A former Minister of Power and Steel, Elder Wole Oyelese, has alleged that the over-bearing attitude of Governor Seyi Makinde has driven many prominent and valuable members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away over the past few years of his administration.
Elder Oyelese who stated this in Ibadan on Tuesday while speaking with journalists noted that Makinde’s overbearing attitude as demonstrated in a recent television interview had forced many prominent and valuable members of the party to go to other political parties.
He said, “many people who worked for the success of the PDP in 2019, whose stomachs are not large enough to stomach nonsense have migrated to other parties or distanced themselves from Gov Makinde.
“In 2015, he (Oyelese) led a group of leaders to introduce him to all the prominent traditional rulers in the state and thus introduced him to the mainstream of Oyo state politics.
“Gov Makinde had offended many political gladiators in the state and needed a change of attitude for true success. I ordinarily would not have honoured Governor Seyi Makinde with a reply to the report of his interview on Channels Television but for the fact that he went personal and as such the need arose to set the records straight”, he said
The PDP leader added, “any proper Yoruba son knows that there are ways the mind’s intention is known even when the speaker says otherwise. However since I still consider Seyi as my political son and it is not in my character to pull down any house I help build, I’ll refrain from any direct reply to some of his statements”.
“It is however rather unfortunate that Seyi would refer to the true leaders of the PDP in Oyo state as expired politicians. It is indeed amazing how short human memory can be otherwise Seyi wouldn’t have referred to those who brought him to me to lead him out as expired politicians.
“Many of those people are still very much alive and politically active and relevant in all the senatorial districts of Oyo state. He should at least have recalled how I led the group to all the prominent Traditional Rulers in Oyo state and introduced him to the mainstream and thus give us some credit and respect”.
Elder Oyelese stressed, “this is quite unfortunate as it is this same attitude to rubbish the elders of the party that drove away some powerful and valuable members to migrate to other parties or distance themselves from him.”
