APC, PDP tangle over naira notes, fuel scarcity protests in Ibadan

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APC, PDP tangle over naira notes, fuel scarcity protests in Ibadan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, has lampooned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state as being the brain behind pockets of violence that erupted as a result of new naira notes and fuel scarcity.

Residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, woke up on Wednesday to see an assemblage of some youths in popular junctions such as Orita Challenge, Sango, Eleyele, Iwo Road, Ojoo, Agodi-Gate, Bodija-Oju’rin, Total Garden and Beere where they mounted roadblocks while chanting anti-Federal Government and APC songs.

While reacting to the development, APC in a statement made available to journalists yesterday, by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, appealed for calm and patience among residents of the state, warning that the violent protests and unrest would not solve the problems as: “Fuel and naira scarcity are the handiwork of some unpatriotic elements who want to frustrate the smooth conduct of the general election as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

The statement said: “There are all indications that the pockets of protest being witnessed in some major parts of Ibadan were coordinated and sponsored by the PDP government of Oyo State with a view to frustrating the Presidential Rally of our great Party (APC) which was moved from Tuesday last week and rescheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) as it became imperative for us to act in the mood of the nation.”

“Since it has been discovered that the scarcity situation was the brainchild of some anti-democratic forces, we have chosen not to play into their hands and we enjoin all well-meaning citizens of the country to reject all actions capable of derailing the schedule of the general election.”

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the candidate to beat for the presidential candidate and reality does not go down well with certain influential personalities who are now hellbent on instigating violence for obvious reasons.”

“In the case of Oyo state, they have found a willing tool in the hands of the PDP governor and his party men who started with sponsoring of miscreants to vandalize campaign materials of all APC candidates, including those of Sen. Bola Tinubu and Sen. Kassim Shettima.”

“Just last week, they brought out some misguided youths around the UI-Agbowo community to carry out needless protests and they discontinued their activities immediately after we announced the postponement of the event. Meanwhile, we have some unimpeachable facts regarding the identities of the real sponsors and coordinators of these violent protests and they are all domiciled around Agodi Government House.”

“Today again which is the eve of the rescheduled Presidential Rally, we have started getting reports of coordinated protests all over the city of Ibadan.”

“Ordinarily, we should all be involved in peaceful protests against the hardship foisted on the citizenry by the NNPC and CBN but a critical appraisal of the development got us convinced that civil unrest should not be encouraged.”

“We need diplomacy and courage to free Nigeria from the shackles of domestic colonialists and this is what the like of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, and Sen. Teslim Folarin preach at this crucial time.”

“Rather than seeing the current imbroglio as an opportunity to fester his penchant for populism and bad politicking by encouraging protest against the federal government, Governor Makinde should join Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor Yahaya Bello and Dr. Abdullah Ganduje of Kaduna, Kogi and Kano State States respectively in fighting for the rights of the masses through legal means as being done at the Supreme Court at the moment.”

“Oyo governor should also borrow a leaf from his Ogun state counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, by instructing residents to await the final decision of the court on the suit challenging the February 10, 23 deadlines for the expiration of the old naira notes if indeed, he is pro-masses,” APC said.

In a swift reaction, the PDP discribed APC’s outburst as regrettable, shameful, and lacking in empathy.

The party, while berating APC, in a statement made available to Vanguard by its spokesperson, Akeem Olatunji, accused the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Teslim Folarin of hoarding the 2 billion naira he received for organising and mobilizing its members for Bola Tinubu’s presidential rally slated for Thursday in Ibadan.

The ruling party in the state further alleged that Folarin had orchestrated and masterminded the aggressive protests in parts of Ibadan on Wednesday with the sole aim of sending similar fear signal that led to the cancellation of its presidential rally last week to APC PCC and in its regular style blame the state government and the ruling party for it as a decoy.

PDP urged Folarin to come out clean to its members and the leadership of APC on the said N2b funds he received for Thursday’s rally, adding that: “The ruling party argued that Folarin’s ‘jagba’ attitude and his ‘me, myself, and I’, disposition to life was why he has failed to earn the trust of APC members in the state now working against him internally and also why APC presidential candidate has refused to endorse him for the coming election till date.”

The party wondered how APC in the state has never for once found it worthy of note to issue a statement of solidarity with the suffering masses in the state due to the unending hardship occasioned by scarcity of naira notes and petrol which directly affect every single individual and household, not only in Oyo State but Nigeria as a whole.

Oyo PDP explained that Makinde’s success and his street credibility as well as his adoption by major political stakeholders and traditional institutions across every geopolitical zones in the state have really shattered the hope of Folarin’s APC in the 2023 thereby, compelling them to lose their heads and constituting themselves to political nuisance within the political landscape in the state.

The ruling PDP queried why Oyo APC and Folarin is only concerned about the coming election against the wellbeing of the masses, and has deliberately refused to sympathize or empathize with the suffering masses till date.

The party maintained that the graveyard silence of Oyo APC and Folarin over its party’s failure at the centre, which has degenerated to every corner of the country was born out of the fact that the party has exhausted its lie manufacturing materials and was ashamed to admit its monumental failure by keeping quiet.

The PDP spokesman in the state reminded Oyo APC of how its government in the state between 2011 and 2019 sent many young and aged persons to their untimely graves and destroyed sources of household income through the same level of hardship and suffering leading to its shameful and embarrassing defeat at the polls.

He maintained that the people have already known APC in the state for what it represents which is imposing hardship, pain, and anguish on the masses noting that these ills have now formed the hallmark of APC stressing that the election defeat that awaits APC on February 25th and March 11th will not only supercede 2019 record but will be the final nail that will bury APC in Oyo state forever.

“Ordinarily, we should ignore this show of political nuisance displayed by the state chapter of APC and Senator Teslim Folarin but we feel obligated to expose this wicked lies and deliberate attempt to frustrate Tinubu’s presidential rally with greed and covetousness of one or two self serving individuals and blaming the ruling PDP and the state government as a decoy to distract suspicion from its tracks.”

“Even though it was glaringly evident that Folarin and his APC co-travelers in Oyo state are well aware of the inevitable defeat that awaits them at the coming polls, we urge them to display any available atom of decorum left in them by not continuing to play the ‘jagba’ politics while trying to blame the ‘people friendly’ government under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde,” Olatunji said.