By Seyifunmi Odunuga
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Mr. Michael Lana, has warned against engaging members of the Park Management System (PMS) in the state, to be part of the transport team to carry sensitive and not sensitive materials for the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), during the forthcoming general elections.
Lana in a statement by the Director General of his campaign committee, Mr. Bola Popoola, said members of the PMS are employees of Governor Seyi Makinde, stating that they are too compromised to be neutral as they would be doing the bidding of the governor and his political party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He maintained that his team and SDP are opposed to members of the PMS to have anything doing with the election before, during or after, insisting that they have been part of the campaign train of Governor Makinde during which they have been constituting a nuisance to the peace-loving people of the state.
According to him, “We are vehemently opposed to this notion as the said PMS are a creation of the present governor of Oyo State and they were employed by him. Not only that, the said Park Managers have consistently been part of the campaign entourage of the governor and acting in his interests.
“We are not obvious to the incident that happened at Ibarapa where members of the PMS descended on some innocent citizens of Ibarapa including an over 70- year old man who was allegedly beaten to stupor for throwing stones at the governor’s entourage to show their disenchantment against him.”
While urging the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to have to rethink the issue, Lana warned. that members of the PMS cannot be trusted with election materials as such would be putting a cat to watch over a piece of meat.
“We are therefore resisting in a very loud way any attempt to compromise the 2023 elections by including the PMS members as part of the INEC’s transport team”, he added.
