INTERVENE IN OGUN CRISIS, MONARCH BEGS OBASANJO

As former President Olusegun Obasanjo dedicates a 1000-capacity church today in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, a traditional ruler in the state, Oba Augustine Abiodun Ajayi, has urged him to seek an end to the political logjam in the state.

Oba Ajayi, the Ayanperuwa of Sotubo, Orile-Iyagba, Sagamu, spoke against the backdrop of the intractable political crisis in Ogun, which led to the closure of the State House of Assembly since last September.

Describing the political situation in the state as worrisome, the monarch said Obasanjo's intervention was necessary for the progress of the state.

His words: 'Obasanjo should count his blessings today. All his achievements in this country are to the glory of God. He should commit all his experiences and professional acumen to resolving the current crisis in the state.

'Today, after the exit of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Obasanjo is the only father and leader we have in Ogun State. He must not allow things to continue the way they are doing to the detriment of the people of the state'.

The monarch, who was involved in the June 12 struggle to restore the late MKO Abiola's presidential mandate before his coronation, described the shutdown of the assembly for seven weeks running as very worrisome. The development, he stressed, required urgent intervention of someone like Obasanjo.

'A situation where we are asking the Inspector General of Police to go and open the Assembly for the two warring factions, the two of them will want to enter and it may lead to the mother of all crises', the monarch feared.

He, however, acknowledged the efforts of some traditional rulers, particularly the Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Michael Sonariwo in resolving the crisis.

'I am calling on the gentlemen in the House of Representatives to use their positions, particularly the upper chamber of the National Assembly headed by Senator David Mark, to intervene in this matter.'' According to him, the suggestion that a state of emergency be declared would not augur well for both the state and its people.

'Although traditional rulers should not be partisan, we should not fold our hands and allow things go the way they are going in Ogun State.' On the forthcoming elections, Oba Ajayi urged the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to avoid a situation where his name would be soiled by unscrupulous politicians.