Ogun SURE-P chairman accuses PDP of threatening programme

Chairman  of  the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme in Ogun State, Chief Kayode Ajibola, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party in the state of threatening the programme by attempting to hijack the Federal Government initiative.

Ajibola alleged that the PDP in Ogun had been claiming that the SURE-P programme in the state was meant for its members only, contrary to the mandate given to him by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

But the Ogun PDP said that the SURE-P boss had only raised the alarm in order to save himself from being sacked by the Federal Government.

Ajibola accused the party leaders of making frantic efforts to hijack the SURE-P programme in order to use it to achieve their own selfish interest and score cheap political points.

In an interview with our correspondent, he claimed that PDP leaders in the state had been making advances and sending text messages to him, complaining about the perceived sidelining of their party members in the selection of the beneficiaries for the programme.

He stressed that SURE-P was not a party programme and warned that he would not succumb to the pressures being mounted on him by the PDP in the state to favour its members in the selection of the beneficiaries.

Ajibola said, “Even people sent text messages to me, I mean the PDP people. They come here to ask me what I cannot give. The programme is not for them. But what you are seeing is expected because you know Nigeria has plural political parties and every politician wants an advantage to get across to the people. So they think that if they can hijack the programme, they will use it to their advantage but they don’t know much. We have been trying to educate them that the programme is for Nigerians. It is not a PDP programme.

It is a Federal Government programme.

In its reaction, the Ogun PDP said that the SURE-P boss had only been crying wolf where none existed.

The state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Waliu Oladipupo, said Ajibola merely raised the alarm as a face-saving measure.

Oladipupo alleged that having defected to the Labour Party along with the former governor, Gbenga Daniel, the Ogun SURE-P boss feared he might be sacked from his job.

He said, “Ajibola is simply crying wolf where there is none. He says we want to hijack the SURE-P for the benefit of our members as if we are not Nigerians. Is the programme not an initiative of the PDP-led Federal Government? Why should our people not benefit from it? Why is he now raising the alarm? Is it because he has defected to the LP with his master, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and fears that he might be relieved of the post which they have been using to feather their own political nest?”