The statement issued by the Media Office of Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, regrettably avoids the substance of the concerns raised and instead relies on name-calling, deflection, and lofty rhetoric. However, no amount of grand language can erase verifiable facts.
Contrary to the claims made by the Senator’s media office, several duly elected party officials including Ward Chairmen, Secretaries, Women Leaders, Youth Leaders, and other committed party faithful were excluded from the empowerment programme. This is neither an emotional allegation nor a product of entitlement or bias; it is a demonstrable fact known across multiple wards in Ondo Central. The most critical question, which the media statement conspicuously failed to answer, remains simple: why were these party officials excluded?
If the empowerment programme was genuinely guided by documented needs assessment, institutional frameworks, and inclusivity, as claimed, then the exclusion of clearly identifiable party officers demands a transparent and honest explanation. These individuals are not imaginary or faceless. They are recognized party structures who worked openly, sacrificially, and consistently during the 2023 general elections. Denying their existence or dismissing concerns about their exclusion only deepens mistrust among party members and the public.
The attempt to portray the empowerment programme as existing outside political considerations is equally unconvincing. Empowerment initiatives executed by elected officials do not occur in a political vacuum. They carry political, moral, and symbolic significance. When known party leaders are excluded without explanation, it is not only reasonable but responsible for concerned citizens to question the intent, judgment, and fairness behind such decisions.
More troubling is the effort to dismiss legitimate criticism as a smear campaign. Truth is not a smear. Calling attention to exclusion is not hatred; it is civic responsibility. If the Senator truly upholds the values of transparency and accountability, acknowledging the exclusions and clearly outlining the selection criteria would have been far more statesmanlike than attacking those who raised valid concerns.
Furthermore, the assertion that the empowerment programme was not inconclusive contradicts realities on the ground. Any programme that required subsequent interventions by other leaders to address clear exclusions cannot, by objective standards, be described as complete in its original form. The fact that corrective steps became necessary elsewhere only reinforces that something was fundamentally flawed in the initial execution.
This intervention is not about pulling anyone down so others may rise. It is about insisting that leadership must be humble enough to accept criticism and fair enough to correct errors. Ondo Central indeed has room for multiple leaders but it has no room for denial of obvious facts.
The truth remains unchanged: some party executives were excluded, and that exclusion was deliberate. Until this truth is openly acknowledged and addressed with transparency, no volume of press statements can genuinely set the record straight.
History, party members, and the electorate are watching and they are far wiser than some imagine.
Akeem Adesola
Aule, Akure South
APC Member