The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Oyo State chapter has expressed its displeasure over the treatment meted out to the Oyo state deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, who was at the weekend prevented from attending the eight day fidau prayer for departed former governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi
The deputy governor and other members of the executive council were said to have been prevented from attending Sen. Abiola Ajimobi’s eight day Fidau prayers, held at the deceased Oluyole residence.
It would be recalled that the Oyo state government and the Ajimobi family had a disagreement over the family’s choice of an alleged disputed land at the state GRA as his burial place
Oyo state PDP in a statement issued Sunday by its Publicity Secretary, Engr. Akeem Olatunji urged members of the public to disregard the statement credited to the deceased family, which said the Fidau prayer was strictly a family affair.
PDP, in the statement, added that: “It wasn’t a private family affair because Otunba Alao Adebayo Akala and many others were there and the family were well informed in advance that the deputy governor would be leading the government delegation to the event.”
“It was reported that the security personnel at the gate informed the government delegation that there was an order from Madam not to allow the government delegation into the venue.”
“The more the governor tries to extend hands of friendship, the more they rebuff his good gestures.”
There was tension at the Oluyole Estate residence of the former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, as security men denied the state’s deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, access to the eighth-day Fidau prayers of the late immediate-past governor.
Olaniyan, who arrived at the residence at about 11:20 am in a convoy of five vehicles, was stopped at the gate of the road leading to Ajimobi’s residence.
When the deputy governor’s aides introduced their principal, they were told that the gate had been locked, and that the widow of the deceased was with the key.
But in his reaction, Bolaji Tunji, Media Aide to the late Senator Ajimobi in a statement made available to journalists, said the family was not aware of the deputy governor’s plan to be present at the prayer as there was no notification.
The statement read in parts, “The deputy governor arrived after the prayer had started. The event was strictly a family affair. There was need to comply with the COVID-19 protocol as established by the National Centre for Decease Control on social distancing -Not more than 30 people in a place and seats arranged, accordingly. After which the gate was shut.
“No one was aware that the deputy governor was coming as neither the advance team nor the protocol informed us. By the time we got to the gate to usher him into the sitting room, he had left. Everything happened within a spate of 10 minutes.”
