Ondo APC justifies new appointment of Governor Akeredolu’s son
THE All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State, justifies the appointment of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s son Babajide as Director-General of Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, PPMIU, saying the party nominated him for the appointment.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, however, tackled Governor Akeredolu over the appointment describing it as an abuse of office. The APC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, in a statement in Akure, said: “Babajide Akeredolu was nominated by our great party on the strength of his relentless contribution to the overall success of the APC in Ondo State and not as the Governor’s son. It is important to note that this young man did not emerge overnight from the blues.
“He has been on the ground for an appreciable length of time as a resource person to the party and has consistently and diligently proven his mettle, at personal cost, in not only joining other party faithful in building the party but also going the extra mile in ensuring improvement is recorded by the party which has largely enhanced the electoral value of the APC as well as the fortune of our great party.
“When he was using his resources to mobilize the teeming youths of the state for our party APC towards the 2020 governorship election in Ondo State, nobody identified him as the governor’s son.
”When has it become a violation of the constitution to appoint a hard-working, devoted, loyal and committed party man into a government position?
”As a political party, Babajide, with all sense of modesty, can be described as a great asset to the APC Ondo State and we fully endorse his appointment.
“To us as a political party, we welcome this development and genuinely acknowledge the appointment of Babajide Akeredolu as the Director-General, Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, PPIMU, as a call to service.”
Reacting to the appointment of Babajide, the PDP, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kennedy Peretei said: “The recent appointment of Babajide Akeredolu, a biological son of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, as the Director-General of PPMIU is a flagrant abuse of office and affront on the people of Ondo State.
“The appointment as DG of PPMIU for Babajide, a young man who carries on as though, he was the person voted for as Governor is part of the grand design to finally empty the treasury of the state before Akeredolu returns to Ibadan.
“Only last week, Babajide was reported to have brought another consultant to take charge of forestry operations in the state. It thus appears that Mr. Governor and his immediate families are bent on living fat on the lean resources of the people, when poverty has taken over the land, walking in all four legs.”
But in his reaction, the Reacting, the Information and Orientation Commissioner, Donald Ojogo described the criticism as unresourceful.
Ojogo, in a statement, entitled: ‘PDP’s Uncanny Attacks Were Expected’, said: “One big error is public governance is the fear of taking decisions, and it becomes unpardonably grievous when sound decisions are avoided over what I consider unresourceful criticisms.
“There is no way such sound appointment as that of Babajide would not have elicited uncanny attacks from the PDP. They were expected. Ours is to be focused on what we are doing for the good people of the State and not to be distracted by lazy opposition.
“We can only enjoy their gallery-looking dance. They are hypocritical aside from being saddened by their antecedents.
‘We are more concerned about the deliverables in whatever we do as a Government. In this particular instance of Mr Governor’s decision in respect of the son, it cannot be said otherwise; he made a right decision.”
Suzan O/NAN
