Adeyeye chides APC over opposition to Obanikoro’s appointment

Prince Dayo Adeyeye

Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has chided the All Progressives Congress over the party’s opposition to the appointment of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as a minister.

The minister said the APC was becoming too irritating in its desperation for power.

Obanokoro’s screening by the Senate was shifted last week as a result of APC senators’ insistence that he must answer questions over his role in the alleged rigging of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State.

Adeyeye, in a statement on Monday, said that Obanikoro never participated in the rigging of any election, added that “Ekiti people wholeheartedly voted for Governor Ayodele Fayose and no amount of falsehood and propaganda can erode that fact.”

“Even the United States said the election result reflected the will of Ekiti voters and that the security forces collaborated effectively and provided a safe and secure environment free of major incidents,” he added.

The minister said, “Assuming, but not conceding, that the audio tape they are talking about is real, there’s nothing in it to suggest that soldiers were told to rig the election. What I heard was people showing apprehension on the need to prevent APC thugs from operating and money from being shared at the polling units.

“If one may ask, was it soldiers and Obanikoro that made the APC to lose in more than 80 per cent of the polling units in Ekiti State?”

He said the APC was only showing its fear for Obanikoro because of his political influence in Lagos and across the South-West by kicking against his ministerial appointment.

He challenged the party to take the audio clip to court instead of going about passing verdict of guilt on innocent Nigerians.

Adeyeye said, “The truth is that APC cannot operate under a credible environment. Once the party is against an institution, be sure that such an institution has refused to be corrupted.

“That was the reason they went on the streets of Abuja in November 2013, calling for the removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, because the party lost the Anambra State governorship election.

“Interestingly, the same APC that wanted Jega sacked in 2013 are now the apostle of “Jega must not be sacked” , apparently because they perceived the INEC boss as doing their bidding.”