The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Friday, knocked Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for attending the inauguration of a flyover in Osogbo, Osun State.
Akeredolu reportedly attended the inauguration on the invitation of the Osun State Governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola.
However, in a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kennedy Peretei, the opposition party described the action of Akeredolu as shameful as Ondo had no flyover.
However, Akeredolu, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Richard Olatunde, said Ondo PDP was “diving into self-ridicule, and had no respect for human lives.”
The PDP in the statement titled ‘Akeredolu’s misrule in Ondo State (21): shamelessly commissions flyover in Osogbo when there is none in Akure.’
The statement said, “Akeredolu was in Osogbo on the invitation of the outgoing Oyetola to commission a flyover yesterday (Thursday).
“Perhaps, the event would not have needed any mention, but for the irony and shamelessness associated with it. Even if Akeredolu was invited to the ceremony, he should have declined, if only to save himself from embarrassment.
“It is common knowledge that Akure is the only state capital in the South-West without single flyover. Osogbo has a population of 750,000 (2022) while Akure has 717,000 (2022).
“Osun State does not collect as much money as Ondo State from the federation account monthly. Statistics of average monthly allocation to states in 2022 showed that Osun State is number 36 with N1.506bn and Ondo state is number 13 with an average of N4.412bn monthly.
It is only a shameless man who celebrates the sumptuousness of the meals from a neighbour’s wife, while his wife is unable to prepare meals for him at home.
On the other hand, the governor, in his statement titled, ‘Ondo PDP diving into self-ridicule, has no respect for human lives’ , said, “It has become crystal clear that the PDP in Ondo State has no iota of respect for human lives. The opposition party is prepared, out of desperation, to play politics with the lives of the people and demean any effort of the present administration in the state to save lives.
“For clarity and education of the PDP, flyovers are not constructed for decoration or fancy. They are constructed as careful interventions to forestall unnecessary road mishaps. Since government responsibilities are huge with limited resources, the need to plan and prioritise projects has become expedient.
“For several years, the intersection at Ore was a nightmare, not only to the people of Ondo State but other road users plying the Lagos/Benin Expressway. Sadly, there were frequent carnages at that spot in Ore. Lives were lost. Precious times were wasted due to gridlocks.
“The PDP should learn how to have a sense of shame and get their facts and figure right before rushing to issue statements that clearly indict them. The people of the state have seen good governance under the Akeredolu administration unlike the cosmetic projects glorified with needless showmanship under the PDP government.”
