A selected group of members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State called the Unity Forum, has asked Governor Abiola Ajimobi, to give the account of the money spent on the chieftaincy ceremony conferred on him and his wife by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Odulana Odugade.
The Ajimobi’s were honoured with titles of Aare Atunluse and Yeye Aare Atunluse of Ibadanland, respectively, by the monarch at his Monatan palace in Ibadan.
In a statement released by the member, Chief Kolapo Raji and Olugbenga Ademolue, stated that the money expended on the ceremony suggested that the governor was insensitive to the plight of the people.
The statement read, “The elaborate nature of the ceremonies, with costs running into millions of naira, was unprecedented in the contemporary times. The governor and his wife have demonstrated uncommon insensitivity to the suffering of the masses.”
However, the Action Congress of Nigeria in the state said the chieftaincy titles conferred on the governor and his wife were in recognition of the administration’s achievement.
“A penny of Oyo State money was not involved in the chieftaincy titles recently bestowed on the Governor of the state and his wife by the Olubadan. The PDP euphoria is understandable. We know what they did with state fund while in power here for eight years. They must have thought our own government is taking a cue from theirs,” it added
In a related incidence, the Action Congress of Nigeria in Ogun said the recent “spiritual warfare” launched by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state against the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration was a “mockery of religion”.
The ACN also declared that there was now “a battle-line for a spiritual war” between it and the PDP in the state.
Members of the PDP in the state last Thursday organised an inter-religious prayer session against the Amosun administration as part of the party’s preparations for the 2015 general elections.
Christian and Muslim clerics, who conducted the prayer session, were drawn from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and an Islamic organisation, Morcaz. They prayed for the success of the PDP in the state in the forthcoming elections.
However, the ACN, in a statement on Sunday by its state Publicity Secretary, Sola Lawal, said the PDP prayer to stop Amosun’s second term bid was an exercise in futility.
The ACN also advised the PDP to “atone for its sins against the people before hoping to get restitution”.
The party noted that spiritual blackmail had never worked with God known for supporting the truth over falsehood.
The ACN added that the PDP eight years rule in the state “left an indelible scar on the people who themselves proceeded to the last polls armed with prayers to kick out an ineptitude administration.”
The statement read, “The extent of blood-letting, brigandage and general atmosphere of lawlessness perpetrated by top brass in the government of PDP had never been witnessed in the state. It is now a comforting surprise that those who played God yesterday have not only come to realise their dispensability and limitation but also the rapacious reach of retributive justice.”
Describing the prayer as an abominable act, the ACN said, “the PDP represented everything but justice and righteousness demanded of leaders by God and so its supplication, rather than resulting in favourable response from God, will evoke divine judgment against it for its unrighteous and evil acts against the people”.
It added, “We want the PDP to meditate on the word of God when he warned the people of Israel of coming judgment as captured in the book of Amos 5:21-24.
“It is a manifestation of divine acceptance by God of the prayers and sacrifices of God-fearing people of Ogun State who have reinforced their supplications to Him for continued peace and good governance in the state.”