The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned Governor Dapo Abiodun’s decision to gift Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to all 20 local government chairmen in the state, describing the move as a “brazen affront to local government autonomy” and an example of misplaced governance priorities.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Otunba Arc. Kayode Adebayo, the PDP alleged that the Christmas gesture was a suspicious “quid pro quo” aimed at trading luxury vehicles for the loyalty of council chairmen, rather than empowering local governments through constitutional financial autonomy.
According to the opposition party, effective grassroots governance cannot be achieved through the distribution of luxury vehicles but through full compliance with constitutional provisions that guarantee local governments direct access to their statutory allocations.
“It is full autonomy, not luxury SUVs, that is the key to effective governance at the local government level”, the PDP said, dismissing the governor’s justification that the vehicles would enhance council performance as “weak, deceptive and unacceptable”.
The party accused the Abiodun administration of profligacy, arguing that the SUV distribution masks deeper governance failures across the state, including collapsed roads, insecurity, dilapidated infrastructure, neglected schools and failing healthcare centres.
The PDP further claimed that while President Bola Tinubu and the judiciary have repeatedly emphasized local government autonomy, Ogun State remains an exception, alleging that the governor has continued to centralize control over council finances.
“Mr Abiodun behaves as if he is above the law, prioritizing the purchase of loyalty over the welfare of the people”, the statement alleged.
Raising constitutional concerns, the party questioned whether the SUVs were meant to serve as official vehicles for elected council chairmen and whether the governor possesses the legal authority to provide such vehicles, describing the exercise as transactional politics that undermines democratic governance.
“Autonomy for local government is no longer a privilege; it is a constitutional imperative”, the PDP stressed, warning that the administration is leaving the state’s councils “in shambles and shackles of inefficiency” as its tenure winds down.
The party urged Ogun residents to remain vigilant and reject what it described as a calculated attempt to weaken local government institutions for political convenience.
