Less than 24 hours after the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan
affirmed the victory of Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde at the
March 29, 2019 governorship election, thousands of Ibadan residents on
Tuesday marched to the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, in
solidarity with the Governor.
The coalition of Non-Governmental Groups (NGOs) including the Save
Oyo; Oyo Mandate Group; Mekunnu Koya; Oyo Dotun; Women Voice and the
Oyo State Youth Grand Alliance, at the rally, told Governor Makinde
that the people were solidly behind him.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Taiwo Adisa,
indicated that leaders of the peaceful protest displayed placards,
which praised the service delivery agenda of the Makinde
administration.
While addressing the crowd, the Governor restated his commitment to
serving the people of the State, noting that nothing could happen to
the mandate the people gave him on March 9, 2019.
The Governor added that ever since he was elected by popular votes, he
had been serving the people, promising not to relent in serving the
people and providing the dividends of democracy.
He said: “In Oyo State, we say A ji se bi Oyo laari, Oyo kii se bi
baba enikan. We are a unique state, we cannot be cowed into
submission, so you all need to be calm. Your votes brought us in and,
since we assumed office, we have been serving you, the good people of
Oyo State. They cannot pour sands into our garri.
“Nothing will go wrong with your mandate. Your mandate is intact. If
they say they have won, why didn’t they come to the Government House
this morning?
“They were rejected everywhere in Oyo State. The Ibadan people
rejected them, in Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Oyo, they were rejected. The
same thing equally happened in Ogbomoso. So, what else can they do?
“Please, I beg of you to be law-abiding and go about your daily
businesses without being afraid. Let’s exercise calmness as we
continue to deliver dividends of democracy to you.”
The coalition of groups, which brought together artisans, market
women, student groups and other professionals, sang and danced
jubilantly, noting that the refusal of the Court to grant the prayers
of the APC to nullify the results of the governorship election, call
for fresh election or order a retrial of the election petition was a
vindication of the people’s mandate freely given to Governor Makinde.
They urged the Governor not to be distracted by the Court’s decision
to allow the appeal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the
ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal to stand, noting that the
“contrived judgement, which is against the people of Oyo State” cannot
stand the test of time.
Speaking on behalf of the crowd, Comrade Najimdeen Kayode, who is the
convener of the Oyo State Youth Grand Alliance, lauded Governor
Makinde for his achievements in the last five months, noting that his
policies on education, health, security and other areas were already
turning around the State and that the people of the State would not
watch and allow them to be truncated.
