Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, IBADAN on
The crisis rocking the Oyo State government deepened on Wednesday, with the sack of the Chief Media Adviser to the deputy governor, Mr Demola Solalu.
… Dep Gov's media aide sacked
The crisis rocking the Oyo State government deepened on Wednesday, with the sack of the Chief Media Adviser to the deputy governor, Mr Demola Solalu. His sack came less than 24 hours after he demanded that the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, be suspended from office for allegedly disrespecting Deputy Governor Azeem Gbolarumi.
Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, however, said there was no crack in the executive council.
It would be recalled that two aides of the deputy governor, Messrs Makanjuola Gboyega and Debo Adeyemi, special assistant and personal assistant respectively, were suspended on Tuesday by Governor Alao-Akala after they allegedly beat up the governor's media aide.
On Wednesday, the deputy governor's media adviser was served a sack letter signed by the SSG. In the letter, he was asked to hand over all government property in his possession and steer clear of both the governor's office as well as the official quarters of the deputy governor.
Before Solalu's sack, the SSG had addressed a press conference where he said that all was well in the government.
'His Excellency, the governor, the deputy governor and all members of the executive council are lovers of one another and members of a united family. There is no fracas at anytime. There is no crack and we remain united.
'Anybody can form any opinion. We did a lot to investigate all issues. I believe this is a unique press briefing to make you know that there is no problem of any type.
'All those threatening the life of the Special Adviser on Communication might be doing that to divert the attention of government. We believe that nothing can happen to him. It is empty threat.
'I want to assure you that government will not close its eyes to see that anything happens to any of the officers serving government. We will make sure that everything is under control", Olakojo said.
The SSG explained that the two aides of the deputy governor that were suspended were given the treatment after due investigations and may be recalled after investigations have been concluded.
At the press briefing, the embattled deputy governor, Azeem Gbolarumi, denied nursing any ambition for the governorship position in 2007, saying the impression was a figment of imagination of disgruntled elements.
On the badge, GAG 2007, the deputy governor stated that the political group has been in existence for the past six years and he only happens to be its patron.
Earlier in the day, the embattled Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, disclosed to newsmen that he had received not less than 15 threat messages since Monday after his encounter with aides of the deputy governor, who came to beat him.
'Some said they will kill me within 24 hours for being rude to the deputy governor, while others said I will not be alive till Friday, but they are not my creator, I am still alive. It is only God that can protect me," Odeyemi stated.
Meanwhile, Daily Sun learnt that the strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, has ordered the two sides to sheath their sword and allow reason to prevail.
Adedibu, who is presently out of the country, was said to have told the deputy governor to stop trading words with his boss on the pages of newspapers.
A reliable source, who confirmed the development, also revealed that the wife of the renowned politician, Alhaja Bose Adedibu, was at the Government House on Tuesday evening to broker peace between the governor and his deputy.