By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the APC factional leader, Mr Rasaki Salinsile not to be an emperor in the state because Osun is bigger than The Osun Progressives (TOP) selfish ambiton and political tantrums.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday to address the excesses of the party splinter group, the state chairman of the party, Prince Adegboye Famodun also appealed to the splinter group to stop campaign of calumny against Osun State Governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, as well as the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Wale Olokode.
According to him, the whole world is watching with keen interest how few members of a small community of angry and desperate men have elevated irreverence and disrespect to the Office of Governor into an art.
Prince Famodun, who was angry on the development, appealed to Salinsile group to make up their minds whether they are leaders, elders, or aiders and abbeters of crimes and criminals.
He urged the group to decide whether they want to be part of the progress in the progressives party, the APC, or they want to hit up the polity and pull down every good things the party stand for.
Speaking further, Prince Famodun wondered why campaign of calumny should be launched against the Commissioner of Police in the state.
According to him, the command has rejected every offer and attempt to be pocked by TOP leaders, saying the Police Commissioner only offence was that he remained true to his mandate to protect the people of the state.
He also remarked that because TOP has not been able to control and use the police in Osun State the way it has used the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps men was the reason they are persecuting Commissioner of Police, Olokode.
The APC however, warned that the state should not be put into chaos, noting that the state Commissioner of Police has chosen to remain a professional and honourable man but then, the men in TOP are allergic to the concept of honour.
He noted that in one breath, they accused the Commissioner of not living up to the billing and in another, they berated him for rounding up suspects too quickly.
Famodun said: “The uncouth, ill-mannered, reckless and libelous statement shamelessly read to the media on Friday has come to our notice. The dance of shame at the market square by the stuck-in-transit-to-nowhere TOP members will not, however, be allowed to go unanswered.
“We know that the group is smarting from their many defeats, dizzy from the knocks from the court, the rejection of their concocted congresses by the APC National Headquarters and are trying to save face by all means possible.
“The so-called leaders of the group had assured their poor gullible followers that their lifeless, laughable case in court would make them ‘King’ of the Osun manor’. The TOP leaders had bragged that their little meetings they called a parallel congress will be ratified in Abuja and Mr Rasak Salinsile will become the party Chairman in Osun.
“But those were just empty boasts of little men to their unsuspecting followers. When their lies started unraveling early in the week, they knew the game was up and they began grabbing at straws to stay afloat for a few more days. That was what all the arranged meetings and conspiracy theories of the last few days were about.
“Let me state here and now that TOP is nothing more than just a club of rabble rousers, whose main objective is to disrupt the peace of Osun, put the state in bad light and create the impression that all is not well with the All Progressives Congress in the state. But the APC National Headquarters saw through their lies and inaugurated Prince Gboyega Famodun as the Chairman of the APC in Osun on Thursday, to their shame and distress.”
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