PDP blasts Sheikh Muhydeen Bello over sermon against Makinde

Makinde

Sheikh Muhydeen Bello and Makinde

Sheikh Muhydeen Bello and Makinde

The Oyo state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted Sheikh Muhydeen Bello over his sermon against Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration.

Sheikh Muhydeen Bello during a sermon on Wednesday stated that nothing has changed in Oyo State since Late Senator Abiola Ajimobi left office as the Governor of Oyo State.

Sheik Bello stated this at the first Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi memorial Ramadan lecture held at the Abiola Ajimobi Islamic Centre, Oke-Ado, Ibadan.

The cleric added that Oyo has gone back to the era of hooliganism since Ajimobi left office.

In response to the controversial statement, Oyo PDP said Sheik Bello couldn’t control his tongues because he was paid for the sermon.

PDP described the statements as ‘uncharitable, unfair, and inspired by the Tafsir royalty he received from organizers of the event.’

The statement noted that the teachings of the cleric against the present administration were against the true teachings of Islam and the spirit of Ramadan especially in light of the present rapid infrastructural developments being undertaken by Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration and the various developmental policies the people of Oyo State enjoy.

The party stated, “it was very unfortunate that the cleric who failed to speak up during the dark days of Oyo state under the last administration when the 1 million boys reigned unabated, civil servants and pensioners were dying in droves due to unpaid salaries & entitlement, contractors failed to or shoddily undertake projects due to kickbacks collected by Government Officials and also lost his voice to speak up for the suffering masses when the people of Oyo state were subjected to unspeakable hardship under the last APC administration despite the huge available resources available then is now expressing his political leanings and sentiments at the detriment of the people’s interest.”

The party stressed that the last administration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State had, despite the absence of COVID-19, #EndSARS protest, Fulani herdsmen crisis and other security health and security challenges, still failed to reward Oyo workers for their labor and had also failed to consider the aged and retired workers who served the state meritoriously throughout their productive years.

The statement further revealed that the cleric has openly abused and overstretched the privilege due to anyone called or identified as a true cleric since the cleric chose money by commercializing his sermon above the true gospel of Islam which preaches love, peace, and truth at all times.

“Our attention as a party has been drawn to some very uncharitable, unsubstantiated, unfair, and financially inspired sermon credited to Sheikh Muhydeen Ajani Bello at the annual Abiola Ajimobi memorial Ramadan lecture which held on Wednesday 14th April in Ibadan.

“We ordinarily would not have given a reply a thought out of respect for the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan but we chose to put records in proper perspective by reacting to the commercial sermon so as to avoid the cleric creating wrong impressions in the minds of our beloved Muslim brothers based on the sensitiveness of the commercial sermon and its consumption.

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“First of all, considering the Holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims all over the world are humbly observing fasting, any true cleric is charged with the duty of spreading the gospel of love, peace, and the truth will intensify sermons on lifting the already down spirits of Nigerians who have already gone through a lot under the present APC led federal government, so much that the call to divide Nigeria by some sections of the country reached its record peak.

“The good people of Oyo state who had perhaps expected to hear a soul-lifting sermon from the cleric would by now be left in serious disappointment because the present government which the Sheikh Bello tried fruitlessly to discredit was enthroned by the people who rejected APC in its entirety by not only throwing out their government and with the various heart-rending activities of herdsmen on farmers and bandits on the Nigeria people, it’s preposterous that Sheikh Muhydeen Bello has failed to call out the non-performing President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government but condemning instead of praising a super performer like Governor Seyi Makinde.

“Government is indeed continuum and as much as we are constrained to abstain from speaking at all about the dead we are compelled to make certain clarifications for the purpose of education and better understanding of how other western countries develop.

“The present PDP government under Governor Makinde believes strongly in purposeful leadership which is why it is strategically making necessary corrections on rehabilitations and reconstruction of critical infrastructures where the last administration failed to deliver on quality and durable ones instead of abandoning them and starting up new ones to gain cheap political scores like APC would do.

“For the sake of records and emphasis, our dear Governor has attained high level of public acceptance and street credibility as Seyi Makinde who in the midst of the youth restiveness and ravaging EndSARS protest walked confidently and boldly among the angry youths to cart way forward.

Reacting to the issue of legacy, “what tangible legacy and positive development is he ascribing to an Ajimobi administration which left the state in unprecedented debts without tangible projects to show for it?” The party asked.

“Also right in the city of Ibadan, the state capital, the evidence of decay, abandoned projects and lack of foresight by the administration the sheik was praising are more than evident.”

“Which development is he talking about when the Ajimobi regime abandoned the Moniya-Iseyin road, leaving farmers and farm produce from the food basket of the nation prostrate?”

“On top of that, the Ajimobi led APC government awarded a failed project that wasted N2bn of Oyo’s hard-earned money.”

“What positive development is in a government that abandoned Agbowo to rot away and was at the verge of converting the edifice to private use but for providence that brought GSM?”

“Is he not aware of the Akobo Ojuirin road and the extra bridge needed to ease traffic on that road? Despite the daily suffering of our people on that axis, did the Sheik travel on Iseyin road before making that statement? What about the abandoned onipepeye/Alaska Airport road that was abandoned in the eight years of Ajimobi? The road has come alive now because of Engineer Seyi Makinde. Will the Sheik say he didn’t see anything about junction improvement around Challenge, the Bus terminals in Iwo Road and, challenge and Ojoor. Is he blind to the light-up projects phase one and 2? The massive rehabilitation of the 299 primary health care centers and the unique initiative being displayed in the management of state finances leading to a 26% increase in IGR?”

“Since Sheikh has suddenly found his voice to justify the money received from the organizers of the memorial lecture to deliver sermon during this Holy month, we advise the commercial cleric to channel his energy to join his voice with other Nigerians clamoring for good governance from the APC-led federal government before the divisive elements calling to divide Nigeria have their way because Seyi Makinde is already leading the way by exemplary leadership.

“As a cleric, using expressions such as ‘we and they’ to depict APC and PDP clearly shows the political party Sheikh Ajani Bello belongs to in principle, and the present PDP government in Oyo state will not be deterred or distracted by whatever means the rejected Oyo APC is deploying to bring down this administration by every means, be it political or religious means since these are two key sensitive areas of manipulating the unsuspecting Nigerians for cheap political gains because the masses whom the Governor serves remain resolute in their continued support.”

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