Members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State have alleged the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, of intimidation, insensitivity and anti-democratic tendencies in other to force them to Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), ahead of the 2019 guber elections in the state.
They claimed that Governor Amosun has, at various times, threatened to deal with those that are not ready to decamp with him to another party.
According to an insider, many Chairmen, Commisioners and other party loyalists have vowed to remain in All Progressives Congress (APC) to join force with APC gubernatorial candidate, Dapo Abiodun ahead of the 2019 general elections.
However, a source informed that Amosun is coercing people, including his known loyalists to abandon APC and decamps to DPP by this weekend. A new text message sent out by the Director of Local Government Administration through her whatsapp number +234 803 715 1815 reads:
”COMPULSORY STAKEHOLDERS MEETING AT YOUR LG/LCDA
The HC for LG&CA has directed that all Chairmen of LG/LCDA should initiate a familiarization meeting with all the stakeholders in their various LG/LCDA, the pictorial evidence of the meeting should be make available on request. All LG/LCDA should ensure that this meeting are held on or before Wednesday 14/11/2018 and submit the situation report to the ALGON Chairman, Hon Folarin.
The stakeholders to includes:
Vice Chairman, SLG, Councillors, CAC Members, Ward Chairmen, the concerned / Leaders
Agenda to Includes:
1. Briefs on political situation to reassured stakeholders of His Excellency’s Firm Stands on the development of Ogun State
2. Encourage all to remain steadfast, both executives and legislatives should continue to attend to the task of governance.
3. Any other matters”
A top politician in the state, who refused to be named for fear of retributive actions, said that he believed the governor “is actually taking the joke too far. He is crying when the head is already off”.
According to him ” As a ward Chairman of APC, should i join the little known Democratic Peoples Party (DPP)and start all over again? SIA is joking.”
“Our governor wants somebody that will do his bidding and he knows, he won’t get that from all of us.”
”It is laughable, unrealistic and retrogressive and it is the people of the state, that would bear the consequences of his actions. it reminds me of OGD case of 2011? he said
It would be recalled that Governor Amosun, while addressing party members on October 1, 2018 at Mitros Hall Abeokuta, threatened to stop the salaries of councilors said to be supporting his “opponents” within the party: “we learnt some of our councilors are supporting them, it is because we are still paying their salaries. When we stop their salaries, they will stop supporting them.”
The request for video evidence of the proposed stakeholders meeting, is a device by Governor Amosun to mark those Council Chairmen that may not want to ordinarily call such meeting ng and to also track functionaries that may boycott the said meeting.
It could be recalled that the last time a similar stakeholders meeting was directed was over a year ago when the LG/LCDA Administrations commemorated one year in office.
Newsacross