From Lagos To Oshogbo: Governorship Aspirant Escape Death By The Whiskers

Political Violence Moves To Oshogbo, Nigeria As Another Governorship Aspirant Escaped Death by whiskers

The ignominous train of political intolerance and violence moved from Lagos after the assassination and burial on Sunday, of the Engineer Funsho Williams. The peaceful city of Oshogbo was turned into violent bloodbath by the political intolerance that was principally instigated by the incumbent military (, oops!), sorry, I mean the State Governor, retired Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

As a result of the fracas triggered by this political hatred of the governor against his arch rival and gubernatorial aspirant for his seat, Enginneer Rauf Aregbesola, many political supporters are lying in critical conditions with many a fatal injury and gun shot wounds, on hospital beds scattered around Oshogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, by yesternight.

Reports filed in many newspapers, like the THISDAY online (http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=54986), Nigeria's most credible and most-read Daily newspaper, according to Alexa Ranking, shows that the joyous occasion of Oroki Day presided over by the traditional ruler, Ataoja of Oshogbo, Oba Oyewale Matanmi, which also had the incumbent governor as the the Guest of Honor, turned sour when the governor refused to acknowledge the greetings and camradie of Rauf Aregbesola, who on arrival at the venue, went straight to honour the governor on the high table, to greet him. This was good, honorably peaceful and friendly gesture by Rauf Aregbesola was prevented and and rebuffed, by the governor, whose security aides cordoned off Aregbesola. It was as a result of this cold shoulder that the Oba, persuaded Rauf Aregbesola to depart from the venue as the governor's attitude has already heightened tension in th city hall, venue of the event.

It is very interesting that almost all 32 governorship aspirants of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, (with the exception of a few smart ones who took to flight and hid from police invitation to interrogation), are in detention and under interrogation for the past five days in Lagos. Not a single aspirant from the rival Alliance for Democracy AD, which Rauf Aregbesola belongs to have been touched with the tooth-pick of police investigations into Funsho Williams' Assassination.

From whence cometh violence? Certainly not from Aregbesola or the AD. The Federal police authorities have had the herculean tasks of lecturing PDP governorship aspirants for the past 3 weeks in Lagos on the politics of tolerance and even made all of them signed a statement of committment to peaceful conduct throughout the impending electioneering period. it would be a great service to our fatherland if the police authorities would call "soldier-turned-politician" Governor Oyinlola and spare him the lecture notes for the PDP gubernatorial aspirants in Lagos. It would certainly be gretaer service if they can also make him and all the PDP aspirants in Osun State to sign a commital to peaceful conduct in Oshogbo and Osun state too.

Retired but not tired Colonel Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola cannot have the priviledge of being an accused and a judge over his own case! True Governance is about acceptance and goodwill of the majority. Not manipulation of forces of coersion in government to impose your wishes to colour the truth!

Its two years since I broke the news from Thisday Online version here in our glorious Nairaland, the foremost indigenous website in Nigeria.

The battle for the noble seat of Governor of Osun Sstate has gone through many dogged skirmishes. The new interesting angle to that story is that Rauf Aregbesola caught his opponent in the act of massive rigging of that election (video recording et al). He brought in international forensic experts to prove that Oyinlola's phyrric and polluted victory was predicated on massive thumb printing of ballot papers by a handlful of INEC officials' thumprints.

The seating governor got jittery, and got the tribunal manipulated to thow out the forensic attempts. This same forensic examination have proved to be table-turning in Edo State in favour of Adams Oshiomhole, and is awaiting similar outcome in Ondo for Mimiko, Fayemi in Ekiti.

Oyinlola cannot bear that kind of heart-attack situation, but  Rauf has gone to the Appeal court to overturn the fear-driven decision of the tribunal to chase the forensic experts away from Osun,

This is an heroic and protracted path to victory by Rauf Aregbesola, 

We pray for the triumph of truth over fraud and faslehood which Nigeria has been shackled with over 47 years of political independence.

The happenings in Osun State show the desperation of Oyinlola to hang on to power at all cost. I have often wonder who would ever vote for a personality bereft of ideas like Oyinlola who as military governor of Lagos State failed woefully before Marwa took over from him and turned Lagos around within a short time.

@lakanye:

checkout www.osundefender.com it is a local or community paper that covers osun state political and cultural news.

@desgiezd:

you are very objective. let us wait and pray that thre would be no miscarriage of justice as oyinlola would have wished. he is so desperate he would demonize his opponent  Rauf Aregbesola, as a terrorist bomber, in order to win sympathy of the public opinion.

he is a shame to leadership in osun governance for the past five years!!!

@Lakanye:

my pleasure. Grt meeting a patriotic Osun State indigene from the diaspora.