Abimbola Abatta
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State, said it has uncovered a grand plot by former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s faction, The Osun Progressives (TOP) to launch coordinated crises in the state.
TOP was alleged to have “finetuned, funded and concluded a skillfully orchestrated sinister plan to promote a large-scale disturbance in the political firmament of the state” following an incontrovertible intelligence report sequel to the State’s governorship election.
Media Adviser to the Osun APC Chairman, Kola Olabisi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists yesterday.
According to Olabisi, “It was learnt that a leader of TOP from the West Senatorial District of the state has been saddled with the responsibility of mobilising the members of the group across the state and some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a view to sponsoring series of protests against the state leadership of the APC under the chairmanship of Prince Gboyega Famodun, across the states and at the APC Headquarters in Abuja.
“It would be recalled that TOP members worked in cahoots with the PDP during the last governorship election in Osun State on the directive of their leaders while the said leaders merely flashed their voters cards fraudulently indicating that they voted for Governor Gboyega Oyetola as a smokescreen designed to fake their continuous loyalty to the APC.
“It was observed that all the TOP members across the state openly celebrated the pyrrhic governorship victory of the PDP candidate over that of the APC candidate while the said TOP members were openly denigrating the APC, Oyetola, Famodun and other principal members of the party through verifiable write-ups and recorded audio messages in the social media.
“It was also gathered that the intention of the said TOP leadership under the self-asserted patronship of the Interior Minister who was the immediate-past governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, is to go for the jugular of the leadership of the APC at all the various levels across the state after they had patently and conscientiously worked for the PDP victory in the governorship election.”
The Media Aide further revealed that “the singsongs of the handlers of TOP have been that they are desirous to reorganise the APC which had successfully held its party primaries at the all levels of the party across the state backed with the statutory tenure in accordance with the relevant provisions of the constitution of the party.
“The question that the discerning members of the public would be forced to intuitively ask is how some elements who have been working at cross-purposes with the ideal of the party to the extent of working against the party to cause the present temporary loss of the governorship election would now say that they want to reorganise the party from outside?
“Based on the explanation of the contextual ingredients of our intelligence report, it is urgently expedient for all the genuine members, leaders, supporters and apologists of our party, the APC, to be at alert and resist any intention of any group of disgruntled elements who are PDP members in spirit but APC in body with the sole motive to bring down the formidable wall of our party for selfish reasons.
“The intelligence report further revealed that part of the intentions of TOP is to work towards putting the leadership of the APC under their new political ally in Senator Ademola Adeleke under whose administration they wish to reap their unalloyed support for by way of appointments and patronages during the last governorship election.
“Another targeted intention of the inglorious TOP handlers is to create series of violent protests across the state as a prelude or precondition for the creation of a state of emergency in the state in order to create a false impression that peace has eluded the perpetually peaceful state under the administration of Governor Oyetola.
“The aim of seeking for the hands of some PDP members in the planned protests in both Osun State and Abuja, according to the intelligence, is to create a false impression that TOP members are more in number than what they are actually.
“It is for this reason that we are calling the attention of the National Headquarters of our party under the chairmanship of Senator Adamu Abdullahi, to be in the know of the unsavoury development being suspiciously funded, directed and aided by a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The APC, therefore, urged the Inspector-General of Police, the Osun State Police Command and other security agents to be on red alert with a view to nip in the bud any sinister motive of any individual or a group of disgruntled elements to plunge the state into an avoidable anarchic situation under whatever guise.
Parents and guardians were also advised to warn their children and wards to blatantly refuse to be willing instruments in the hands of violent politicians whose intention is to recruit some innocent children for obnoxious political activities which are capable of jeopardising their destinies.
“It will be instructive to remind the political metaphorical serpents who are hiding in the dark to haul destructive and violent stones at our party that the APC at all levels is a product of a valid constitution which should always be followed to the letter in the day-to-day running of the party,” Olabisi added.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Caretaker Secretary of the APC and Chairman of Aregbesola’s faction in the state, Rasaq Salinsile, proved abortive as he neither responded to our phone call nor messages.