When APC Unleashed Violence In Ogun State
The battle for the control of the structures of All Progressive Congress (APC), between the camps of Governor Ibikunle Amosun and former Governor Olusegun Osoba has taken a dangerous dimension where followers now result to using weapons against opposing camps.
The fracas on Thursday, January 9, 2014 in Abeokuta, where innocent residents, passersby, journalists and some members of the All People’s Congress, APC, were violently attacked at the APC Secretariat in a bid to disrupt the election of the Interim State Executive of the party’s harmonising committee, no doubt would not be forgotten in a hurry.
Before the major incident which led to a total break down of law and order, many actions and counter-actions had taken before it culminated into the open attack.
Inside Source from the harmonising committee told NigerianEcho that the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun whom many fingered in the fracas had on Monday, 6th of January allegedly attempted to bribe the Southwest Zonal Vice-Chairman of APC, Chief Niyi Adebayo with the sum of $50,000.
Governor Amosun took this unholy step in a bid to remove a member of the Harmonising Committee, Monsuru Akorede popularly known as Afuye so as to replace him with one of his loyalists.
According to the source, this act would ensure that the Governor has an overriding majority out of the 37members of the Ogun State Harmonising Committee of the Party.
The offer was said to have been turned down by Chief Adebayo who insisted that the National body had spelt out how members of the committee should be constituted.
On realising that the offer was bluntly rejected, the Governor was reported to have quickly requested that one of his loyalists in the Committee, Chief Doja Adewolu be replaced with a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Tunji Egbetokun, saying “Chief Adewolu was suffering from partial stroke and might need to be taken abroad for treatment”.
According to the source, the need to replace Chief Adewolu was to bring in Egbetokun and be made the Chairman of the 5member interim executive to play prominent roles that would favour Governor Amosun in the Harmonisation Committee.
This offer was also rejected by the Southwest zonal vice-Chairman who urged the Governor to nominate the Chairman of the Interim State Executives among the qualified 37 members of the harmonisation committee and decide the venue of the meeting.
It was reliably gathered that in what could be described as a reaction, ACN women leader from Ogun West who is also a member of the Harmonising committee, Alhaja Olanrewaju Asiatu was allegedly kidnapped at Idi-Iroko by some hoodlums who took the woman to the Chairman of Ado Odo-Ota Local Government.
Ayo Olubori and Samuel Ayedogbon, both Commissioners in Amosun’s cabinet , were said to have ensured that Alhaja Asiatu was forcefully brought to the Presidential lodge.
By 1:00 am on Wednesday, a day before the planned inauguration, 6 people out of the 20 members of the Harmonising Committee cornered had escaped despite the promise of $30,000 while the remaining 14 members were lodged at the Continental Suites.
On seeing that the excuses of not being around would not hold water and the members loyal to him can still not guarantee success, the next line of action was to disrupt the event.
That was why the chairman of NURTW, Alhaji Akeem Adeosun fondly called Jango, Alhaji Moshood Akinyele also known as Americo, Tunji Egbetokun and the Liason Officer to the Governor from Abeokuta South, Johnson Oyatayo led some hoodlums in a bloody attack to unleash terror on APC members and non-members alike.
In a gangster-like manner the hoodlums believed to be loyal to the state Government stormed the APC secretariat at about 10.30 am brandishing guns and cudgels, beating everyone in sight including innocent passers-by.
The rampaging thugs smatched cameras belonging to the correspondents of Galaxy Television, Kunle Ojo and MITV Taofeek Lawal.
They also snatched blackberry phones belonging to the correspondent of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria/Paramount FM, Mrs. Modupe Sobukola while journalists, including the State Correspondent of the Tribune, Olayinka Olukoya, were manhandled with the aid of members of the Operation Mesa consisting soldiers and policemen.
The security agencies held the journalists while the thugs molested them and smatched their cameras and blackberry phones.
Scores of residents of the area were also seriously injured by the thugs, who attacked any member of the community in sight.
Several cars at a dealer’s shop near the APC state secretariat were vandalised by the thugs, who also capitalised on the commotion to dispossess residents of their valuables and other personal effects.
The APC secretariat was also vandalised. The members of the state Harmonisation Committee, led by Senator Gbenga Kaka, later addressed newsmen at the Iwe-Iroyin Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
He said “having formed the majority of the harmonisation committee membership and believing that nature abhors vaccum, there is a need for purposeful leadership”.
“Therefore the following Interim State Executive were duly elected this morning;
1. Chairman to be provided by the State
2. Secretary Senator Adegbenga Kaka
3. Treasurer Chief Sunday Sowunmi
4. Organising Secretary HON Babatunde Ogunola
5. Public relations officer to be provided by CPC after harmonisation with the national interim exco”.