Why I Tackled Gov. Makinde  At Alli’s Governorship Declaration — Fuji Artiste, Saheed Osupa 

 

 

By Akanni Toba

 

Fuji maestro, Saheed Akorede Babatunde Okunola, popularly known as Saheed Osupa, has broken his silence on the rationale behind his recent action during a musical performance in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

 

Osupa noted that he took a dig, through his music, at governor Makinde for failing to redeem a promise he made to him while vying for his current position.

 

The singer, who is also known as “Saridon P”, by his fans performed at Senator Sarafadeen Alli’s declaration for the state governorship race on Friday.

 

Alli, who is a senator representing Oyo South, is one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

 

It is believed in some quarters that Alli is the anointed candidate of the Olubadan of Ibadan, who is a former governor of the state, Senator Adewolu Ladoja.

 

Meanwhile, during Osupa’s performance he seized the opportunity of the occasion which had a mammoth crowd in attendance to launch a subtle dig at Makinde.

 

Speaking on the reason for his action in an interview, the musician described Makinde as “deceitful”.

 

According to Osupa he got to know the Oyo State governor’s true colours from his dealing.

 

 

Osupa said, “Oyo don’t rely on a deceitful person. Who deceived the first time and did the second administration anyhow. Their secret is exposed. What is 0.1, 0.2? They are all point fraud,” the Fuji star said at the APC governorship aspirant declaration ceremony.

 

Omituntun 1.0 and 2.0 are Makinde’s campaign slogans indicating his first and second tenures in office.

 

 

He continued, “I had the experience and it is not a cooked-up story. They brought a job for me to do and I accepted it wholeheartedly. I named my price but they said it was too costly. I considered the job as a collective enterprise. Little did I know that the whole consideration would end regrettably.”

 

The Fuji artiste alleged that he was contracted for a music performance deal below its worth, adding that he was promised later compensation after securing victory in the election.

 

He further alleged that his vehicle was damaged during the campaign, but was eventually replaced after agitation and initial sidelining.

 

“They asked me to do a job worth three shillings for one shilling. They promised that if the election was won in their favour, I would be compensated,” the Fuji artiste said.

 

“During the campaign, my car was damaged. They promised that I would get a replacement when the election was over. I was sidelined. It was only when the matter almost turned into a fight that I was given another one,” he said.

 

Osupa said he had another deal with the Makinde administration that confirmed to him that it’s a penny-pinching government as the Oyo helmsman allegedly refused to pay for his services.

 

 

 

“They re-invited me for another job. Eventually, they did not want to pay a dime for the latter and the former engagements. Can you see how despicable human beings are?” the artiste said.

 

Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has refused to dignify Osupa’s claims with a comment, the state commissioner of Information, Dotun Oyelade, described the singer as just “an entertainer” when contacted.

 

 

 

“Who are we talking about? A musician, an entertainer. Government business is too serious for Governor Seyi Makinde to waste his time responding to what a musician said at a concert or anything. So we have no comment,”  Oyelade said.