Oyo State LG Caretakers List Is A Reflection Of Wider Consultations Among Party Leaders, Another Pacesetting In Oyo State — Agbarapo

By Henry Odeh

The Special Adviser on Legislative Matters to the executive governor of Oyo State, Honorable Adejumobi Samuel Ademola, has described the caretaker list as a true reflection of what transpired between the governor and party leaders across the state adding that there was no way such exercise would not generate some misgivings among the people because there are many people jostling for limited offices noting that it was a sign of all inclusiveness and sense of belonging.

Following what may be described as a controversy which erupted among members of the Oyo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly after names of local government caretaker designates and LCDAs administrators were announced by the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin at an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, some party members have expressed their displeasure at the list.

They alleged that some of the caretaker designates were not part of the political struggle that unseated APC government in the state under ex governor Abiola Ajimobi.

The former lawmaker and majority leader of the Oyo State House of Assembly (2007 – 2011) popularly known as Agbarapo stated that governor Makinde had earlier on entrusted the responsibility of wider consultations to party leaders across all local government areas in the state with the aim of arriving at unanimous list that will reflect the will and wishes of the people at the grassroots which was why the announcement delayed a while before it was eventually made public.

He stated further that governor Makinde had done everything possible as a core democrats who will never impose anyone on the people unlike the last administration under former governor Ajimobi who hired and fired caretaker chairmen for over seven years however he pleases.

He said “Let me be frank with you, in a political setting like this there’s no way you will draw a political list and some people will not be unhappy, if after such exercise there’s no such protests then it means the party is not popular.

“I give big kudos to the executive governor of Oyo state, Engr Seyi Makinde for his respect for the party and its leaders. He gave them an assignment about two months ago that the party should go and sort out caretaker related issues, he asked them to consult widely and come out with a list that represents wishes of the people which they did very well.

“For example in my own local government, I told the party leaders to go home and agree on who to nominate, in the end they came up with two persons, one for the main council and the other for the LCDA, and all the leaders signed, the lawmaker representing my local government also signed before I also signed as the overall leader to show unanimous decision.

“The two names were able to scale through because of the governor’s immense respect for the party and its leaders across all local governments which eventually accorded more popularity to all leaders at the local government areas.

“Makinde did not even allow anybody from one local government to interfere in the affairs of another local government which is different from what obtained before when someone in Oke ogun would be the to decide for people at Ibadan North.”

He added that governor Makinde has again fulfilled another promise made to make good governance more accessible to the grassroots.