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Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, southwest, Nigeria today debunked the allegation that he is working against the wishes of the former governor in the State and a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Chief Olusegun Osoba.
The governor stated this early today while addressing newsmen at his Oke- Mosan office in Abeokuta while reacting to yesterday’s fracas at the State Secretariat of the party where some political thugs disrupted the harmonization committee meeting of the party.
The thugs also attacked three journalists during the mayhem.
The governor attributed what happened yesterday to what he described as communication gap between him and the federal lawmakers who had come for the harmonization meeting yasterday.
According to the governor, “what happened yesterday is something that is avoidable really, I believed that truly is what I called communication gap. Majority of the people that were there yesterday, they are not at the meeting where the decision was taken. They don’t know what I know and maybe that was what caused that gap”.
He further stated that,”our party leaders in their wisdom, they wanted to have, not even the names they were calling there yesterday, they are 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, INEC has said that interim must not be more than six months and with what they are doing now, 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 for about four to five months back, but somehow, it didn’t happen and because of the urgency, we are now going into registration. I am sure registration will start next week. If registration is starting next week, however, our leaders in their wisdom think of a way out”, he explained.
Three days ago, all the three zones in the north met and concluded we don’t need that again, I have the information and I tried to pass it across, that they said we should go straight to registration. For me, its unnecessary, but I believed its all about communication gap, of course I have to apologize really. When I heard what happened yesterday, believe you me, it was highly embarrassing”, he posited.
He chided those that are trying to factionalise the party, claiming that the former governor, Akinrogun Olusegun Osoba remained the party leader in the State and every member of APC in the State is under him.
“They told me, our leader in Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba said somethings, they even said some people are Pro -Osoba and some are Anti- Osoba and I ask them, who is not Pro- Osoba, that some people would say that they are Pro- Osoba and they are using that to cause problem, its uncalled for. 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 have to apologize on their behalf, either they said Pro- Osoba or Anti- Osoba, there is nobody that is Anti- Osoba, we are all Pro- Osoba, he is our leader, so I think it’s just communication gap and I am sure there is no problem and even yesterday, I still try to call him,there is no problem”, Amosun revealed.
On the attack of some journalists, the governor reassured the gentlemen of the Press of the State government protection to all of them in the cause of discharging their civic responsibility, adding that whoever perpetrated the attack will not be spared of the rod.
“I also understand that some of you, I use to call our Oga’s were attacked, my apology on their behalf.To our media friends, please, you know us, it is not in our character, it is not in our way. If people outside should abuse me, people at Abuja are abusing me, yes, we all should take the responsibility for governance. People must criticize you, people will tell you what to do, but it must be in a better way.
For me as a governor here, I have to apologize on their behalf.
“There some lines you must not cross in this Ogun State, I want to assure you our media men, nobody must touch any of our media men, it is a line that must not be crossed, once you cross it, you must face the full wrath of the law. There some lines we must not cross, just like me, there are some things I made my mind up of, like that of our Assembly, anybody that is caught carrying the mace, must be dealt with, even in our local government, everything must be done by following the due process”, he promised.
He however ruled out any competition between him and the former governors in the State or the federal lawmakers, stressing that, constitution has laid down the duties of everybody, adding that people will judge everyone that serve the State in future.
He said, “This is Ogun State, you know what we call Ogun Standard, we don’t want that, this is the home of the giants, we can’t afford to lose sleep, we should not descend to that level, we would not allow that anymore in Ogun State, for me, governors will come, governors will go.Don’t forget that we have responsibility to govern,if you have responsibility to govern, you will have no time for all these. Indeed, when I finish yesterday, I still go round and do my job. We are not where we should be as a State and you are here and you know and I made bold to say that you can see our little efforts. I am happy that we are trying and working in tandem with our five cardinal points, you can score us and you will see that we want to leave Ogun State better than what we met.
“I am not in competition with all my predecessors, governors will come, governors will go, how many years have I used here now, just two and half years, how can I want to be in competition with those that have served us before. People will judge after Mr. A and Mr. B have left the office. How can I be in competition with the people in Abuja, our duties are clearly defined”, Amosun declared.
