A human rights and anti-corruption group, Rights Watchmen has condemned the preferential treatment being accorded the current Chief of Staff to the Governor of Osun State and an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, by the state government of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
This was contained as part of a statement issued and signed by the State Chairman of the group, Comrade Adebayo Babaranti.
According to the human rights group leader, information at the disposal of his group has revealed that as Alhaji Oyetola plans to submit his Letter of Intent to the party leadership in the state today, Governor Aregbesola has directed all the 68 councils' Executive Secretaries to hire minimum of four buses to convey people from their respective areas to Osogbo, the state capital for the event
To this end, Babaranti further revealed, the council bosses have been heavily provided with cash deducted from their respective monthly allocation for the task.
"In addition to this, all government ministries, agencies and parastatals have been directed by Governor Aregbesola to make available some of their official cars to ferry people to the party Secretariat along Gbongan/Ibadan Road in the state capital.
"All members of the state executive council have also been directed by the state governor to attend the event and show their support for Oyetola.
"One cannot but wonder why a government that profess to be frugal with the state scarce resources will go out of its way to satisfy only one of the numerous aspirants vying for the same position on the platform of the same party," the human rights group leader stressed.
He therefore urged all right-thinking members of the public to raise their voice against the use of public properties for the political aspiration of few privileged individuals.
He further reasoned over what makes Oyetola a special breed over all the other APC governorship aspirants in view of the underground support being accorded him by the state governor and his administration.
"As at last count, the party paraded about 27 aspirants on the day the state party leadership held a meeting with all those inspiring to take over from Aregbesola.
"How come the governor now gives preferential treatment to Oyetola despite serial denials that he had no anointed candidate from among all the APC aspirants," Babaranti further wondered.
It would be recalled that Alhaji Oyetola is a nephew to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Intelligence has also revealed that Oyetola was forced on Aregbesola by his mentor and leader, Tinubu who mandated the governor to ensure Oyetola's emergence at whatever cost.