A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo, Alhaji Adebisi AbdulRasheed has advised political appointees endorsing Governor Seyi Makinde for second term to be conscious of their desperation in protecting their jobs with the governor.
According to Olopoeyan as he is popularly called, politics and winning governorship election in any state is beyond gathering of those he described as politically naive politicians in a compound and be endorsing and shouting ‘four plus four.’
Olopoeyan, who was reacting to purported endorsement by members of the PDP in Okeogun and Ogbomosoland, spoke when asked when PDP members in Ibadan would endorse Makinde for second term.
He said he always laughs anytime he reads from internet that some people in an area had endorsed Seyi Makinde for second time.
He explained that “many of those people endorsing Seyi Makinde are just set of opportunists, eating from where they did not work. They are just trying at all cost to protect their jobs and see the endorsing project as a way to cajole Makinde.
”Though PDP won Oyo state in the last governorship election. But we were unable do it alone, it was with the help of coalition parties who are now neglected.
“For 2023, we are coming back stronger and better. But there are some mistakes we made which is affecting the party and members right now, we will come out again with another dimension, different from that of 2019 and am 100 per cent sure we will have an overwhelming victories come 2023, both in Oyo state and southwest, and even national.”
When asked the time Ibadan leaders are going to endorse Makinde for 2023 as Oke-Ogun, Oyo and Ogbomoso had done, he said that real politicians do not endorse a candidate. “What they do is to return to their drawing board, weigh the candidate’s chances of winning another election through how far he has fulfilled his campaign promises and attitude to the party. It is not just gathering paperweight leaders and naive politicians to make an eye service endorsement.
“You have to get your fact right, so as not to ‘follow leg-over’, all those endorsing governor Makinde are not key factors, they are only staging their endorsement so as to be on the good book of the governor. Though, I can’t blame them because they are doing it against their wish. Many of them were threatened to do so in order to keep their jobs,” Olopoeyan added.
He continued: “How will you say Okeogun had endorsed a party candidate without the knowledge of our deputy governor, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, Baba Jacob Adetoro, Pa Sunday Alabi, Hon. Adeniyi Farinto and some PDP leaders in the zone? Some set of people like by Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi and Taiwo Adisa, governor’s spokesman have now turned to party leaders in Ogbomoso, endorsing a candidate for second term without the knowledge of Dr. Saka Balogun, Rt. Hon. Adeola Mulikat and others big politicians, likewise in Oyo zone too. Where were all of them when we laboured across the state for the government we are in now? Did they hear that we endorsed our candidate or he emerged?
“Less than two years, they have been endorsing a candidate for another four years, have they considered all other factors? Soon many people will still come to show up interest, we can be rigid with our ticket, it should be thrown open to all interested politicians.
“Even Governor Alao Akala who did excellently well for the masses and the party did not give him endorsement until his fourth year in office. People endorsed Akala in 2011, but not political appointees from secretariat, all leaders and chieftains spoke in one voice, all supported Akala because he met the requirement for second term ticket,” he added.
Olopoeyan reiterated that it is too early to endorse a candidate, as many aspirants are still going to contest for governorship primary.
“Where were those people endorsing Makinde now in 2016, 2017, 2018 even 2019? Did they hear we endorsed Governor Makinde for the first term? No, we supported him, worked for him tirelessly for primaries and he won. We then went for campaign day and night, later did a coalition before winning the election not gathering of people in our compound and endorsing Makinde for governor.
“It worrisome seeing our coalition parties negotiating and heading to APC, we are the ruling party, we are the one that supposed to be negotiating and welcoming other parties, but the reverse is the case, the appointees are the one seeing themselves as party leaders endorsing Governor Makinde here and there, it must be a joke.”
