The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of grossly disobeying his late father, Pa Emmanuel Abiodun, who died on August 2.
PDP accused Gov Abiodun of failing to heed the voice of his father, who he said advised him to take Ogun workers and pensioners’ welfare as a priority.
Abiodun had recently recalled how his father advised him to treat workers well when he assumed office in 2019.
But, the opposition party said the governor did not follow the advice of his father if he were to he judged based on the complaints of workers and pensioners in the State.
Speaking with the media in Abeokuta on Monday, Ogun PDP spokesperson, Akinloye Bankole, who said the party had earlier sent a condolence message to Abiodun, stressed that the Governor displayed gross disobedience to his father’s admonitions.
According to Bankole, Abiodun had refused to remit workers’ voluntary savings deductions to the appropriate cooperative union account in about 17 months.
Bankole also accused Abiodun of not being fair to pensioners, whom he said were shut out by the governor during a protest two months ago.
He spoke further that civil servants, teachers and local government workers in Ogun were being owed different entitlements at the moment, saying “it is unfortunate.”
His words: “Let me start by saying the PDP as a party had sent our condolence message to the governor to commiserate with him over the demise of his darling dad and we pray that God grant the family, the governor and the entire community the required fortitude to bear the passage of our dear ‘Baba Teacher’.
“On his father’s advice that he should take workers and pensioners’ welfare as a priority, it is very unfortunate that the governor has displayed gross disobedience to his late father’s advice. From all indications as we have it in Ogun State today, the governor has not been able to listen or take to his late father’s advice.
“This is a governor that is currently owing 17 to 18 months salary deductions of workers. We have talked about this long before now. Unfortunately, the governor seems not to care about remitting deductions to appropriate quarters as expected.
“This is also the same governor that refused to see pensioners when they went to protest in his office like two months ago. He actually shut the gate against the senior citizens that have served the state one way or the other meritoriously in their different capacities. He has refused to take their welfare as a priority.
“This is also a governor that has refused to show solidarity or companionship to the plight of Ogun workers since he became governor. This is the same governor that has only succeeded in paying lip service to whatever affects workers in the State.
“Look at the current state of Ogun workers; even teachers don’t get their dues regularly. Also, local government staff and other classes of civil servants in the state are being owed different remunerations.
“It is unfortunate that the governor has not been able to listen to his dad’s advice like he said.”
Meanwhile, the Ogun PDP Publicity Secretary maintained that the party would continue to engage Gov Abiodun, praying that he has a change of heart in the remaining months of his administration.
“We will continue to engage him and we pray that, giving the remaining months that he has in the saddle, perhaps he would have a change of heart and take to his late dad’s beautiful advice. That would, at the end of the day, show tremendous compassion for Ogun workers,” he said.
Bankole concluded that “Gov Abiodun still has enough time to change his ways if he decides to do so.”
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