Politics
PDP Blasts Ondo Gov Over Deplorable Roads
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ondo State chapter, has carpeted Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for allegedly turning a blind eye to the deplorable state of roads in the state.
The PDP, which stated that the bad roads call for huge concern, stressed that the APC-led government under the watch of Akeredolu has neglected inherited infrastructures from the past government in pursuit of his own personal achievements for electoral gains.
A statement issued by Director of Media and Publicity, Ondo State PDP Zadok Akintoye, and made available to newsmen, emphasized that governance ought to be primarily for the people instead of what he described as the political scheming being embarked upon by the governor in the state.
The statement read, “Governance is an all-encompassing venture that mandates that we take responsibility for maintaining public infrastructure, creating new ones and doing all we can to give citizens a reason to hope for a better day.
“The state of roads in Ondo state calls for concern and underlines our cries as a party, that the Akeredolu led APC government is not doing all it should ensure that government infrastructure inherited from previous administrations are maintained for the good of the people but is rather more concerned about building personal legacies in his name for electorate purposes.
“A drive through any of these roads in the state capital would show you how clearly, this APC government has shown incapacity to bring the fruits of proper administration to our state. Ondo road, Oba Adesida road, Agagu road, Idanre road, Igoba, Ijoka, Oda, Fanibi, Isolo, Orita Obele are just a few of the very busy roads that have fallen into very shameful states during the less than three years tenure of this government and yet, the focus of the APC is in abandoning these roads while awarding bogus contracts for new roads, that are mostly done not for the desire to ease the burden of the people, but to create bragging rights legacies that fuels their ego as having accomplished the unprecedented.
“The long term cost of the dilapidation of these roads to the citizens of Ondo state is that the poorly managed roads will deteriorate to a point were successive governments would have to rebuild such roads, thus costing us more money in the near future to provide what should necessarily have coat less with good maintenance.”
Zadok added that “These huge burdens would have been avoided if the government of the day showed good managerial capacity in the administration of public resources. The lack of synergy between the political appointees of this administration, with the civil service and citizens, is now ever more evident with the deplorable state of roads and other public infrastructure in our state.
“We hope that the governor, who has been absent from his duties in the state in the last three weeks, would wake up to his responsibilities and see the obvious facts that his two-year reign in power, is leaving decayed legacies across the state in an unprecedented manner.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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