A group, Yoruba Youth Indigenous Movement (YYIM), has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State of allegedly propagating a hidden agenda targeted at undermining the operations of the State Security Network known as ‘Amotekun’ for political gains.
The Coordinator of the group, Lawal Adekola, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure, the state capital, alleged that the PDP, through former state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has negotiated with some northerners to discredit Amotekun and ensure its operations are weakened by instigating the people against the security outfit.
According to him, “We have watched with consternation, the deliberate attempt to scuttle the gains recorded by Amotekun so far. Let us put on record that we have it on good authority that the PDP, through Mimiko, has negotiated off Amotekun for political gains.
“Despite our collective desire to produce the next president of the country in the South, Mimiko has been going round scheming on how to emerge as a vice presidential candidate of the party, thereby indirectly selling us out. More so, the operations of Amotekun have been a huge success so far and it is now considered a public good, irrespective of political party or background.”
Adekola continued: “We have it on good authority that Mimiko has vowed to use the instrumentality of the PDP in the state to discredit Amotekun and ensure that the people lose confidence in the security outfit. This, among others, was one of the conditions given to Mimiko to impress the PDP northern power brokers. Mimiko is desperately looking for their support.
“We will love to plead with politicians to desist from using whatever serve as public good for their dirty politics. It smacks off nothing but irresponsibility to descend so low into selling the good of your people for your personal political gains. We dare say that Mimiko has become the Alimi of todays’ Yoruba nation. We shall henceforth mobilise ourselves to resist him.
“By this statement, we are sounding a note of warning to all political players to draw the line between political issues and events and the ones that serve as public good.”
Reacting to the allegation, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kennedy Peretei, said: “The allegation is unfounded, ridiculous and senseless. The questions we raised about Amotekun in Ondo State were not addressed. The group is just trying to play an ethnic card, which is very unfortunate.
“We need not respond to persons whose mouths are controlled by their stomachs.”
