Following insinuation that Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, masterminded the current travails of former chairman of Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lateef Akinsola Olruntoki a.k.a. Tokyo, a group called Oyo State Advocate, has urged members of the public to discountenance the insinuation, describing it as insulting and malicious.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Folasayo Alagbe, the group called on the people to leave the governor out of the crisis rocking the union in the state, as the insinuation remains unfounded, wrong, disgusting and demeaning to the person of the governor.

Being the chief security officer of the state, the group said, ''It is wrong to link the governor, a law-abiding citizen, with criminal activities and it is unfortunate that our people don't know the extent and limit to which politics should be played, otherwise why would some people think a governor could be part of criminal activities'', adding that, ''Akala has no business engaging in such dirty deals.''

Describing such as diversionary tactics, Alagbe said, "Every peace loving and security conscious people in the state should allow the law to take its due course.

"The police are doing their job and nobody has ever confessed that it was Akala that sent them and the question is that where do those peddling the false rumour get their fake information? Nobody wants ''Tokyo'' jailed but if the law says so, so be it and if not, good luck to him''.

The group maintained that the state government had no choice in accepting the adoption of the new chairman for the union in the state, Lateef Salako a.k.a. Eleweomo, since the national office of the union had approved it.

Alagbe condemned misinterpretation of Tokyo's plight to the effect that the governor habours hatred for the people of Ibadan, advising such critics not to fan an ember of division among the good people of Oyo State as the governor was yet to discriminate against any section of the state since his assumption of office in 2007.

''Ibadan is enjoying the governance in Oyo State more than any other geo-political zones in the state. The present cabinet has about 70 per cent of Ibadan indigenes while many developmental projects are ongoing in the city of Ibadan. Akala committed so much to Ibadan even beyond what its indigenes who are former governor did when they were in power'', the group added.