personalities of the nation in the persons of Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and Bala Mohammed described Governor Makinde as one of the best governors in the country. There are also projects on ground to show all of these,” he said.

According to him, his utmost priority as the PDP chairman was to return Makinde into office come 2023, adding that as the sitting governor it will be easier to achieve.

Ogungbenro who said the umbrella of the party is wide enough to accommodate everybody explained that PDP is always ready to embrace even those who feel they have issues with the party.

He noted that those who have issues with the party are the ones rubbishing the performance of the governor.

He noted that the 30 percent agreement PDP had with other parties before the election in 2019 to dislodge the then ruling APC had been fulfilled.

“Politics is supposed to be a continuous engagement. It was our decision to invite other parties to dislodge APC in 2019, and the governor has fulfilled the 30 percent government appointments which they agreed upon before the polls in 2019.

“I said it at my swearing in programme that the umbrella of PDP is wide enough to accommodate everybody. It takes time for the individual interest to be protected as far as government appointments is concerned.

“That is why I said they should give the governor time to unravel all issues pertaining to appointments and others so that we can move the party forward,” he added.

Speaking on the defection of Senator Kola Balogun to APC, Ogungbenro described the development as very unfortunate, but added that he is never a threat to the PDP.

“I have respect for him, but he is definitely not a threat to the PDP. He won the election that made him senator with the name of Governor Seyi Makinde, even as they call the governor a serial betrayal over the issue,” he said

Ogungbenro, however, declined comment on the news making the rounds that the state Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan has also defected to APC.