The internal crisis within the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took another dimension on Sunday when all party members from all the 15 wards of Odò Otin local government trooped out in hundreds to express their grievances on the harassment recently meted on their leader, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, by supporters of a governorship aspirant.
The party members frowned at the ugly incident which happened last week when Prince Oyinlola visited committee members from the national headquarters of the party in Abuja at Laim Hotel in Osogbo.
They accused a factional chairman of the party, Hon Sunday Bisi, one of the party’s aspirants for the party, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Deji Adeleke to be the brains behind the harassment and condemned the act they described as disgusting.
“We also referenced our leaders like Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, Senator Olu Alabi, Erelu Olusola Obada and others and we will go all out to refuse their being embarrassed by whosoever,” the protesters said.
The PDP members were armed with placards with different inscriptions that read “We will resist all attempts by anybody to rubbish our leaders”, “They are elders of honour with impeccable character” and “we not take it lightly with who attacks Oyinlola.”
The protesters who converged on Okuku palace square besides the community town hall around 2 pm equally displayed leaves in annoyance to express their displeasure on the development.
While addressing the gathering, Hon. Lekan Oyediran, a former member of the state House of Assembly said, “Our leader was attacked in Osogbo while visiting the committee sent by the national headquarters. By the time he was about to drive in there, a faction of the PDP led by Adeleke, sponsored an attack on him.
“If not for the security agents. If not because of the quick intervention of security agents, only God knows what would have happened. Oyinlola is a person that has respect for elders, that is why they asked us to allow peace.
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“Nobody has a monopoly of violence. The National Working Committee must be unbiased. Our elders must be respected. Senator Ayu should not follow the step of the disgraced Secondus.”
In her own speech at the programme, a community leader, Deaconess Funmilayo Adebisi, remarked that “We are protesting because of the harassment of our leader in this local government and Osun state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
“Some days ago, they attacked him and we are so furious about it. This man has been so good to so many people even those that attacked him, he has been helpful to them in one way or the other.
“We want the Inspector General of Police to look into it and make sure that the perpetrators are brought to book. We know that the attack was sponsored by Ademola Adeleke, Deji Adeleke and their cohorts.”
Also speaking, Alhaji Rasaq Oyelami said, “all traditional rulers and people of this local government condemn the attack on our leader. When they have not voted delegates that will elect the governorship candidate, there shouldn’t be an attack on anybody. They called him a thief and a betrayer what did he steal from them?”