“We are not happy with the performance of the Ondo State Governor. It is ridiculous that close to two years in office, Mr Governor has done virtually nothing to the mandate he got from the people of Ondo State,”Biyi Poroye, Ondo State Chairman of the MPN,said in Akure.
The Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have traded words over the achievements of the administration of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on the people of the state.
At the weekend, the Mega Party had alleged that the Akeredolu government had not achieved anything in its 15 months in office.
Biyi Poroye, Ondo State Chairman of the MPN, made the claim at the first stakeholders meeting of the party in Akure.
He said the people of the state had not benefited anything from the government of Akeredolu since he came to power.
“We are not happy with the performance of the Ondo State Governor. It is ridiculous that close to two years in office, Mr Governor has done virtually nothing to the mandate he got from the people of Ondo State,” Poroye said.
“Regrettably, the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission has suddenly been abandoned to the extent that it presently serves as a dysfunctional agency.”
But in its reply, APC described the allegations as “baseless and wicked”.
Alex Kalejaiye, Publicity Secretary of the party, said Akeredolu should be commended rather than condemned by the opposition.
Kalejaiye, who reacted via a press statement issued in Akure on Wednesday, urged critics of the Akeredolu government to always suppress sentiments in their assessments.
He said that instead of condemning the government totally into the crash bin, it would be good to criticise with facts and constructive arguments.
He pointed out that the Akeredolu's government had repaired and constructed over 65 kilometres of road across the state in 15 months.
According to Kalejaiye, the completion of the long-abandoned Irele/Igbotu embankment had contributed to peace in the Niger Delta part of the state.
“The APC-led government in Ondo State has ensured prompt payment of workers' salaries, in addition to offsetting four of the inherited seven-month backlog of entitlements,” he said.
"The effect of this on the economic activities are unquantifiable. Beside construction and rehabilitation of roads, the government is also building and repairing over 50 schools, spread across the 18 local government areas, to enhance conducive learning environment.
“The Governor has also directed the employment medical practitioners, besides administrative staff, to shore up efficiency in our health institutions. The previous government, in which leaders of the MPN belonged, and benefitted massively, failed in all these.
“The worrisome spate of kidnapping and bank robbery has been successfully nipped in the bud by the Akeredolu government.
“It should be placed on record, and in clear terms too, that the government of Akeredolu has done all these without any increment, both in the federal allocation and in the internally generated revenue.
“The party that Mr. Biyi Poroye belonged before his defection will always find it difficult to comprehend how the APC government has been able to achieve this much within a short spell and even with a lean purse.”