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From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
As political parties prepare for the commencement of campaigns for the governorship and House of Assembly elections, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Olootu Bolaji Adeniji, has declared that the opposition parties in the state, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lack what he described as the “intellectual capacity and imagination” to run issue-based campaigns.
Adeniji, who said the PDP in the state is suffering from “intellectual laziness and hollowness”, stressed that the party does not possess the capability to present a formidable challenge as an opposition party.
In a press statement signed by the APC chieftain and made available to The Sun on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, he noted that the PDP and its governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, have failed woefully to present clear policies or programmes to the electorate.
He said that rather than showcasing solutions to the pressing development needs of the state, the opposition has been chasing shadows, focusing on the ancestry of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, and attempting to block his candidacy through “procedural maneuvers”.
Adeniji, who is also the convener of the Ogun West Initiative, said: “Rather than look for ways to appeal to the people of Ogun State, like Senator Adeola has done through undeniable impact, they are busy with campaigns of calumny.
“They have shown no creativity, no policies, no programmes and no intellectual rigour to conceptualise alternatives that can endear them to the people.”
He urged Ogun residents to continue supporting Adeola as their preferred candidate, arguing that only visionary leadership backed by verifiable performance and concrete programmes can secure the state’s future.
“Yayi’s statewide acceptance is attributed to the series of interventions in the social and economic welfare of our people. These projects have elevated the standard of living of our people and positioned him as a candidate with tangible achievements to showcase.
“His consultations since emerging as the party’s candidate have emphasized continuity of development and expansion of infrastructure to meet the needs of Ogun’s growing population.
“We will kick off official campaigns very soon, and the decision of the electorate will be anchored on the ability of candidates to showcase practical solutions rather than baseless rhetoric currently being peddled by the opposition,” the statement concluded.
