Osun PDP, APC clash over Oyetola

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday accused ex-governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, of dropping President Bola Tinubu’s name to disrupt governance in the state.

The party subsequently warned that the state would open a can of worms on Oyetola, who is currently the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, unless he stopped causing disruption in the activities of the state.

But the opposition All Progressives Congress dismissed allegations against Oyetola, describing him as a peace-loving person, as it urged anyone having issues with security agencies to sort such out without dragging the Presidency into it.

The PDP, in a statement signed by its chairman, Sunday Bisi, insisted that Oyetola, since losing his re-election bid as governor, has continued to pursue a failed agenda to make the state ungovernable by dropping Mr President’s name to perpetrate political evil.

Bisi also urged the presidency to nip in the bud Oyetola’s alleged anti-state and vengeful activities, which he said were tarnishing Tinubu’s image.

Bisi said, “Surprisingly, Mr Oyetola has been dropping Mr President’s name to manipulate federal agencies to serve his selfish interest. The other time, he hijacked the SMEDAN SME programme to serve his own faction of APC, even leaving out other APC members, giving Mr. President a bad name. He did the same on rice distribution, which he allegedly took from NEMA but which he shared with his faction against reaching out to the generality of Osun people as Mr. President clearly preferred in line with the law.

“Rather than working to unite his party ahead of 2026, he is busy trying to make the state ungovernable, disrupting federal-state collaboration, and attempting to use federal agencies such as the FCT DSS to harass state officials.

:We learnt Oyetola has used the FCT DSS to threaten the arrest of the spokesperson for the Osun State Governor for performing his statutory duties of projecting and promoting Mr Governor.”

Reacting, Osun APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said the minister did not collect any food items from NEMA, adding that if not for Oyetola’s intervention, there would have been a counter-attack in Osun after the killing of 30 APC members during the presidential and National Assembly elections.

He said, “Oyetola is not known for violence. Osun APC is known for its peaceful disposition. All these played out during the reign of Oyetola as governor. This explains why, despite the attempt on his life during the EndSARS protest in Osogbo, Oyetola never abused his office to intimidate or harass anyone.

“So, if Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesperson, or any PDP chieftain for that matter has any issues with security agencies, they should go and sort themselves out and stop the cheap blackmail of dragging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into a matter that has no basis.

“The first reaction was to ignore Sunday Bisi and his co-travellers. But because they lumped other issues into it, including the issue of fathom rice from NEMA, the APC is compelled to put the records straight. We have always said that Osun PDP leaders and their handlers strive for propaganda and cheap blackmail.

“A simple check at NEMA would make their lies and claims fall flat on their face. Oyetola never got any rice from NEMA. This is how they lie with impunity and with no verifiable fact.

“For the records, Oyetola has been working hard to deliver on the presidential mandate given to him by the President, and he has results to show for what he has done so far. We are not known for violence. If anyone has issues with security agencies, he should go and sort them out himself. Dragging the presidency into it is cheap blackmail and has no basis.”