Chides Ondo govt over inability to cushion effect of subsidy removal
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State chapter, at the weekend, said governorship aspirants within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state are prioritising their ambitions with regard to the 2024 elections rather than the health concerns of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Kenneth Peretei, described series of prayers organised for quick recovery of the governor by some of the aspirants as pretence, stressing that they are more concerned about their ambitions.
Peretei, in a statement made available to The Guardian, added that the absence of the governor from the state had stalled governance.
The statement reads in part: “It is a known fact that, around October 2024, a governorship election will hold in Ondo State. While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to officially release a timetable for the election, political parties and gladiators who have eyes on Alagbaka Government House on February 24, 2025, are not leaving anything to chance.
“The 2024 governorship contest has been beautifully clothed in “per adventure” to such an extent that hypocrisy, bitterness and standstill await Akeredolu any time he comes back. If it were possible to see through the thoughts of most of those who attended prayer sessions for the governor’s quick recovery, most prayers would be nothing but their preferences in 2024.
“No doubt, the majority of them are pretenders, expecting some godfathers to endorse them, or riding on the back of a non-existent power of incumbency to square up with the major opposition party, PDP. But at the end of these hostilities occasioned by Akeredolu’s absence, picking up the pieces will be a tall order.
“The same people who were abandoned in the course of the supremacy battle will have the last say. And this period, wasted in needless show of force and cluelessness, will count against the APC government.”
The opposition party also criticised the Ondo State government for alleged failure to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
It said: “In the wake of economic hardship induced by the Bola Tinubu-led APC Federal Government, some state governments have taken proactive measures to alleviate the suffering of their citizens. Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State did not only declare free education for primary and secondary schools, he also reduced tuition at government-owned universities by 50 per cent.”
“What has been the response from the Ondo State government to the harsh economic realities in the state? Will the internal battles fought within the government suffice as an excuse for this lacklustre performance? Will it be an excuse for the insensitivity of the government to the suffering of the people?
“More than ever before, parents, most of whom have abandoned their cars due to the high cost of fuel, are yearning for the return of free school shuttle buses. Students trek long distances to and from school because they cannot afford taxi fares. The tears in the eyes of both parents and students flow every day accusingly at a regime that is totally lacking in human face.
“For 2024, what will count is the APC score card. There is a limit to which people can be taken for a ride. In the words of Bob Marley, the legendary Jamaican musician “you can fool some people some times, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” 2024 will not be business as usual. It is a battle for the emancipation of the people from their belief in prosperity.”
