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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has condemned Wednesday’s invasion of the Muslim praying ground at Oke Bale, Osogbo by “Governor Ademola Adeleke and his retinue of political thugs who are loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with some soldiers and policemen.”
The state chairman of APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, on Wednesday, said the whole scenario which culminated into a rancorous scene was orchestrated by the governor and his “political hoodlums,” describing their actions as “executive lawlessness.”
“It was gathered that without prior notification by the advanced party and protocol unit of the Governor’s Office, Governor Adeleke’s handlers badged into the Muslim Praying Ground and ordered a respected leader in Osogbo, Alhaji Tunde Badmus, the Asiwaju of Osogbo land, and Senator Ajibola Bashiru, to vacate where they were already seated and that it was the choice of space for the governor.
“It was an attempt to forcefully remove Alhaji Badmus and Senator Bashiru from their seats at the praying ground and subsequent executive order by Governor Adeleke, who hails from Ede, to the police to effect the arrest of the two prominent sons of Osogbo that degenerated into the confusion which engulfed the scene.
“It was also gathered that the governor who left the scene before the beginning of the Eid-prayers issued an order to close the entrance gate of the praying ground in order to effect the arrest of Alhaji Badmus and Bashiru.
“The indigenes of Osogbo who saw no reason for the arrest resisted the development, which resulted in the ensuing rancorous scene.
“It was also gathered that Governor Adeleke did not even alight from his official vehicle throughout the duration of the crisis, which makes nonsense of those who are reporting an assassination attempt on the governor,” the APC chairman said.
Lawal condemned the needless heating up of the polity by “Adeleke and his co-travellers,” advising the governor to go and sort out himself with the aggrieved members of his party whom he has been having a running battle with in recent times.
Lawal recalled how Adeleke was attacked by some disenchanted PDP members in Ikirun when he went to commission the Osogbo-Ikirun road, which he said the immediate-past Governor Gboyega Oyetola had achieved its 75 per cent completion.
“It would also be recalled that within the last one week, so many aggrieved members of the PDP and their allies in the dissolved Mr Rauf Aregbeola-led The Osun Progressives (TOP), have been publishing copious stories and video recordings with which they have been lambasting Governor Adeleke and regretted having to have identified with his political camp,” he said.
The APC chairman also registered his disdain for the use of soldiers in the convoy of the governor, advising the new Chief of Army Staff to look into the anomaly of security architecture in Osun State and promptly redress the situation.
“It’s the duty of the advanced party of the governor and his protocol unit to make a solid preparation with reference to the issue of sitting arrangement.
“There is no way there won’t be such lapses in the governor’s protocol since the statutory security agents, the DSS, who were previously with Governor Adeleke have not been brought back after an allegation that one of them was slapped by a female member of the governor’s family.
“The way and manner that the conventional policemen attached to the governor who are performing the statutory role of the DSS officers dress, has exposed them as heavily deficient in their strange assignment.
“We, in the APC, won’t tolerate the needless heating up of the polity and disturbance of public peace by someone who is supposed to be the state security officer of the state,” Lawal added.
