A group, Ogun Civil Network, has described the vitriol launched by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in Ogun State, Mr Segun Sowunmi, on the person and office of the Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as most unfortunate, saying it advertised his moral bankruptcy and intellectual hollowness to the world.
In a statement signed by its coordinator, Alhaji Adetunji Kazeem and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the group said while criticism of any political leader is not out of place, it was most unfortunate that a political jobber and serial blackmailer choose to insult the sensibilities of Ogun citizens and it’s civil service all in a bid to score cheap political points.
It added that the situation was made worse when the supposed critic is a person without demonstrable pedigree, but one for whom criticism is ultimately underlined by commercial gain.
It said: “While we believe criticism to be a legitimate instrument of democratic expression, we find Mr Sowunmi’s use of scurrilous, intemperate, uncouth and acerbic language undergirded by false equivalence and utter sophistry quite benumbing.
“ In saying that Governor Abiodun runs Ogun like a level 13 civil servant, he not only questioned the intelligence of the highly intelligent and hardworking civil servants in Ogun State, he also displayed intellectual crudity when he implied that intelligence is tied to rank.
“Going by Mr Sowunmi’s warped logic, a commercial bus driver would necessarily have a higher intelligent quotient than a bus conductor since he occupies a higher position in the transport industry. This is, to say the least, an illiterate submission. Pray, by what parameter did Mr. Sowunmi determine Governor Abiodun’s intelligence or that of Ogun civil servants?
“Pray, how can anyone who claims sanity imply that Governor Abiodun, two-time winner of Nigeria’s agric gong, and initiator of landmark projects like the cargo airport, the 10-lane Epe/Ijebu expressway, tech hubs, among others, is purveying no fresh ideas in governance?
“Ahead of the last general election, Mr Sowunmi screamed himself hoarse but he and his party were roundly rejected by the Ogun people who saw through his highfalutin pretensions, bigotry and stupidity. PDP needs intelligent individuals who can articulate its agonies, not a rabble-rousing individual like Sowunmi,” it said.
