…be constructive, APC counsels PDP
By Jubril Bada
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State has told the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state to desist from criticising it blindly without concrete evidence to back its criticism.
The APC in the state said this yesterday following the statement issued describing as hypocrisy the banning of civil servants in the state by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu from participating in political campaigns.
Akeredolu had last week said he was against civil servants wearing Campaign T-shirts adorning his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At a special prayer to mark the first working day in the new year the governor declared that ” I don’t want any civil servant to wear endorsement T-shirt for me. Civil servants should not be involved in politics.
The State Director of Media & Publicity of the PDP, Zadok Akintoye in a statement in Akure criticized the governors “directive, which is a direct show of the insincerity of the APC-led government, remains nothing but a true reflection of hypocrisy.
The PDP said” lt is on record that several pressure groups campaigning for the reelection bid of the governor are not only promoted by top civil servants under the watch of this government but are largely financed through funding from this government”
But, the ruling APC Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Steve Otaloro said the PDP is not constructive in its criticism, saying that the directive by the governor that he does not want any civil servant to wear T-shirt for his campaign is a straight way directive because he does not want situation whereby civil servants will involve in politics now that election is approaching
The governor, he said was not under duress when made the statement that the civil servants should not involve in the politicking as used to be in the past.
He doesn’t want such thing to repeat itself. We have seen a situation whereby civil servants took the front line in campaigning for governor.
“But Akerrdolu in his own policy wanted to discontinue the situation. The directive came out of his volition that civil servants should keep away from politics.
“For PDP to now come out with a statement that the directive by governor is hypocrisy is uncalled for. The PDP is not constructive in its criticism. If Akeredolu on his decision decided to keep civil servants away from politics why should someone question him when it is known that civil servants should not involve in politics.
“The position of PDP that civil servants are campaigning for Akeredolu is a blatant lie, this such did not happen”. he said
Otaloro explained that if Akeredolu is been hypocritical by sponsoring civil servants for his campaign, saying that he won’t have come out to declare such directive in public instead he would have kept quiet.
He added that the governor does not need the civil servants to campaign for him before getting the votes of people of the state for his second term bid
The APC spokesperson advised PDP in the state to be constructive in its criticism and see the directive by the governor as unusual development in our political system that worth emulation.
He said ” The position by the PDP that the governor should disband his campaign and support groups headed by civil servants is unfounded allegation.
“How can a party like PDP asked the governor to disband campaign and support groups that he is not aware. By the virtue of the statement shows that the governor is not aware of such groups. If such groups exist at all it means it has been disbanded by such order by the governor.