Oyo State: PDP, Accord Party Candidates Engage in Gubernatorial Debate

The Oyo state gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Seyi Makinde (who is seeking a re-election), and that of the Accord Party, Adebayo Adelabu, on Sunday engaged in a debate over issues of governance of the state ahead of the general elections.

The duo made separate remarks while fielding questions from panelists at the Governorship Debate organized by an Ibadan-based radio station, Fresh FM, for the gubernatorial candidates in the state.

Four governorship candidates, including Senator Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Popoola Joshua (New Nigeria Peoples Party), were expected at the debate but only Makinde and Adelabu turned up.

While Makinde is seeking re-election, Adelabu is re-contesting the seat, having contested against Makinde on the platform of the APC in 2019.

At the debate Governor Makinde boasted that he remained the only governor to have employed 5,000 teachers, in a single swoop, to join the state workforce and improve the state’s educational sector, challenging the audience to come forward should there be any contradictions to his claims.

However, in a swift response, Adelabu, popularly called “Penkelemes”, corrected the governor, pointing out that the past governor, late Abiola Ajimobi, had in 2014 recruited 5, 300 teachers to improve the education sector.

He insisted that Ajimobi’s feat remained unbroken in the state, adding that the effort brought about noticeable improvement in the condition of education, both in primary and secondary schools, across the state.

Although, Makinde could not fault the claim, he said if Ajimobi had recruited 5, 300 teachers in 2014 and his administration recruited another 5, 000 in 2021/2022, all were still not enough to address the challenges facing the sector in the state.

Adelabu again faulted the Makinde administration of failing to publish the required statement of account of the state three months to the end of the administration, saying such information would enable members of the public to ask the right questions.

Furthermore, the Accord Party’s candidate said the security in the state had gone bad and was a total deviation from what the Makinde administration inherited from its predecessor.

Speaking on education, the former CBN deputy governor also noted that education had not fared better under the Makinde administration.

‘A situation where the state currently sits on the 33rd position out of 36 states in the country is unacceptable,’ said the Accord Party’s candidate.

On agriculture, Adelabu said all the huge investments of the Makinde administration had not yielded any positive impact on the state, stressing that, if it had, food would have been very cheap across the state.

He further accused the current administration in the state of neglect of the local government areas as a tier of government. This, he said, has had negative effect on the people at the grassroots across the state, especially with respect to interior road infrastructure across the council areas.

But, Makinde disagreed with all the allegations put forward by Adelabu and noted that his administration started and funded the “Amotekun Corps” to improve security, which had led to increased business presence by the influx of many investors into the state.

The governor disclosed that his administration had also ensured that 251 Primary Healthcare Centres were completed out of the 351 to be built across all the wards in the state, asserting that his achievements in various sectors in more than three years would speak for him and ensure his re-election.

He enumerated how he resolved the crisis that had rocked the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, by securing the sole ownership, in addition to the upgrade of the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education from a College, saying the efforts had positioned the state properly.

Makinde commended the people of the state for the huge support given to his administration since inception and urged them to allow continuity in the state.