Posted by By Ademola Oni on
The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State on Monday said it had commenced disciplinary process against Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello for 'embarrassing' Governor Gbenga Daniel in Ogbomoso on Saturday.
The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State on Monday said it had commenced disciplinary process against Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello for 'embarrassing' Governor Gbenga Daniel in Ogbomoso on Saturday.
Speaking with our correspondent in Abeokuta, the Chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Joju Fadairo, said the disciplinary committee had been directed to investigate the matter and recommend appropriate sanction against Obasanjo-Bello.
The senator and one of Daniel's security aides were reported to have had altercation during the wedding of the daughter of the Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, at the First Baptist Church, Ogbomoso on Saturday.
The face-off was said to have erupted after Obasanjo-Bello allegedly touched the governor‘s head with 'her clothes' while dancing behind his seat.
Fadairo, who did not say the kind of sanction that might be meted out to the senator, described her alleged action as an affront on the governor and an act of indiscipline.
'Having read the report in the national dailies (newspapers) and having watched the video clip of the event, what the senator did was an affront and a disrespectful attitude to the authority (of the governor) and we are going to take appropriate measure to curb her and do whatever is necessary because we will not condone indiscipline in the party.
It is an act of indiscipline,' he said.
The party chairman, who dismissed insinuations that the state had been enmeshed in unending crisis, contended that in that particular case, 'we are going to take necessary action.'
He said, 'I don‘t know of crises coming up in the state; the state is peaceful. But there could be misunderstandings and we usually resolve these whenever they come up.
'We have a disciplinary committee that is in place and when people misbehave we refer such to the committee, which will recommend appropriate sanctions.'
Fadairo, however, declined comment when reminded that the same disciplinary committee that was meant to recommend punishment for the state members of the House of Assembly had not submitted its recommendations.
The Director of Organisation of the state PDP, Mr. Deji Kalejaiye, also described Obasanjo-Bello's conduct as 'satanic.'
Kalejaiye said, 'What happened in Ogbomoso was occasioned by disobedience, disrespect and what I would like to call satanic behaviour.
'What we saw in the video clip was apparent that it was a deliberate act to hit the governor; to belittle the governor and to show the height of rudeness to the office of the governor.'
Kalejaiye explained that it was an honour for Obasanjo-Bello to be allowed to sit in a place reserved for the governor‘s aide-de -camp.
He added, 'She stood up dancing when others were seated and rather than being courteous and applying decorum, she was dancing with her right hand touching the head of the governor.
'The security aide just moved to tell her to stop hitting the governor‘s head with her two hands, but she descended on the security aide. Visuals do not lie, this can be confirmed from the video clips.'
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Wale Adedayo, had on Sunday shown a video clip of the marriage ceremony where the senator appeared to have hit Daniel on the head and also hit the security aide on the chest with her two hands.
Adedayo said, 'It was the senator that assaulted the security aide after hitting the governor in the head with her hands and clothes.
'She performed acts of provocative solo dancing with her hands and clothes hitting his excellency on the head.'
But the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senator, Mr. Bidemi Osunbiyi, blamed the overzealousness of the governor‘s security aides for the clash.
'Senator Obasanjo-Bello was dancing behind the governor in the church, but to the utter consternation of everybody in the church, one of his security details charged at the senator, twisted her hand and shoved her aside,' Osunbiyi said.
He added that the former Ogun State Commissioner for Health, who felt embarrassed by the security agent's action, expected Daniel to reprimand him.
The senator had in an interview with a Lagos-based evening newspaper said those criticising her did not know the truth of the matter.
She had said, 'The truth of the matter is that on that day, when I got to the First Baptist Church, venue of the wedding, it was filled to capacity and I could not get a place to sit.
'However, the Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, gave me a place to sit beside him, which was directly at the back of Governor Daniel. A short while later, the governor called one of his aides and whispered to his ears.
'During the service, as I stood up to dance, one of his aides, an SSS officer, Frank Osatewe by name, pushed me and started twisting my hand, saying I wanted to touch the governor, when I had no business with him.
'When this man continued twisting my hand and almost injured me, I had to push him.
'I will not lie to you. It was the man that I pushed and not the governor. There was no contact between me and the governor.'