Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has warned members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to remain peaceful or risk being banned.
Ajimobi gave the warning on Tuesday in Ibadan during the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial rally held in Egbeda Local Government Area of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor gave the warning against the background of security reports that the transport unions were poised to engage in violence.
He, however, said that any transport union involved in any clash during the electioneering campaigns in the state would be banned.
”Over time, in-fighting and clashes between the two unions have been over daily fees charged by drivers’ unions as well as supremacy tussle,” he said.
The governor, who urged them to remain peaceful, vowed that any of their members involved in such acts would also be prosecuted.
”I still have 134 days to go, so no one should take our gentleness for cowardice.
”I’ll ensure that anyone who disrupts peace is prosecuted. Those who tested our might in the past regretted it.
”So, let’s talk to one another and not disrupt the peace we worked so hard to achieve in the state,’’ he said.
Ajimobi also expressed confidence in the ability of the party’s governorship candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, to sustain his legacies in peace and security as well as infrastructure development.
Adelabu, in his remarks, pledged to consolidate on the foundation laid by Ajimobi in all sectors.
He said that no other opposition leader or candidate could match Ajimobi in terms of achievements.
Chief Akin Oke, the state APC Chairman, urged the people to vote all the party’s candidates in the forthcoming polls, saying continuity was the best option for the state.
Mr Abideen Olajide, the State NURTW Chairman, urged his members to reciprocate the Ajimobi administration’s gestures by voting for the APC at all levels of government.
NAN reports that the rally was attended by the party’s executives in the state as well as candidates and supporters. (NAN)