ABEOKUTA — The member representing Ipokia/Idiroko Constituency in the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Bisi Oyedele, has rejected claims that the 10th Assembly is dormant or operating as a rubber-stamp legislature.
Oyedele, popularly known as Citiside, said the Assembly had demonstrated a measure of independence by pushing for increased constituency allowances and implementing more constituency projects than previous assemblies.
He stated this on Wednesday while featuring on The Arena, a podcast programme based in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Reacting to a claim by an opposition governorship candidate that the Assembly had been inactive, Oyedele described the statement as a reflection of “the mentality of someone in opposition.”
He said, “We are not dormant. The statement is from the mentality of someone in opposition. He won’t see good things from us.
“We are not a rubber-stamp Assembly. We have pushed for more constituency allowances and got it. Though our independence is not total, we are not a ‘do as I say’ House.”
Oyedele also said members of the 10th Assembly had embarked on more constituency projects than any previous Assembly in the history of the state, stressing that lawmakers had remained responsive to the needs of their constituents.
The lawmaker also declared that political leaders and stakeholders in Ogun West had overcome the divisions that previously weakened the zone politically.
According to him, the zone has learnt from past experiences and is now united behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
“Ogun West is now wiser.
The Ogun West nomenclature has changed. Ogun West is indivisible; we are now united,” he said.
Oyedele recalled that the zone performed strongly during the 2023 elections, claiming that Ogun West delivered all its candidates and would repeat the feat in 2027.
“In 2023, Ogun West was the only zone that delivered optimally; all candidates emerged. It was 100 per cent. Ogun West is an indivisible political family now. We will deliver Senator Adeola and other candidates in the 2027 elections,” he said.
The lawmaker dismissed controversies surrounding Adeola’s candidacy as distractions, insisting that voters in the state had made up their minds to support the APC candidate.
“Forget about distractions. He is our governorship candidate. People have made up their minds to vote for him and APC,” he said.
Oyedele, while highlighting his stewardship as a lawmaker, listed his interventions in the Ipokia/Idiroko constituency to include efforts to prevent clashes between Customs officers and residents, youth empowerment initiatives and the provision of 11 boreholes across Ipokia Local Government Area.
He also stressed the importance of his return to the Assembly for a second term, saying his experience would place him in a better position to attract more benefits to his constituency.
“My people will have more to gain as a second-term member. I will have better and good committees to head as a second-timer, and it will be for their gains,” he said.
