Ogun APC Crisis Deepens As Osoba Draw Battle Line With Amosun
Adetokunbo Fakeye
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State deepened on Thursday as a former governor of the state and national leader of the party, Chief Olusegun Osoba, set a stage for political battle with the Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.
Pointer to this emerged yesterday when Osoba told his loyalists at a consultative meeting held in his Ibara home, Abeokuta that neither the intervention by traditional rulers nor the national leadership who might suggest harmonisation of the executive in any format would make him change his stance.
He added he would not accept apology from them or the governor.
Addressing his loyalists who attended the meeting from the 20 local government areas in the state, Osoba said he would not accept apology from the governor or his supporters, adding, his faction had reached some decisions which he held dear to his heart.
To show his seriousness about the battle ahead, the former governor said, “Henceforth, at every ward meeting, please, be keeping registers because the ones they presented are fake ones.
“Go and open register at every ward. So, at the next meeting, I expect all the 236 wards to have got their registers and send them to their various local governments. Don’t listen to any hearsay, if you have anything that is not clear to you, ask your executive members.”
Chief Osoba revealed at the meeting that the executive members, apparently referring to his faction, had informed him that they would not agree with any form of harmonisation, be it 70/30, 80/20 or even 95/5.”
He stated further,”Where we are now, no room for harmonisation or reconciliation. I then told them that, if it has got to that, it means we have drawn two parallel lines.
“I asked them again if they have fully concluded after which we all went into an inner meeting where I vowed to them that I will not forgive or reconcile with anybody.”
“If thousand of people prostrate, it is what you want that I will do, it is what you say that I will say, I will stand where you stand, I want to appeal to you, don’t be distracted.”
Commenting on the setting up of an elders’ committee to reconcile the factions in the party, he said he did not have confidence in the arrangement as “I don’t know who is older than me politically among them. None of them is closer to Awolowo than I was. I wined and dined with him. I don’t have confidence in those people up there again.”
Before the meeting ended, Osoba let out the cat when he said, his faction had reached some decisions which he held dear to his heart and that sooner or later he would tell them(faction) where he would pitch his tent.
