A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Osun State have reacted to the cold war between the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and the attendant spate of violence.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the coalition which includes The Osun Masterminds, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), Centre for Sustainable Dialogue (CSD), Oodua Youth Parliament (OYP), Osun Young Professionals (OYP), Nigerians for Good Governance (NGG) among others groups, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Interior Minister to order.
Dr Wasiu Oyedokun Alli, who spoke on behalf of the group alleged that the former Osun State governor and Interior Minister has been using security agencies under his control to threaten peace in the South-West state by instigating violence.
He said: “While superintending over Security Agencies under the Ministry of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, has now turned security details attached to him by these Agencies into tools of political warfare, clearly undermining the jurisdiction of the Nigeria Police Force in maintaining security in Osun State.
“We have seen recently how men of the NSCDC, the NIS and the NCS sporadically shot in the air to terrify citizens of the State in Osogbo and other towns within the State. We refer to the official release of the Osun State Police Command, concerning the actions of men of the NSCDC, NIS and NCS.”
The Coalition which further accused the former Osun State governor of “shows of rascality, encouragement of followers to behave in manners that undermine the superintendence of the present administration in the state, denigration of elder statesmen,” asked President Buhari to sack him from his cabinet ahead of July 16 governorship election in the state.
“That if the Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, fails to call Mr Rauf Aregbesola to order and charge him to focus on his official responsibilities instead of going about causing civil unrest, he will end up inflaming the otherwise peaceful Osun State.
“Where he cannot be cautioned, we demand his outright sack or redeployment if he cannot act responsibly in line with the dictates of the Office he presently holds. A Public Officer must never be seen acting contrary to the spirit and provisions of the Nigerian constitution.
“Where the Federal government is unable to act swiftly to caution Mr Aregbesola, the Senate of the Federal Republic must show capacity by sanctioning his sack and impress it on Mr President to effect same. Failure to do this will obviously bring disrepute to the exalted office of the Honourable Minister.”
Rauf Aregbesola who spoke through his media aide, Sola Fasure, asked Nigerians to disregard the CSOs as he dismissed them as “the rent-a-crowd pseudo-NGOs.”
He maintained that his principal was the victim rather than the aggressor in the violence perpetrated so far in the state.
“It is on record that on Monday whilst returning from a well-attended political sensitization rally in Ilesa, known hoodlums attacked the convoy of the Minister as he approached the popular Old Garage junction in Osogbo.
“His convoy comprising of well-trained officers of the Department of State Security, The Nigeria Police Force (charged with protecting the minister) and other security personnel drawn from the Paramilitary services, professionally responded to the daring attackers who were armed with diverse sophisticated weapons.
“Having failed to achieve their mission of killing the minister on Monday, the sponsors of the evil plot have now resorted to smearing his name, hoping to achieve through the back door, what they can’t get fairly on the field.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the minister is aware of his constitutional role as a member of the governing cabinet, a leading light of the ruling All Progressives Congress and as the Minister of Interior, charged with providing security for the nation.
“However, the Minister, just like other Nigerians, also has the democratic right of association as enshrined in our constitution. This, in our opinion, doesn’t deserve the murder of any Nigerian, talk-less of a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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Civil Society Organisations ask Buhari to sack Aregbesola over Osun APC crisis
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