Ogun APC fracas: Osoba remains our father and leader, says Amosun

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has debunked media reports that Thursday’s fracas between some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was a fallout of a competition between him and former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba.

“I am not in competition with my predecessors. How can I be in competition with party elders like Chief Osoba?

“Chief Osoba is our father in the party and there is nobody that is anti-Osoba in the state, we are all pro-Osoba’’, he said, while addressing news men in his office yesterday.

The governor described as unfortunate, the incident which erupted in the APC state secretariat in Abeokuta, resulting in claims and counter claims of violent attacks between contending groups in the party.

According to him, the crisis arose as a result of a “communication gap”, adding that “what we experienced yesterday was quite embarrassing. It is something that could be avoided if we are sincere with ourselves.

“The harmonisation committee is no more necessary because according to the national headquarters of our party, this committee should have been put in place about five months ago and since this was not done, they have asked us to go into membership registration. I think the problem is that of communication gap”, the governor said.

Amosun, while also apologising to the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), over allegation of harassment of its members during the fracas,, assured that such an ugly incident would not occur again in the state.

He said journalists should not be harassed by politicians in the course of going about their lawful duties, describing them as partners in progress.

The governor said that the composition of the harmonisation committee was done in error and described it as an effort in futility.

“Majority of the people who were there yesterday were not at the meeting where the decision was taken.

“They don’t know what I know and maybe that was what caused that gap. Of course, our party leadership in its wisdom, wanted to have, not even the names they were calling there, they were not there, I was there.

“They have been toying with this thing for the past five or six months. And if you don’t know, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that Interim Exco must not be more than six months in office and I think, whatever you are doing, it must be concluded by the end of March.

“So, the committee they are talking about should have been in place about 4-5months back, but somehow, it didn’t happen and because of the urgency, we are now going into registration. I’m sure registration will start next week,” he said.

He also said that registration of members of the party would commence next week and acknowledged the former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, as the leader of the party in the state.

He said, “Of course, I have to apologize really. When I heard what happened yesterday, believe you me, it was highly embarrassing.

They told me, our leader in Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba said some things, they even said some people are pro-Osoba and anti-Osoba and I asked them, who is not pro-Osoba that some people would say that they are pro-Osoba?

“They are using that to cause problem, it’s uncalled for. As for me, governors will come, governors will go, when I was told that Chief Osoba abused me, yes, he is our leader and it is the elders that will abuse the young ones.

“I also understand that some of you (journalists), I used to call our Ogas were attacked. Accept my apology on their behalf,” he said.

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