The Ondo State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressive Congress, APC, have disagreed over perceived delays by the newly inaugurated government of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, in commencing government business in earnest.
The PDP described the new government as lacking direction, being unable to commence governance a week after its inauguration.
Mr. Akeredolu was inaugurated as the sixth democratically elected governor of Ondo State last week Friday, Febraury 24.
“A full week has since expired since the Akeredolu government was inaugurated, and even in spite of the fact that it had a post election three months to prepare for governance, the administration is still inactive, docile and still unable to kick-start, remains not sure footed on what it intends to do with power,” PDP’s Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, said in a statement on Saturday.
“We therefore call on our dear Arakunrin to justify the reasons why he is Governor and begin forthwith the implementation of his programs for the State.”
The party also alleged that some members of the APC in the state were plotting a series of attacks on all the 18 Local Government Areas secretariats in the state.
The party said the attack, which had been scheduled to begin as from March 6th, 2017, Mr. Fadaka alleged, is part of an attempt to create an emergency situation that could necessitate the dissolution of the elected local government administrators.
”We feel duty bound to alert the people of Ondo State of a planned attack on the 18 Local Government Secretariats across the State by members of the APC slated to begin from the 6th of March, all in a bid to create an emergency situation which in their calculation will necessitate the dissolution of the elected administrations at that level of government,” he said.
“Our intelligence report further indicates that it is being co-ordinated at the top echelon of the APC. This disingenuous action, if implemented, will only achieve a break down of law and order.”
Mr. Fadaka said the local government officials should be allowed to complete their tenure, saying they would not sit back for the APC to trample on institutions of government.
He further said the PDP would be willing to collaborate with the new government towards the development of the state, but would at the same time, resist all moves to undermine the people and institutions.
However, the APC said the PDP’s attack showed it was yet to awaken to the reality of its shocking defeat at the last governorship election.
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Abayomi Adesanya, said Mr. Akeredolu would not be stampeded into taking decisions.
He said the governor was still making consultations and would announce his top government functionaries very soon.
“We are still trying to clean up the mess left behind by the PDP government,” said Mr. Adesanya.
“The last government left about N1.5billion debt with eight months salary to pay.
“The new government is going to take its time to reach critical decisions that would be meaninful and result oriented, rather than take decisions in a hurry that would be reversed shortly.”
On the allegation that the APC was planning attacks on the local council secretariats, Mr. Adesanya said the allegation only existed in the imagination of the PDP.
“We are peace loving people and we are concerned about how the state would progress,’ he said/
‘There is no truth in that, and the APC will never engage any attack on the institutions of government.”
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