Aluko Campaign Council Condemns Derogatory Comments On Person Of Its candidate

The Yinka Aluko Campaign Council has condemned what it called derogatory utterances made by an acclaimed Islamic cleric, Alfa Adam Yahaya against the rep candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

Hon. Ahmed Yinka Aluko , APC Candidate representing Ilorin East/South federal constituency, was at the annual event of Balogun Fulani Develop Association on Saturday in Ilorin.

The condemnation was contained in a statement signed by his campaign council team.

 The statement read; “The campaign council condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the irresponsible and derogatory comments targeted at smearing the image of our candidate by any individual, including an Islamic cleric who is simply known by the name Adam Yahaya Alfulani, during the Balogun Fulani Annual ceremony and launching of the Almanac on Saturday.

“Because of the sensitivity of the issue, we had initially wanted to abstain, but constrained to break silence because of the community interest involved.

“To set the record straight, Hon. Ahmed Yinka Aluko, while speaking at the event, only advised the event organizers to be conscious of action that can lead any reasonable person to suggest another meaning, other than the good intention of the forbearers for the association and for holding the annual event, which is to discuss the issues that directly affect the people of the community in a positive ways.

They noted that as one of the important stakeholders in the community, Hon. Aluko’s statement became sacrosanct when the Islamic cleric who was given the task of raising funds for the Almanac turned the event to campaign ground with several unmannered statement and weighty provocation.

“Our political atmosphere is volatile, owing to the action and inaction of the key stakeholders. We therefore owes it a collective responsibility to ensure that the fragile peaceful political atmosphere we enjoy is not disrupted by any anti-democratic forces. This is a collective duty of all, including the clerics.

According to the statement, When a society is dancing towards the political cliff edge, either by way of playing politics with community interest, clerics has an important duty to drum an alarm. This was the summary of what Hon.Aluko reminded the gathering and the said cleric.

The cleric heightened the beats, with his reckless and partisanship display, capable of leading to ecstasy that can potentially push the community down the political cliff.

The campaign team explained that It’s important to situate one of the partisanship displayed by the said cleric.

“You shall continue to defeat any politician that contest against you in any election”, said the cleric; to one of the contenders, in an event that had two illustrious sons contesting for the same seat, in attendance. This is absurd, irresponsible and least unexpected from an Islamic cleric with a clear term of assignment and who suppose to show he is for All.

“It is sad that this happened in a place where elite and high-ranking individuals converged to discuss the next stage of growth and development in the constituency. More shameful that this came from a supposedly respected and revered Islamic cleric who is hold in high esteem by our candidate.

“We expected that Hon. Aluko, who has shown maximum respect and honor to Alfulani, would have a return of his good gestures, but instead, the cleric threw decorum in the air with usage of uncouth language on the grandson of one of the pillars and highly revered Islamic scholars of Ilorin, Sheik Ahmad Ikokoro, whose impacts live on in the hearts of many.

As a thoroughbred Ilorin man of the Fulani aborigin, Ahmed Yinka Aluko is the flesh of the Balogun Fulani, which cannot be torn apart, no matter the conspiracy by a few and already forgotten political jobbers.

“We, therefore urge community leaders, politicians as well as Islamic clerics to desist from unguarded utterances capable of disrupting the peace the community and the state are enjoying. It is only right that we respect some gatherings, and exploit the opportunities therein for the betterment of the masses rather than involving ourselves in partisan politics.

“We recognise and appreciate the executive of the Balogun Fulani Development Association and all the personalities who have called our boss to apologize and urge him to put the event behind him.

However, they urge the organizers to be conscious of how they organise and manage the activities of the association, such that no disguised political element will use it to advance the political interest of his self, friends, family, or acquaintance, in line with practice and vision of our forefathers for our great community.