Aiyedatiwa Weaponising Cybercrime Law to Silence Critics – Ondo PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of using allegations of “blackmail and cyber extortion” as a cover to suppress criticism and avoid accountability.
In a statement signed on Sunday by the party’s Director of Media and Public Communications, Wándé T. Àjàyí, the PDP described as “infantile” a recent remark by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Idowu Ajanaku, who claimed that the state government was being targeted by “blackmailers.”
The opposition party said the commissioner’s statement was a “desperate attempt to paint the government as a victim” amid mounting public criticism over governance failures in the state.
“Obviously, the only people blackmailing Ondo State today are those occupying Alagbaka who have reduced governance to a bazaar of deceit, propaganda, and self-glorification,” the party said.
“A government drowning in scandals, opacity, and waste has no moral right to lecture anyone on integrity. When citizens demand accountability, this administration cries ‘blackmail.’ It is the archaic tactic of the guilty playing the victim when confronted by truth.”
The PDP accused Governor Aiyedatiwa and his team of dragging the state’s name “into their petty propaganda circus” and challenged the government to publish the list of contractors, payment records, and the true status of the 2025 budget implementation.
It also faulted what it described as the administration’s “reckless spending” and failure to meet basic obligations in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“The truth is that our hospitals are dying, schools are unconducive, and Ondo South is almost cut off from the rest of the state. AAUA has been on strike for two months, and the Students’ Union is threatening protests,” the statement read.
The party further accused the government of planning to use the Cybercrime Act to “gag critics” and silence dissenting voices.
“We are aware of the plan to criminalise criticism and hound voices of accountability. That plan will fail. Ondo people are no longer afraid,” it said.
According to the PDP, the Aiyedatiwa administration is “more interested in chasing shadows than solving the real problems of hunger, unemployment, and infrastructural decay.”
The party urged the governor to focus on governance rather than what it called “propaganda battles.”
“Governor Aiyedatiwa should face his job and stop issuing meaningless press statements. The people did not elect him to trade insults with imaginary enemies but to govern responsibly,” the PDP said.
“Until he does, the PDP will continue to expose the lies, waste, and hypocrisy that have become the hallmark of this government. Truth is not defended by threats; it is proven by conduct—and this government has failed that test miserably.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
