A former Personal Assistant to the ex-First Lady, Aisha Buhari, on Domestic and Social Events, Funke Adesiyan, has faulted the nomination of a former Central Bank Deputy Governor, Adebayo Adelabu, as a ministerial nominee from Oyo State.
The Nollywood actress, who is an All Progressives Congress chieftain in Oyo, in a statement on Thursday, described the nomination as “insensitive and unmerited appointment”.
Adelabu was the governorship candidate of the Accord Party during the March 2023 governorship election in Oyo. He came third in the race with a total of 38,357 votes.
Dejoymedia.online reports the Senate, on Thursday, unveiled President Bola Tinubu’s 28 ministerial nominees. The names of the nominees were read by the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, at the plenary shortly after it was delivered.
The Chief of Staff to the President and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, personally delivered the letter containing the list of the ministerial nominees to the Senate. Adelabu was one of the ministerial nominees unveiled by Akpabio during plenary.
But in the statement titled, ‘Chief Bayo Adelabu as Oyo State ministerial nominee: Not in our best interest’, Adesiyan explained that Adelabu does not “represent a good demography of Oyo people.
The APC chieftain said, “It is against this background that I join the entire members and party leaders of our great party, the APC in Oyo state and indeed the entire people of Oyo State to reject this insensitive and unmerited appointment. I make bold to say that we will not concede to delusion in the name of party loyalty and allow a man who was and is still the architect of the party’s perennial electoral misfortune in the state clinch the highest political position available to rally the already hapless and hopeless party members in the state as a succour of last resort.”
She added, “Whilst I wish to congratulate able Nigerians who made the ministerial list presented by Mr President today, however, we the people of Oyo state reject this particular ministerial nominee and we implore our listening President to kindly reconsider this appointment.
For equality and peaceful coexistence of all of us (Oyo, Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Oke Ogun 1 and Oke Ogun 2), both the governor and minister can not be from Ibadan as this will not just be unjust, unfair, but also a total desecration of the nation’s long-held ideals of federal character.
“As stated earlier, both the governor of our state, His Excellency, Engr. Abiodun Oluseyi Makinde and Oloye Bayo Adelabu are both Ibadan, in fact from the same Federal constituency. What happens to other constituencies? It is my firm belief that there is no need to further fan political discord in a state that is already heated politically.
“As a bonafide APC member, I wish to appeal to our dear father, Mr President, to kindly consider nominating a minister who is a part of our party. It’s a nomination, the Law allows for resubstitution prior to confirmation. We are already in the opposition in our state. Giving our ministerial slot to a member of another party is tantamount to totally ending the party in Oyo State.”
