Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has expressed strong support for his Osun counterpart, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in the political challenges facing him.
This is as he also asserted that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will not secure victories in Oyo and Osun states.
Makinde made the comment during the commissioning of the Stadium-Testing Ground-Ilesa Garage section of the Oba Adesoji Aderemi Ring Road in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday.
Makinde also dismissed recent claims by APC national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje that the ruling party was poised to win in the South-West following its successes in the Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections.
Makinde urged Osun residents to remain steadfast and back Adeleke’s administration, which he praised for prioritising the people’s welfare.
He contrasted this approach with leaders who abandoned projects due to political differences, highlighting Adeleke’s focus on delivering tangible benefits to citizens.
Makinde criticised the APC’s perceived overconfidence and reiterated his commitment to ensuring that the opposition party does not make gains in the region.
He emphasised the ongoing legal challenges to APC’s victories in Edo and Ondo, expressing optimism about the outcomes.
Ganduje had famously said: “Our next target now is the South-West geopolitical zone, and you know we are good at hitting the target, and this is Osun State and Oyo State. We will do all that is possible to bring them into the fold so that we have political homogeneity in the South-West geopolitical zone.”
But the Oyo governor, who considered himself and Adeleke the true progressives in the South-West, warned APC not to rejoice over its victories in Edo and Ondo, as the results are being challenged in court by PDP.
“The people of Osun State must come first, and they have been put first. Two years ago, they made a political choice. They moved from one political party to the PDP. Then someone, I believe, got a bit distracted after the Edo and Ondo elections and said they are coming for Osun and Oyo. People, are you not waiting for them? You will show them.
“Well, I want to assure them that the game is not over in Edo and Ondo. We are challenging the result in court. We are a law-abiding party, and we believe that the corpse they hurriedly buried will be exhumed,” Makinde said.
Making, while lauding Governor Adeleke, said: “I was given a brief history of it (the road), and he himself mentioned it. This road was started by Governor Aregbesola. Adeleke didn’t say, ‘I won’t do it because I won’t take the credit.’ He didn’t say, ‘If I finish it, the credit will go to someone else.’ He has completed it. Thank you for completing this. This is cementing your position of leadership.
“I am rounding off. I have two years left, and I am glad that Nigeria has become too advanced for mediocre minds who cannot think one inch deeper. Such minds are the ones who will say, ‘I am not the initiator of a project, so I don’t need to complete it.’ We have a new set of leaders emerging. He didn’t also say that he belongs to a different political party.
“I can keep thanking my brother for breaking out from the fold of usual politicians and doing something unusual. I can only encourage you, and I promise you my support in the battle ahead.”
Earlier, Governor Adeleke paid tribute to Aregbesola, whose administration started the Osogbo Ring Road project, noting that the completion of the road fulfilled his promise not to leave any projects of his predecessors unfinished.
Meanwhile, Adeleke reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to road safety, urging citizens to adhere to traffic regulations on newly completed roads.
He directed state agencies to enforce safety measures and install speed breakers where necessary to ensure the well-being of road users.
He said: “We are recording increasing accidents on many freshly completed roads due to overspeeding and one-way driving. I appeal to road users to be safety-conscious.
“I am, therefore, directing security agencies and road safety authorities to enforce safety codes on our brand-new roads. The Ministry of Works should also consider constructing speed breakers where necessary. We must secure our people as we provide better roads and services across the sectors.”
