Politics
Oyo: Council boss allegedly attack PDP chieftain in Ogbomoso
A CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state, Mr. Oladosu Akanbi has claimed that the Caretaker Chairman of Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area, Hon. Seun Ojo assaulted him at his Ilu Iwata residence, Ogo Oluwa West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Ogbomoso.
The financial secretary of the party in the council, Oladosu , who also claimed that he was beaten to a pulp, while his wife and son were inflicted with various degree of injuries on the 29th December, 2020, informed that Hon. Ojo has been arrested by the police.
According to him, Hon. Ojo was arrested by the police at Zone 11, Osogbo, Osun State on the 3rd of January, 2021 following the failure of the Police at Opete police station in Ogo Oluwa West LCDA where the incident had initially been reported to take proactive steps to arrest him and his accomplices for the crime they committed.
Narrating his ordeal to our reporter, the complainant alleged that on that fateful day, the Council Chief, Ojo invaded his house at about 8:24pm with no fewer than eight thugs displaying dangerous weapons like gun, axe and cutlass
He said that on their arrival, the council gaffer, Ojo flashed a touch in his eyes and asked him whether he recognized him or not but before he could utter a word, they had descended on him, dragged him on the floor and beaten him mercilessly with his wife and 30-year-old son, Amos Akanbi who was with him at the time of the incident.
The PDP chieftain further explained that when they were satisfied with beaten him, they took him inside the official vehicle that they brought and drove him to an unknown destination for some minutes before they brought him back to his house that same night.
He added that when they got to his house, Hon. Ojo asked him where he kept bags of rice in his possession and he told him that they were inside his rooms, stressing that he thereafter ordered his ‘boys’ to pack them inside their vehicle and took them away.
He explained that out of the five bags that they carted away, two bags were from Governor Seyi Makinde for party members in his ward, another two from Caretaker Chairman of Ogo Oluwa West LCDA, Hon. Onaolapo Ajala for party members as well while the remaining one bag was giving to be shared by four leaders in each ward among themselves with a Turkey and one gallon of vegetable oil.
“Seun Ojo packed all the rice and while he was leaving, he told me that he had come to show me the power of government and if I dare reporting him to the police, he will still come back and use the full power of government to deal with me again.
“Immediately they left, we went to Opete police station to lodge complaint but the police having seen my condition, suggested that I go to General hospital for treatment first before they could take my statement. However, I could not be admitted that night because the hospital officials complaint that there was no bed where I could be admitted for treatment and asked me to come back the following morning.
“The following morning, I was treated and went back to the Opete police station to write my statement alongside my wife and son. The police invited him for interrogation but he declined to honour their invitation. When I observed that no step was being taken to effect his arrest following his refusal to honour the invitation till 31st December, 2020, I sought the transfer of my case to zone 11, Osogbo”, he narrated further.
Oladosu continued, “He showed up at Zone 11, Osogbo on the 3rd of January, 2021 and the police took him to my house to inspect and took pictures of all items that were vandalized by him during the attack on my house”.
While asked what could have led to the invasion of his house by the council boss, the PDP chieftain explained that he could not fathom the reason for the attack on him because he has never had any misunderstanding or quarrel with the chairman before since they were not in the same council area.
“Seun Ojo is in the main local government, Ogo Oluwa local government while I am in the Ogo Oluwa West local council development area, Odo Oba where Hon. Ajala Onaolapo is the Chairman. So I don’t have any reason to be at loggerhead with him whatsoever”, he submitted.
Seun Ojo, Council boss, Ogo Oluwa LG
But, when contacted through his cell phone, the Caretaker Chairman of Ogo Oluwa Local Government, Hon. Seun Ojo denied the allegation, describing it as unfounded, as there was nothing like that.
Speaking with Mega Icon Magazine on Saturday, the council boss stressed that it was a mischievous attempt targeted at destroying his name and that of the state governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde.
He also alleged that Oladosu was sponsored by the opposition APC in the state to carry out the hatchet job.
He said, “There is no matter between me and Mr. Oladosu .
“I don’t have a quarrel with anybody. As the Chief Security officer of my local government, I don’t have a quarrel with him. He’s one of the PDP members and presently romancing with the opposition. I have known him for over 20 years ago, I was once a councilor in that local government, I know all the impacts, what that man caused between me and my chairman then.
“They are planning to leave the party, but before he leaves, he wanted to destroy the party. For somebody to be saying the governor was distributing poisoned rice and palliatives, he has a motive. He was collecting money from me for the Christmas and the new year. When I gave him the money , he said the money was not enough and I gave him another cheque .
“The APC are using them. The opposition gave him N300,000 and that after he successfully destroy the governor’s name, they promised to give him a balance of N200,000.
“The man is just trying to spoil the governor’s name and my name”, the council boss alleged.
When asked if he was arrested by the police, Ojo questioned, “How will a chairman of a local government be arrested on a fake information?”.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday held a high-level strategic meeting with the Oyo State chapter of the party as part of efforts to reposition the APC for victory and prevent internal crisis ahead of the polls.
The development was first scooped by OYOINSIGHT.COM which quoted multiple party sources familiar with the closed-door deliberations.
Sources disclosed that the meeting, held in Abuja, focused largely on a consensus arrangement being considered by stakeholders of the party in Oyo State, in line with political templates reportedly being adopted in Lagos and Ogun states ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Party insiders said the move was aimed at strengthening unity within the fold of the opposition party in the state, minimising rancour during the primaries and presenting a formidable front against rival parties in 2027.
It was further gathered that some members of the state executive committee may have been subtly informed about preferred consensus candidates being considered for elective positions across the state.
Though details of the deliberations were still sketchy as of press time, sources hinted that the national leadership stressed the need for cohesion, discipline and strategic alignment among stakeholders to improve the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo.
Those at the meeting included the Oyo APC Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo; the state secretary, Fatai Adesina Adeniyi; the Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare; the Organising Secretary, Aderemi Adepoju; and the Legal Adviser, Sunday Aborisade.
Others were the Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde; the Youth Leader, Olalekan Oladejo; Joshua Oyebamiji; Tunde Oloyede; Sunday Babalola; Joseph Omoniyi; and Mojeed Adebayo.
As of the time of filing this report, the party had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, on Monday assured aspirants and party members that the party would conduct transparent, peaceful and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo declared that no aspirant would be victimised or denied a level playing field, stressing that the party leadership remained committed to internal democracy and progressive ideals.
The former deputy governor spoke while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He disclosed that although the party initially explored consensus arrangements across elective positions, prevailing realities indicated that direct primaries would be conducted in some areas, including the governorship contest.
Adeyemo said the party had already put necessary structures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise capable of strengthening unity within the APC.
He said: “We set machineries in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option which is direct primary in certain cases including the governorship ticket.
“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.
“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries and we at the state level would provide the required support to make everything work out in the interest of our great party.”
The APC chairman explained that all registered party members would participate fully in the exercise at their respective wards on dates to be announced by the National Secretariat.
According to him, affirmation would be adopted in areas where consensus candidates emerge, while voting would be conducted wherever direct primaries become necessary.
“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Screening Committee and former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Taofiq AbdusSalam, assured party faithful that the committee would carry out a thorough, transparent and unbiased screening process.
He said only eligible aspirants would be cleared to participate in the primaries and eventually fly the APC flag in the forthcoming elections.
Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade and Olabamiji Agunloye.
Members of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary) and Jelil Jimoh.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Saturday zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, declaring that the party’s candidate would serve a single four-year term if elected.
The decision was reached during the party’s national convention held in Abuja amid growing momentum within the opposition platform following a wave of high-profile defections from other political parties.
Announcing the development on its official social media handle, the party stated, “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The party also resolved that its 2031 presidential ticket would be ceded to Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to maintain regional balance and internal equity.
The convention comes as key opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined party leaders and delegates at the Abuja gathering.
Saturday’s convention is expected to ratify several recent decisions taken by the party’s National Executive Committee, including zoning arrangements, amendments to the party constitution, and the election of new national executives.
According to the convention agenda obtained by journalists, discussions centred on zoning, ratification of the amended constitution, and leadership restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has in recent weeks witnessed a surge in defections from rival opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Their defections were formally announced during plenary at the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The defections came barely two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC from the ADC.
The duo were presented with the party’s membership cards last Sunday shortly after a closed-door meeting with party leaders.
A former Governor of Bayelsa State and NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, officially welcomed the opposition figures into the party.
Obi had attributed his exit from the ADC to worsening internal crises, external interference and what he described as increasing hostility within party structures.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s political environment had become increasingly toxic, marked by intimidation, insecurity and sustained scrutiny of opposition figures.
He also lamented that institutions meant to protect citizens were now often deployed against them, while individuals committed to genuine public service faced mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
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