A Socio-cultural Political Group, Imole Kishi Group has advised Hon. Afeez Ona-ara contesting for House of Representatives under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general elections to reflect and stop bitting the fingers that fed him.
The group gave the admonition on Saturday in a statement made available to newsmen following his video clip castigating and undermining the authority of KIshi Progressive Union (KPU).
In the video, Hon. ara scolded the KPU president and asked him to retract and do the needful within 7-day ultimatum otherwise they would form another KPU.
While reacting to his threats, the group said Eminent indigenes of kishi community have listened to the video clips and what is standing for and his threat to the entire community, adding that they are waiting for him to make good of his threat to form another KPU within the 7-day ultimatum which he gave.
The statement also said in the history of KPU, there was only once occasion of this type of scenario where some disgruntled element attempted to split away from KPU but they ended up in perdition, and as such, his attempt to float another KPU will not be different from previous attempt which ended in perdition.
It stated further that as for well meaning indigenes of Kishi, who are seeing far more in the current scenario which Hon. Ona ara is championing will know that KPU position to ensure that a House of Representatives seat is retained in kishi is inviolable.
The statement read: “The video which is trending, castigating and undermining the authority of KPU is a sponsored and heard by Hon. Afeez Ona Ara is divisive and tendencious and not being helpful to his political course.
“To start with, he claimed to speak on, and about KPU of which he knows nothing of its internal mechanism and socio political dynamism.
“KPU since its inception has always stood for development of Kishi and that informed most of projects that are now standing in Kishi coming about through the efforts of KPU.
“For instance, starting from the central mosque, the cottage hospital in kishi to school of midwifery and to the proposed Kishi university etc.
According to him, those are physical efforts of KPU and it is gratifying that two prominent children of current chairman of KPU facilitated the construction of projects worth millions of Naira in kishi and indeed such prominent children to the glory of God rose to the pinnacle of their career being generals in the military.
“In 2011, when the issue of political support for an indigene to become the member of House of Representatives fell for consideration, KPU, under the leadership of the current president of KPU stoutly rose to the occasion by supporting Hon. Afeez Onara against not only Lanre Agooro of Igboho but also now Professor Abdul waheed Abdul one of Accord party.
“Professor Adeniyi of blessed memory, was a strong partner of KPU in that struggle and from their own calculation then, KPU believed that it has to support Hon. Afeez Ona ara to become the member of House of Representatives and through that efforts he emerged the member of House of Representatives of the federal republic of Nigeria in 2011.
“Now, moving forward, between that period and 2019, KPU had leveraged and gave support to the government of the day which was APC because in the wisdom of KPU, no tangible result could come from opposition to government of the day.
“No leaders of opposition parties castigated KPU or insulted them as Hon. Ona Ara has done currently and not even minding that the current president of KPU has children who are far more successful in life than Hon. Ona ara.
“To put the record straight and in proper perspective, what KPU is trying to do is that the opportunity we have in kishi this time around must not be carelessly or foolishly thrown away due to partisanship.
“Hon. Onaara is grossly partisan and could not even mind if this opportunity is lost and in fact he doesn’t want this opportunity to come to Kishi.
“Kishi at the moment has a current sitting deputy governor on the platform of PDP. Barrister Bayo Lawal is not only a deputy governorship candidate of PDP but a sitting deputy governor. We believe Kishi community must reflect deeply on this pivotal political appointment and do the needful in terms of where the community support should go.
“To start with, the seat of House of Representatives is by rotation which should come to Irepo local government. Haven being currently occupied by Oorelope. In Irepo LG, three candidates emerged against one at Oorelope LG. So, if KPU allows this arrangement without intervention as KPU did in 2011 in favor of Hon. Ona ara, then the result of House of Representatives election can be properly guessed.
“Hon. Ona ara, by his unguided outburst against KPU has directly insulted the entirety of Kishi community who assisted his political career up till this moment.
“Eminent indigenes of kishi community have listened to video clips and what is standing for and his threat to the entire community. So, we are waiting for him to make good of his threat to form another KPU within the 7-day ultimatum which he gave.
“In the history of KPU, there was only one occasion of this type of scenario where some disgruntled element attempted to split away from KPU but they ended up in perdition, and as such, his attempt to float another KPU will not be different from previous attempt which ended in perdition, and disgraced.
“As for well meaning indigenes of Kishi, who are seeing far more in the current scenario which Hon. Ona ara is championing, will know that KPU position to ensure that a House of Representatives seat is retained in kishi is inviolable.
“As KPU did in 2007 and 2011 for Hon. Ona ara, so is KPU doing at the moment in the interest of the community even if KPU steps are against Hon. Ona ara this time around.
“We are not unmindful of series of threats that Hon Ona ara and his cohorts are issuing to KPU officials bothering on threats of assassinations and attacks. As such, those are in the realms of criminalities and appropriate arms of government have been alerted.
“At this junction, the only advice available to give Ona Ara is to tender an unreserved apology to the KPU for his transgression and very insulting video clip circulating around.
“To KPU, Ona ara is still their child, but he has bitten the fingers that fed him like a lunatic would do. “Ojo Ore Pe, Asiwere Gbagbe”.
