Osun State Governor , Gboyega Oyetola, has appealed to the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state to give peace a chance and allow the ongoing appeal process run its full course.
The governor, therefore, directed security operatives to take charge of the party secretariat to prevent any further break down of law and order.
He also condemned what he termed the “unruly behaviour” exhibited by some aggrieved members of the party at the APC Secretariat in Osogbo, saying no sane society would condone any act of lawlessness.
Oyetola who sympathised with individuals who sustained injuries, called on security operatives to fish out perpetrators and ensure justice was served.
This is contained in a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, on Saturday.
While appealing for calm, the Governor also said that government would not tolerate any act of criminality or violence in any part of the State under the guise of politics or any guise whatsoever.
“I appeal to party members, especially those who have already filed their petitions before the Appeal Committee over the conduct of the last Ward Congress in the State to sheathe their swords and toe the line of peace and the law.
Some members of the party had earlier on Saturday have besieged the party secretariat in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, Osun State capital, to submit petitions as the party’s Ward Congress Appeal Committee resumes sittings.
It was gathered that crisis ensured when notable member of a caucus group among the party, The Osun Progressive, TOP, Alhaji Razaq Salinshile; former state chairman of the party who is the self-styled TOP chairman, Elder Lowo Adebiyi and Barr Gbenga Akano, led members to the State Secretary of the party,
The Osun Progressives (TOP) whose members are loyalists of the minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, the immediate past governor of the state.
Media aide to the chairman caretaker committee of the part, Kola Olabisi in a statement said that some thugs were forcefully removing Governor Oyetola-inscribed fez caps from the heads of some of the APC members in the secretariat.
He said that the political thugs laid siege to the state party secretariat in the early hours of the day, beating, harassing and destroying everything and everybody in sight.
“It took the intervention of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Wale Olokode, before the committee members led by Ambassador Obed Wazzan (Chairman) could be convinced that the venue was safe for them to carry out their statutory duties,” Olabisi said.
The five-member Appeal Committee of the party’s ward congress, however, held across Osun State few days ago were forcefully held hostage for about an hour in the office of Director of Administration of the secretariat.
The committee chairman who later addressed the rampaging political thugs led by the TOP chieftains assured them that his committee would be fair to all and sundry.
