The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kolapo Alimi, on Monday engaged in a heated debate over the breakdown of law and order in the state.
The two politicians were featured as guests on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Alimi lamented that at least six persons were killed in Monday’s mayhem despite an earlier plea by Governor Ademola Adeleke for President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
He said, “It is quite unfortunate that today we lost six good citizens of this state, irrespective of their political parties. We sympathise with the families of the deceased. The governor has also directed everybody to stay away from the local government. If the APC wants to continue their comedy, let them continue.
That was the reason the governor, yesterday, called on the President to call the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to order. That you are the nephew of the President doesn’t give you the authority to come to the state and drop the name of the President. We know that the President might not know about this.
“Five PDP members were killed and several injured. So, we are talking about (the safety of) lives and properties here. We urge them to toe the line of peace and call on the President to quickly intervene. We want the whole world to come to our rescue.”
But Basiru kicked, saying the PDP government should be held responsible for the killing of the purportedly reinstated Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Remi Abbas.
The APC national secretary also alleged that many of their members who had nothing to do with the violence were attacked.
He said, “I am very emotional tonight. This is not politics. What happened in Osun today is carnage, and this shouldn’t be expected from someone who sworn to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our chairman, Hon Remi Abbas, was cut down in his prime today and in cold blood.
“He was killed like a common criminal by thugs of the People Democratic Party. One of our members was mauled as if he was attacked by lions. These are facts and sacred. It’s not enough to keep making reference to what Jonathan had said. The same thing happened in Ilesa and Osogbo today.
“A timber merchant was murdered just because he was identified. But he was nowhere near the premises of the local government. Is this just about power or these people are just mindless? How will a governor feel comfortable unleashing thugs on the citizens of the state because of power? This has gone beyond words. I feel seriously emotional.”
Osun, currently governed by Governor Ademola Adeleke, is facing heightened tensions between members of the PDP and the APC.
The crisis stems from attempts by sacked local government chairmen, elected under the APC, to reclaim their positions despite court rulings removing them from office.
Over the weekend, Adeleke held a press conference, urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene and restrain Oyetola from allegedly using security forces to reinstate the sacked chairmen.
The situation escalated on Monday when Abass was killed by hoodlums in Ikire.
