A former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, has said it is unkind for Governor Seyi Makinde to refer to him and other past governors in the state as “charlatans”.
Alao-Alaka, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, said this in Iseyin on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the empowerment programme organised by the Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Fatai Buhari.
Makinde had while reacting to the threat to vote him out of office in 2023 said his detractors lacked political relevance and the state would never again be governed by charlatans.
Makinde said, “Let me sound this: if I will not seek re-election, I am sure that Oyo State will never, again, be in the hands of charlatans.
“So, calm down. It is even too early to start talking about a second term. Some parties that do not have even one councilor are saying that they will send me out of the Government House in 2023.”
When asked by journalists for his reaction to what Makinde said in Ogbomoso on Wednesday, he said it was immature for the governor to have said what was credited to him.
Alao-Akala said, “I don’t believe he (Makinde) said that. But if he said that, he made a mistake. You don’t address your predecessors as charlatans.
“You don’t do that. It is unstatesmanly and uncharitable. You just have to talk like a statesman that he is going to be a statement after he must have left office.
“You would see the way we have been addressing him. None of us who has been in that office before has ever said that he is not doing very well.
“He is doing his best. The best may not be enough for the people. When it is time for the campaign, we will campaign. But don’t use that word ‘charlatan’ it was unstatesmanly for him to have said that.”