WHAT DOES THE PDP WANT IN OSUN?

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It could be recalled that on November 26, 2010, the court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state declared Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the PDP as impostor on the basis of the substantial and brazen abuse of electoral laws in the 2007 governorship in Osun state. The panel therefore immediately ordered INEC to issue certificate to Engineer Rauf Aregbesola as the legitimate winner of the 2007 governorship poll in Osun State. Since then the PDP has not rested in its oars to destabilize the government in the state. The party in its characteristic manner has crudely and offensively invented and deployed various diabolical means to emasculate the Arogbesola administration.


Recently, the deposed Governor of Ekiti state and National Vice Chairman (South-west) of the PDP, Chief Segun Oni, through his Media Aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka alleged that the Osun State Governor Mr. Rauf Aregbesola planned to demolish the NTA building in Oshogbo, Osun State capital under the guise of turning the present location of the television station to a Tourist Attraction. He also added that the Governor had issued quit notice to all federal agencies to leave offices allocated to them in the Old Governor’s Office when Oyinlola was the de facto Governor under the guise of building market stalls in the place.


These proposals of Aregbesola in the opinion of Oni smacks hatred for the Federal Government and the unity of Nigeria. He added that Aregbesola goes about with a flag of his imaginary republic. Oni further reiterated his allegation that Governor Aregbesola was championing secession when he stated enthused “the governor’s action in the recent past and open contempt for the federal government including President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo are enough evidence that he (Aregbesola) is up to something sinister against the corporate existence of Nigeria”


Notably, Aregbesola had repeatedly made it clear that his government will bankroll the rebuilding and refurbishment of the NTA office in a proposed new site and equip the state with all modern facilities. This spirit of nobility and generosity of an opposition governor is never mentioned by those flying kites of secession plot, hatred and contempt for federal institutions in Osun. However, the integrity and respect for the NTA has for a long time been demeaned to the lowest owing to its use by the PDP-controlled federal government as an organ for propaganda and dissemination of falsehood. Also, what does Oni mean when he accused Aregbesola of open contempt for President Jonathan and his Vice Sambo? Is its Aregbesola’s condemnation and absolve of his party and government involvement in the unpopular subsidy removal as cruel and anti-people policy designed by the Jonathan led-PDP controlled Federal Government without any feeling for the people? If this is it, Oni should know that in a democracy every person cannot acquiesce to just any policy particularly an unpopular one such as subsidy removal.


On another plane, the PDP-controlled Federal Government has mobilized all security agencies in the country to put Osun State Governor Aregbesola on 24-hours surveillance over an intelligence report generated by the Department of State Security Service which accused the governor of establishing an army of Islamic Jihadists as prelude to seceding from the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Director of General of DSS Mr. Ekpenyong Ita alleged that Aregbesola is trying to create Boko Haram in Osun State through an Islamic organization called Jama’atu Ta’awunil Muslimeen Society of Nigeria (TAWUN). Also, the report alleged that the governor in pursuit of his agenda plans to introduce school uniform acceptable to the group, not minding the feeling of the Christian population. The report expressed deep concern that the introduction of an Islamic agenda “in a secular state is an invitation to chaos, particularly against the backdrop of the growing influence of the sect in the state’s polity,” adding that “some northern governors fraternized with members of Boko Haram before they graduated to the present status”. How is the alleged TAWUM different from the PDP-controlled Federal Government establishment of model education for Almajiri in Sokoto state, and with the plan to extend such school to some other states?


Another laughable concern of the security report is the allegation that the governor has changed the name of the state from ‘Osun State’ to ‘The State of Osun’ which is at variance with the provision of the Nigerian Constitution”. This, discernibly, is largely different only in terms lexico-semantic constructions.


With a little bit of retrospection, the PDP is guilty of the allegations it is making against Governor Aregbesola. During the illegal administration of former Governor Oyinlola, in April 2009, Next Magazine reported that he had been caught on tape telling local PDP supporters that he would armed them with army uniform, arms and ammunition to enable them help rig the runoff in Ekiti State. Also, the same Oyinlola in July 2009 was reported to have banned Igbo people in Osun state from parading themselves as Eze Ndigbo (king of Igbo) for flimsy reasons. Were these not mean and iniquitous political acts inimical to national unity and security?


All in all, the range of lame accusations of the Governor of Osun of secession plot, and establishment of terrorist group is certainly of the PDP and its leaders’ concoction. They reflect their sinister intentions, lack of respect for ethical standard, aura for change and mass appeal to regain relevance and ‘recapture power’ for a variety of reasons. These range from cult alliance to blind ambition to acquire wealth for the ultimate objective of perpetuating a sadistic and egoistic status. Another reason is the desperation to assume a dynastic political ascendancy by those who erroneously believe that they are indispensable in the political chess-board of Osun state.


Furthermore, the profile of PDP and its agents’ dispositions and panic outburst to the developments in Osun State patently smack their idleness, ignorance, incompetence, lack of focus, lack of direction, morbid absurdity, parochialism, sensationalism, sentimentalism, pomposity, imperviousness, insensitivity and even intellectual deprivation. At the moment, these panic hullabaloo of calling of wolf where none exists in Osun state by the PDP and its leaders is diversionary intend to buy time in the face of dreadful security challenges posed by Boko Haram and the Niger Delta militants.


At the moment in Osun State if there is any act which portend grave danger for national security and unity it is the PDP quintessential disposition to manipulate all instruments available to it without necessarily allowing the inter-play of political forces and element of competition evident in participatory democracy to prevail. Otherwise in this climate of pyramidal belligerence, bellicosity, uncouth influence and use of security agencies to harass Governor Aregbesola one fundamental question is germane, what does the PDP want in Osun?


Until the PDP engages in clinical, inner and thorough soul searching Nigeria may never sign off from the trauma and ashes of its security challenges.


Written By Darlington Igbokwe

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