Aides to former governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi have accused Governor Seyi Makinde of embarking on a campaign of calumny to destroy the legacies of the ex-governor.
The aides who include former Commissioner for Education, Professor Niyi Olowofela, Bolaji Tunji and Alhaji Abiodun Ambali in a press conference in Ibadan condemned what they called attempt by the ‘apologists’ of Governor Seyi Makinde to destroy the legacies of the past administration by embarking on campaign of calumny the past administration officials.
“It has come to our notice and our investigation has also revealed that there is a deliberate smear campaign against the immediate past administration in the State by apologists of the present administration. This is in order to destroy the legacies of the immediate past administration and to individually and collectively malign us.”
While responding to the allegation that the past administration awarded Iseyin-Moniya-Oyo road to a faceless contractor at a cost of N2billion per kilometre; Ajimobi’s aides stated that it was all part of the orchestrated propaganda by Governor Seyi Makinde.
“Not only that, the present administration had also revealed that the State has a debt profile of N150b which has been found to be incorrect according to report of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS. Going further, a bulk of the debt is tied to the $200M (N72b) loan from the World Bank which makes up the so-called debt profile. Before its, tenure ended on May 29, the Ajimobi administration had not taken up to 30% of that loan. It is a draw down loan whereby payment is released for and as projects are executed.”
Also on the issue of vehicles recovered from past administration officials, Ajimobi’s aides challenged Governor Makinde to come up with names of the people alleged to have taken vehicles away illegally or without justification.
The aides however urged Governor Seyi Makinde to desist from deliberate campaign of calumny as this according to them could lead to breakdown of law and order which the State had hitherto enjoyed in the last eight years.
“We want to further advise the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to squarely face the serious task of governance instead of embarking on the mundane attempt to malign his predecessor-in-office and paint him and his aides in bad light among the populace.”