Main opposition party in Ogun State, the Peoples Democratic Party, launched a scathing attack on the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, urging him to take responsibility for the failure recorded in the distribution of palliative rice rolled out to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal from petroleum products in the country.
The PDP gave this charge on Sunday, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole.
The party was reacting to a statement from the state government alleging that the opposition parties were behind the determined plans to rubbish efforts by the state and the federal governments to provide relief to the vulnerable people to cushion the effects of the recent subsidy removal.
Reacting to some recent viral video condemning the sharing of the palliatives on Sunday, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Lekan Adeniran, in a statement said the government was aware that some agents of the opposition have resorted to media blackmail to discredit the current administration.
Describing the perpetrators of the media blackmail as fifth columnists, the statement noted that the federal government was unambiguous in saying that palliative is not meant for everybody but for the most vulnerable people in the society.
The statement partly reads “Let it be recalled that Governor Abiodun made it clear to everybody involved in sharing the palliatives that it must get to the intended beneficiaries.
“But in spite of the painstaking effort of the government to ensure that the palliatives get to the right beneficiaries promptly, some people are unrelenting in their bids to tar the administration with negative brushes for reasons not beyond politics.
“This explains the case of the man in a recent video who claims to be a Community Development Association chairman somewhere in the state. Taking to social media and throwing cautions to the wind, he betrayed the posture of a man out to do mischief so as to score cheap political gains,” he said
Adeniran expressed surprise at the claim by a man in a viral video that the bag of rice he displayed was meant for his entire CDA.
“This man is aware that the bag of rice is meant for ONE vulnerable family in the community, and not for all the residents. It was sent to him as the chairman for onward transfer to a vulnerable widow in his community.
“But, instead of ensuring that it gets to the intended beneficiary, he chose to play politics with the palliative, exposing himself as the destructive opposition agent that he actually is”.
The opposition party has, however, disclosed that it was shocking that Abiodun could resort to sheer blackmail to cover up for his failure and the rejection of the palliatives by the residents of the state.
The statement by the PDP said, “As the leading opposition in the Ogun state, the PDP has deliberately kept quiet in relation to the disbursement of the government’s palliative to the people, expecting that the Gov Dapo Abiodun led-APC government would have outgrown its trademark of serial failure and irresponsibility.
“It is however very sad that the governor can come out with his full chest to accuse us of blackmailing his rudderless government. For the umpteenth time, the statewide rejection of the palliative by members of CDs remains a valid confirmation of how unpopular the government has become over the years. The poor implementation of the palliatives distribution in Ogun is a brazen insult to the sensibilities of the good people of the state.
“Again, it shows that Gov Abiodun is bereft of all creative ideas for running a responsible govt. Ogun state residents know what’s ideal for them, they do not need anybody to instigate them against any irresponsibility and corporate insults from the government. If Gov Abiodun doesn’t know what to do in implementing an acceptable means of giving palliatives to the people, he should seek help immediately; and that should be preceded by tendering an unreserved apology to the good people of the state.”
