Ogun Govt Slams CUPP Over Poverty Claims, Calls Allegations Baseless

The Ogun State Government has dismissed the claims by the state chapter of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), which accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of plunging 68.1% of Ogun residents into poverty. 

Describing the allegations as baseless, the government labeled CUPP’s statement as “rantings of political jobbers and fraudsters,” stunned by the governor's rising political profile.

In a statement released by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, the government challenged CUPP to provide statistical evidence to back its claims or “remain silent forever in the gutter of irrelevance to which it belongs.”

The Femi Sholuade-led CUPP is nothing more than a gang of political obscurantists desperately seeking relevance by concocting voodoo figures, the statement read.

Akinmade further remarked, “Were it not for the need to disabuse the minds of innocent people who may be taken in by CUPP and its tales by the moonlight, it would have been entirely unnecessary to dignify the utter gibberish by CUPP and its sponsors with a reply. But we owe the nation a record to curtail the spread of fake news released with intent to create chaos in Ogun State.”

The statement highlighted several significant investments and achievements by the Abiodun administration, which it argued contradict CUPP's poverty claims. These include a $400 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Arise Integrated Industrial Platform for the Olokola Free Trade Zone and Remo Agro Processing Zone, a $500 million investment by the African Industries Group, and the Canadian Government’s planned investments in agriculture and technology to strengthen bilateral relations.

It also mentioned a $500 million Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) investment in power infrastructure, a $300 million Galaxy Steel Company Limited project for specialized steel production, and a $5 million battery recycling plant by a British firm.

The government emphasized infrastructural development, noting that over 600 kilometers of roads have been constructed under Governor Abiodun's leadership. Ogun remains the safest state in the country due to the security architecture put in place, the statement added.

The statement dismissed CUPP’s accusations as unfounded, describing them as “vainglorious, irredeemably illiterate, and utterly mischievous concoctions.” 

It said, “Just how can anyone who claims sanity say that a Governor who has been radically transforming Ogun State and made it an investment destination has plunged the populace into poverty by so doing?”

Referring to recent housing projects, Akinmade noted that the houses were allocated to individuals who paid for them, contrary to CUPP’s insinuations. He added, “If CUPP has concrete evidence of wrongdoing, we challenge it to publish it.”

The government also pointed to the recently assented Ogun Electricity Market (OGEM) law, designed to deregulate electricity supply in the state and improve industrialization and residents’ quality of life.

"CUPP and its sponsors are playing to the gallery because some politicians gave them money to rubbish the achievements of the governor in various sectors"

"Their hearts being full of mischief and evil, we understand why they are willfully blind to the numerous achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun, for which the good people of Ogun State remain deeply appreciative", the statement concluded.