LG Crisis: Osun SSG, APC Nat Sec. Basiru, At Each Other’s Throats Over Secretariat Chaos
- You Orchestrated The Violence – Basiru
- I Only Played A Mediatory Role – Igbalaye
The political atmosphere in Osogbo has been charged following Monday’s confrontation at the Osogbo Local Government Secretariat, with opposing narratives emerging from key political figures.
The Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, and the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, have engaged in a war of words over the incident.
In a press statement issued in Osogbo, Hon. Igbalaye denied allegations of instigating the crisis, describing them as “defamatory and an attempted character assassination.”
His statement was a reaction to an interview granted by Bashiru where he (Bashiru) alleged Igbalaye of dishing out orders to hoodlums to unleash violence on APC members at the Osogbo Council Secretariat yesterday.
However, Igbalaye stated that he played a leadership and mediatory role to prevent violence from escalating.
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“Yesterday, when the confrontation reached a boiling point, I was invited to intervene. I took the APC chairmanship candidate, Saheed Onibonokuta, to the two Divisional Police Officers and urged both sides not to attempt to enter the secretariat,
“Onibonokuta and the two DPOs agreed with me. And that is how we saved our people of Osogbo from needless killings. All parties and security agencies appreciated my leadership roles. Where Bashiru got his wild falsehood is a puzzle,” Igbalaye explained.
Asserting his commitment to peace, Igbalaye criticized Senator Bashiru for what he termed “spreading deliberate lies” and reiterated his allegiance to the peaceful policies of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
However, in a counter-statement, Ayotunde Rasheed Jimoh, speaking for the Office of the National Secretary of the APC, accused Igbalaye of directly orchestrating attacks against APC members at the secretariat.
According to him, an anonymous APC insider gave a vivid account of the role Igbalaye played in the crisis.
He said, “We (APC) had mobilised hugely from across wards to Osogbo Local Government Secretariat to resume as affirmed by the Appeal Court judgment.
“We were already at the Secretariat when, all of a sudden, SSG Teslim Igbalaye, arrived in a convoy of cars. He was in company with Hon Adewale Adebayo Gangaria, Prof Ademola Adeleke, and Muniru Raji with some violently looking individuals.”
The source further alleged that Igbalaye was seen giving direct orders to thugs to attack APC members, forcing them to flee for safety, with some sustaining machete wounds in the process.
“In fact, Tesi was the one dishing out instructions to thugs to attack APC members. We had no option but to run for dear lives. The thugs inflicted machete cuts on some of us.”
Jimoh also dismissed Igbalaye’s defense, questioning his reference to chieftaincy titles and family heritage in the context of political violence.
He maintained that video evidence exists to support their claims and promised to take appropriate action at the right time.
“We do not know how chieftaincy title and family heritage come in the line of defense for fomenting trouble as if Yoruba didn’t have Bashorun Gaa while Noah, a beloved of God, had a son that stood parallel to him.
“There is enough video proof that highlighted the fiendish posture of PDP throughout the State yesterday. We of APC will cross the bridge when we get there,” Jimoh said.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
