A socio-political group, Osun Leaders of Thought has alerted President Bola Tinubu of increasing anger against his Presidency and his party on the streets of Osun because of his alleged illegal withholding of local government allocations and non-recognition of duly elected local government officials.
In a statement signed by its press officer, Comrade Adekunle Adebayo, the group said anger towards the president and the APC is at all time high across towns and villages of Osun state, warning that the group may also soon withdraw its support for the President unless the President acts as a matter of urgency.
“We are constrained to inform Mr President that Osun people are bitter and angry with him over his handling of the local government question. The President is listening to wrong people and anti-people advice. In Osun today, the President and the APC are about the most hated entities ever.
“We have gone round the state and we can tell the President that he is committing huge mistakes by illegally withholding Osun allocations, by even contemplating paying the fund to unelected court sacked politicians and by attempting to blackmail Governor Adeleke to defect to the APC. The entire strategy has backfired in big ways.
“ It is becoming a leprous step to even openly identify with the President in public in Osun state. When mere rumour of Governor Adeleke defecting rented the air recently, it was met with an avalanche of anger, curses and rebuke. The level of hatred developing against the President and his party should force immediate rethink.
“Those who have the ears of Mr President should tell him to cut off those bad advisers and toe the path of popular will of Osun people. Mr President should stop listening to his cousin on Osun matters. It is time to adopt the path of the law and public opinion.
“ While our group loves Mr President, his position on the Osun matter has become indefensible and unjustifiable. We are almost at a point that we cannot canvass for support for him in public. Mr President is advised to abandon any idea of brute force to impose his will on Osun people. It won’t work.
“Consequently, the leadership of Osun Leaders of Thought (OLT) urges Mr President to take the following steps on Osun as a matter of urgency:
-Obey the Court of Appeal judgement by recognizing PDP elected chairmen and councillors across Osun local governments;
-Unconditionally release Osun local governments allocations without further delay;
-Adopt Soludo model in your partnership with Governor Ademola Adeleke
“ It is our hope that Mr President will accept the above recommendations to salvage the worsening image crisis facing his brand and party on the streets of Osun state,” the statement concluded.
