Stop Harassing Whistleblowers, Petitions Against Office Holders, Not Out Of Place — PDP Knocks Ogun SSG, Talabi

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has strongly criticized the just recent arrest of Barr. Femi Oniyide by the Nigeria Police Force in connection with his allegations against Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the secretary of the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration.

The party alleges that Oniyide’s arrest, along with the previous detention of Otunba Femi Davies, is part of a deliberate effort by Mr. Talabi to suppress dissenting voices and whistleblowers.

In their quest for truth and accountability, the PDP calls on relevant investigative agencies to examine Mr. Talabi’s 2019 Code of Conduct assets declaration form to determine his ties to Superflux Limited. The party emphasizes that public institutions, including government, should not be turned into instruments of terror against the people.

The party PDP however in their press statement charges the police to rather do thorough investigations instead of allowing state powers to scare away whistleblower from exposing corruptions in our country.

Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ogun State, issued this below press statement, underlining the party’s commitment to transparency and good governance:

“Our party’s unequivocal condemnation of Mr. Oniyide’s heavily publicized arrest by aides and media assistants of the government, and that of Otunba Femi Davies who was invited to assist the Department of States Security, DSS on an investigation earlier, but granted administrative bail after spending 10 days in detention, is premised on the strong conviction that the SSG, Mr Talabi is intentionally deploying his influence to use the instrumentality of the state, not only to harass the duo of Messrs Oniyide and Davies but to also intimidate all strong voices clamouring for good governance and accountability.”

Alaafia Garden, Villamond Investment Limited

“It is noteworthy however that before all opposing tendencies are silenced by Talabi’s instrument of cohesion, some pertinent questions are begging for quick answers;”

1. How can a non-elected government official use State government apparatus to harass and arrange citizens’ arrest without check, as currently being witnessed in serious allegations, breach of oath and money laundering?

2. Was Mr Talabi, the SSG truly a former Managing Director of Superflux Limited? If this is confirmed, our great party is of the strong conviction that, instead of suppressing the substance of Barr. Oniyide’s petition against Mr. Talabi, and his employers, Dapo Abiodun-led government should have requested for his immediate resignation from office or better still, announce his suspension from office as the SSG, while comprehensive investigations into the alleged crimes would be carried out.

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“But Alas!, Mr Talabi is one of the enablers of Dapo Abiodun’s macabre dance of shame. He is untouchable!”

“Perhaps we should, very quickly, invite the attention of the public to the petition on gross misconduct written and recently submitted to the President by a group of concerned Nigerians against the richest man in Africa was the richest who is a private Nigerian citizen.”

“This simply goes to further confirm that in a civil administration, petition writings against public officeholders are not out of place. If same can be written against the richest man in Africa, who is a Talabi; a public servant who is being serviced daily and paid with taxpayers’ monies.”

“For Mr. Talabis’s blatant refusal to defend all allegations levelled against him in the petition and needless resort to intimidation and harassment of innocent citizens whose only interests are to promote and advance the course of the common good through accountability and strict adherence to his Oath of Office, the PDP hereby demands immidiadate resignation of Mr. Talabi, the SSG from office.”

“For us, SSG and the APC government cannot continue to intimidate the lawyer and all the whistle-blowers on the matters raised against him in the petition.”

“Without any shadow of a doubt, Dapo Abiodun is just a dimwitted, cognitively open man-child who sits in a position that is light years above his intellectual and emotional paygrade, if not, by now, the likes of Mr. Tokunbo Talabis of this world would be on the street searching for another job.”

Alaafia Garden, Villamond Investment Limited

“In the interest of establishing the facts of the matters raised by Barr. Oniyide, the PDP once again calls on relevant investigating agencies to recall the Code of Conduct assets declaration form of Mr. Talabi in 2019 to determine his relationship with Superflux Limited.”

“While our party does not encourage false alarm against anybody; either in government or otherwise, public institutions that are ordinarily expected to serve all law-abiding citizens must not be reduced to terror machines against the people, the ultimate employers of Mr. Dapo Abiodun who is Mr. Tokunbo Talabi’s boss.”

Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole
State Publicity Secretary
PDP Ogun state.