By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The leadership crisis rocking traders association in Oyo State on Thursday, took a new twist as traders in the state called on Governor Seyi Makinde to sack the Commissioner for Trade and Investments, Chief Bayo Lawal.
At a press conference in Ibadan, the traders accused the commissioner of persistently misinforming and misleading Governor Makinde for his personal and selfish interest in their prolonged leadership crisis.
Speaking through the zonal leaders of the congress of Babalojas and Iyalojas in Oyo State, represented by Chief Layi Olawoyin, the traders said the alleged action of the commissioner was a planned conspiracy to set the governor against his admirers and present him as an ingrate to the source he leveraged in to become the governor in 2019.
” We have exhausted available patience and exploited all possible avenues to avoid making utterances that can set our people against Governor Makinde, his administration and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), unfortunately Lawal is desperate and very unrepentant towards turning our people against the governor”, it said.
They added ” instead of offering sincere advise to the governor, Bayo Lawal conspired with some members of the Oyo State Market Leaders Council to illegally and unconstitutionally install Alhaji Yekini Abass as Babaloja-General of Oyo State against earlier judgement of the Oyo State High Court, that restrained Abass from being addressed or called Babaloja-General of Oyo State”.
“We have instituted a court case against those who committed contempt of court by illegally installing and issuing certificate of recognition to Yekini Abass as Babaloja-General of Oyo State, as agreed and contained in the communiqué issued at the end of emergency meeting of the Congress of Babalojas and Iyalojas in Oyo State on Tuesday 15th November, 2022.
The traders stressed further, ” we have also advised Governor Makinde to sack the Commissioner before he turn over 2.5 million traders in Oyo State who gave their best to support him in 2019 against the governor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ruling party’s candidates in the coming general elections”.
