Posted by By Gabriel Dike, Osogbo on
The face off between the ruling party in Osun State and the Action Congress (AC) took a new dimension as AC at the weekend petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over an alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to destablise the state.
-It's false allegation - PDP
The face off between the ruling party in Osun State and the Action Congress (AC) took a new dimension as AC at the weekend petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over an alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to destablise the state.
In a two-page petition dated March 20, 2008 and signed by the AC Chairman, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, the opposition party accused the Osun PDP of plans to unleash mayhem in some major towns in the state.
The petition entitled 'PDP Plans Mayhem to Blame and Arrest AC Leaders' listed the major towns where the alleged crisis would take place on Easter Monday to include Osogbo, Ilesa, Iwo, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Ila-Orangun, Ede and Ilobu.
Adeoti said: 'Our highly impeccable sources revealed that tough-necks drawn from neighbouring states are to be used in the attack designed to leave a trail of blood and destruction behind it."
According to the AC Chairman, the plan was hatched at a meeting held in Government House, Osogbo on Tuesday, March 18 between 4pm and 5pm, and that a frontline traditional ruler, chieftain of the PDP and top officials of the state government were in attendance.
He added: 'We learnt reliably that the plot was designed to enable the attacker escape the prying eyes of eagle-eyed policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives. Once the thugs strike at different locations, they would return to their bases outside Osun state so as to avoid being arrested by law enforcement agents."
Adeoti stated that once the plot has been executed, AC governorship candidate in the state, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola, its state chairman, secretary, Prince Gboyega Famodun, Director of Research and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere and other leaders of AC would be hauled into detention.
The AC Chairman further explained that the plot was a continuation of the invidious plan of the Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola's administration to destablise the opposition over the choice of the people during April 14 gubernatorial election which he said AC is struggling to regain by judicial means.
The party appealed to the police boss to take urgent steps to nip the plan in the bud saying 'we are not unaware of the implications of allowing this alleged plan to be hatched before we bring it to your notice. It appears like a speculation but experience has shown us that facts are most of the time enmeshed inside rumours."
But reacting to the allegation, the state chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ademola Rasaq, in a statement on Friday expressed dismay that instead of the AC leaders, including Aregbesola to explain their relationship with the suspects in the bomb blast, they were making futile attempts to divert the attention of security agencies through red-herrings.
According to him, Mr. Aregbesola and the other AC leaders should have the courage to tell the police their relationship with the three individuals allegedly involved in the bomb blast especially now that the suspect in police net has made a statement on oath pin-pointing them as the master-minds of the balst.
Alhaji Rasaq declared that attempts by the AC to introduce another false issue to divert attention from the incident would not work, adding that they should think of another way of escaping justice.
'We know they are aware that their evil has caught up with them hence the desperate moves and statements emanating from their side. We call on appropriate security agencies to give adequate security to the bomb blast suspect, Richard Abayomi Adesanmi, who has finally exposed the AC leaders and the evil they are capable of unleashing on the people in the name of ambition," he said.
Rasaq added that if the AC leaders were planning what they have accused the PDP of plotting, they should shelf their plans now because the law would effectively take care of trouble makers.