A caucus within the All Progressive Congress in Osun, The Osun Progressives (TOP), has said that putting forward the former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore to become the National Secretary of the APC amounts to dancing on the grave of the late Minster of Justice, Chief James Ajibola Ige.
Ige was killed on December 23, 2001 in his Bodija, Ibadan residence while still serving as a Minister in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Omisore was one of those fingered in the assassination of the late minister and was detained and prosecuted over the allegations.
The then Oyo State government had however entered a nolli prosecui over the case getting all the accused persons off the hook.
Omisore was later elected Senator to represent Osun East senatorial district and went ahead to become Chairman, senate committee on Appropriation.
Talks of Omisore emerging as the National Secretary of the party began to come up two weeks ago as party stalwarts discussed it in hushed tones among themselves.
The former senator however unveiled his ambition four days ago when he announced that he had submitted his form for the position.
His ambition is said to enjoy the backing of former Governor of Lagos State and a presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the governor of Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.
TOP in a statement by its chairman, Elder Lowo Adebiyi, said it has noted “the dangerous dimension that some leaders of the party within and outside the state are taking to realise their ambition.”
The group said Omisore carries what it called “the albatross of complicity in the death of our leaders, Chief Bola Ige.”
The group said it will not stop to warn of the dangers of hobnobbing with those it called fair-weather friends.”
The statement reads, “As a caucus of progressives, we owe ourselves a duty to caution our leaders and other members of the party on the forthcoming National Convention of the party, as regard the inordinate ambition of Senator Iyiola Omisore.
“Omisore joined our party in 2021. Before then, he had been a consistent antagonist of our tendencies. He was one of the military politicians who found abode in AD before he joined the PDP when his inordinate ambition could not be realized. He was in PDP between 2002 and 2018. He joined SDP in 2018 to contest the governorship election where he lost to Governor Gboyega Oyetola. He joined the APC to safe his face.”
“It is unfortunate that a set of people have found an ally in a person described as ‘a wolf in wolf’s clothing’ by Chief Adebisi Akande, who said Omisore crept into his life like a silent malignant cancer.
“It is more unfortunate that the leaders, among who are two governors in the South-West are supporting a stranger who does not share or believe in the progressive’s ideology to take-over the Secretariat of the party.”
Condemning the plot to make Omisore the next national secretary of the APC, TOP said it “reject in its entirety, the selfish imposition clothed in consensus for Omisore to become the National Secretary of the party. It is crystal clear that the leaders who ratified Omisore are only interested in protecting their selfish interests at the expense of the wellbeing and progress of APC.
“This undemocratic behaviour of the leaders is becoming an albatross to the conduct of the operation of APC and may cause untold catastrophes and disaster if not curbed. The way the few leaders carry on with the affairs of the party by taking for granted the feelings of other party members may cause APC self-immolation as the PDP had experienced.”
TOP said the leaders have behaved in the worst manner than those described as ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
It said, “The Osun Progressives (TOP) wishes to put on record the fact that there was nowhere a stakeholders meeting on consensus of who to push forward for the position of National Secretary was held.
“If such is held, no rational member of the Progressives family will opt for Omisore in Osun. Only characters who do not know the essence of what the Progressives family is all about and ignorant of history will make such flippant decision.”
The group said if Governor Gboyega Oyetola would not mind being an associate of a man once accused over the killing of the late Ige, the group would not join him in what it called “dancing on Uncle Bola Ige’s grave.”
It added, “We wonder if it ever occurred to Governor Oyetola what the perception of the people of Osun and beyond will be if Omisore is made the National Secretary of our party.
“We seize this opportunity to back the efforts and stated position of President Muhammadu Buhari that all interests within the party must be brought on board and accommodated in delivering a successful convention and invariably a united APC going forward.
“We note that the sole decision of Governor Oyetola to sponsor a candidate for the position of the National Secretary zoned to Osun is an affront on the well stated and accepted opinion of the president and capable of painting APC in bad light in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.
“We call on all men of good will to prevail on Governor Oyetola not to rubbish the President’s good intentions, and abuse the democratic value of APC on the altar of his rabid ambition for second term by single handedly determine who Osun will push forward as it’s representative in the APC National executive.
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“We urge every active politician to read about Omisore in ‘My Participations’, an autobiography of Chief Bisi Akande.”