National chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has absolved himself of the fracas in his home town, Iyamho at the weekend where the convoy of the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki and the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu was attacked by yet to be identified thugs.
Checks revealed that the convocation lecture held at the Edo state university, Iyamho delivered by the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele was almost disrupted.
Speaking with newsmen last night in Abuja, Comrade Oshiomhole expressed disaffection over a media report which he noted was silent on the presence of thugs which almost disrupted the convocation lecture.
Comrade Oshiomhole who alleged that the Edo state deputy governor, Philip Shuaibu mobilised thugs to the convocation ground, insisted that the fracas at the university convocation where he was the target of molestation preceded the attacks on the governor’s convoy at his residence which he admitted was unfortunate.
He said: “Thugs were imported to the community by the deputy governor, Phillip Shuaibu. He rode on a motorbike with thugs into the convocation centre despite police insistence. He overruled the police by insisting Okada riders must be allowed in. That’s was why the police released teargas. But for police intervention, there would have been a bloodbath.
“The CBN governor was not invited to address a rally, he was invited to deliver a convocation lecture and he wasn’t going to talk to those thugs who were wearing all kinds of inscriptions. They didn’t come for a political rally.
“I conveyed the message to the IGP to prevent thugs from being imported to the place by the deputy governor. Some minutes later, the governor himself arrived and Mr Emefiele went to him and said to him, “What are these people doing here? ” He told the Governor, that if those people were there, he wasn’t going to deliver the convocation lecture because he didn’t come to do politics, he just came to perform a normal intellectual activity which was the convocation lecture. The governor promised to get the people out of the university.
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“You can imagine, it is easier to mobilise thugs into a place but it is far more difficult to demobilise them. So, we have to meander into the auditorium where the lecture was to be delivered and of course, you could hear all sorts of slogans and counter slogans. This was exactly what they have planned and the whole idea was they would have their camera waiting. As I step out, people will be booing me and the media will report that Oshiomhole booed when he attended the convocation ceremony. That was the whole idea.”
The APC national chairman expressed regret over the attacks on governor Obaseki and the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu. He said attacks must have been triggered by reports which filtered into his home town that he was almost molested at the university convocation ceremony.
He advised governor Obaseki to prevail on his deputy, Phillip Shuaibu to refrain from violence as he claimed that the latter has the propensity to instigate crisis.
“The problem with the mob is that they can’t distinguish between the respected men and the irresponsible ones. All of these must have triggered the reaction of my community people.
“It is this situation that happened at the convocation ground. I have told the governor in a text to prevail on his deputy who has a propensity for violence. Why mobilise thugs to convocation ground? It was just to embarrass me.”
The APC national chairman further denied alleged power tussle between him and governor Obaseki over the control of the party structures in Edo state ahead of next year governorship elections.
“I have done everything to reconcile Obaseki and his people. I don’t have issues with him because I can’t be governor again. He has agreed with his colleagues, the APC governor’s to reconcile the groups. I don’t have a faction in Edo. Why should I? I have done everything I can to reconcile him and the lawmakers.”
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