YOUR TENSION OVER OYETOLA'S VISIT TO HIS ALMA MATER IS MISPLACED... - Osun APC Slams Adeleke

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned the state Governor Ademola Adeleke to stop developing needless headache, sleepless nights and increased high blood pressure over the recent casual visit of his predecessor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, to his alma mater, Ifeoluwa Grammar School, Osogbo, Osun State, recently.

It would be recalled that the minister around 2:00 pm last week had a stop over visit to the school to interact with the principal over the wish list presented to the minister's representative and others during a recent function in the school.

The minister seized the opportunity of his presence  at a function at the Industrial Development Centre (IDC), a stone-throw to his alma mater where he underwent his secondary school education and came out in a flying colour between 1968 and 1972, to visit the school.

A further check also revealed that the pupils who were already homebound quickly recognized one of their own, former Governor Oyetola and decided to welcome him in their own way while the old student too, seized the opportunity to quickly advise them on the need for them to prioritize education and be focused in life.

It was also learnt that a week earlier, before the event in Osogbo, the minister was invited to commission an ultra-modern solar-powered borehole but his busy schedules prevented him from personally honouring the invitation but not without sending one of his aides to stand in for him.

Since the school visitation episode of Oyetola, Governor Adeleke has been feeling uncomfortable threatening to sanction the school principal as espoused by the duo of one Mr Akin Ajetunmobi and Mr Sunday Komolafe, the Special Adviser to the governor on school monitoring and Special Adviser to the governor on secondary education respectively.

Commenting on the issue, the Osun State chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party's Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, today, said there's no justifiable reason for Governor Adeleke to develop paranoia each time he hears the name, sights the shadow or hears the voice of former Governor Oyetola.

Lawal queried that if not for a sinister motive borne out of being perpetually jittery, there is no reason that a mere visit of a former governor and a serving minister of the federal republic of Nigeria to his alma mater should attract such fear and apprehension in the camp of Adeleke.

The state APC chairman advised Adeleke to concentrate on governance rather than frivolities as Oyetola, an established phenomenon in the Osun State politics, has the inalienable right to move freely round anywhere in this country.

In Lawal's words: "Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers should allow their actions and inactions to be guided by reason and rationality as there is no portion of the Osun State laws where it is stated that an alumnus has to obtain a formal permission from the government before visiting his alma mater.

"It was not true that the pupils were carrying APC flags and other party's identities and symbols during the visit as apart from the fact that there is no any election in sight in the state, the pupils are not up to the voting ages to warrant being influenced by whatever means.

"The accusations of Adeleke in this regard is puerile, unfounded and misplaced which are concocted in order to give a dog a bad name just to hang it.

"If Adeleke is confident about himself, he needs not be worried about the former governor's visit to his alma mater as he is even a serving minister constitutionally having the whole country as his operational constituency compared to Adeleke who is having only Osun State as his constituency.

"If Governor Adeleke, a known copy cat was threatened by the minister's visit to his alma mater, he too should visit his own school if he has any and stop playing bad politics as there is no formal directive on those who have the right to visit the school and those who are forbidden from doing so", Lawal stated.

e-SIGNED:

Sooko TAJUDEEN LAWAL,         Chairman, Osun State APC.