PDP REPLIES ALAAFIN SAYS MONARCHS SHOULD SHUN PARTISAN POLITICS

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-west has warned politicians not to drag names of traditional rulers into the mud of politics of the region.

The party also advised traditional rulers in Yorubaland to 'be conscious of the antics of some failed politicians whose only stock-in-trade is the use of names of credible people, including those of traditional rulers to polish their dented images and that of their failing party.'

The PDP said in a statement signed by its zonal publicity secretary, Kayode Babade: 'As custodians of our tradition and culture, traditional rulers must guard against being used by politicians to sustain their obviouly failing governments.'

The party said it was sure that the statement credited to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi (III) in Daily Sun yesterday could not have emanated from the monarch: 'If Alaafin has anything against the PDP or any party in Yorubaland, he won't go on the pages of newspapers to discuss it.

'Like other notable Obas in Yorubaland, the Alaafin is substantially close to many leaders of the PDP here in Yorubaland that he can talk to if he had any complaint about the party.

'Kabiyesi was even very pleased with the performance of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, when he was in office that he (Alaafin) wrote a book on him, which we understand he will soon publish.

'Also, one of his sons was a council chairman under the Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala-led PDP government in Oyo State.

'It is, therefore, suspicious that the statement credited to the Alaafin in the publication did not actually emanate from him because in the first place, the PDP is not planning to take South-west by force from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). We will rescue the states by means that are legal.

'It is our duty as a political party to rescue our people from mis-governance and falsehood of the ACN and we are going to achieve that without cuttingcorners,' the statement noted.