Hundreds of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State on Monday took to the streets in protest against alleged intimidation of Honourable Ibrahim Shittu, representing Saki West state constituency, over his position on the approval of the N300 billion loan request of the People’s Democratic Party-led administration in the state, in Ibadan.
The protest, which took off at the APC secretariat, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, terminated at Mokola round about in Ibadan North Local Government Area.
The protesters, who alleged the rising debt profile of the state, cautioned the leadership of the state House of Assembly against intimidating the APC member over his stance on the approved loan.
According to Nigerian Tribune, Honourable Shittu had faulted the approval of the N300bn loan request by less than two-thirds members of the Assembly, describing it as unconstitutional.
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He argued that at no point in time did the House sit as claimed for the approval of the loan request.
However, the Assembly, in a statement jointly signed by the Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin, and the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Media, Public Affairs and ICT, Waheed Akintayo, faulted the claim of the lawmaker, arguing that the loan was approved at the plenary by the majority members in attendance.
It was argued that the approval was not done in secrecy as claimed by the lawmaker.
The chairman of APC in the state, Mr Olayide Abas, decried the rising debt profile of the present administration in the state.
According to him, “There is no justification for the rising debt profile of Oyo with increase in the monthly allocation from the Federation Account.
“If the monthly Federation Account and Allocation Committee (FAAC) with the Internally Generated Revenue are well utilised, there will not be need for the government to access loan locally and internationally.
“The people of Oyo State are fed up with the PDP administration and the only alternative left is APC.
“The APC had done it in the past. We are ready to repeat same with the exit of the PDP in 2027.
“We will not allow the PDP to mortgage the lives of the people of the State through an unrestricted access to loans.”
