Planned procession for Ige triggers PDP, APC war

The Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State and the ruling All Progressives Congress are in a fresh war of words over the alleged plan by Governor Rauf Aregbesola and ‘the Nobel Laureate’  to hold a candle light procession in honour of the late Chief Bola Ige.

Ige was killed at his residence in Ibadan on December 23, 2001 while he was serving as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

Although the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Bola Ajao, in a statement in Osogbo on Monday did not disclose the identity of the man, “Nobel Laureate”, who many believed to be Prof. Wole Soyinka, he urged the security agencies to watch out for the procession.

None of the two parties mentioned Ige in the verbal war  but the killing of Ige has always been a source of controversy between the ruling party and the PDP. Also,  Ige and the “Nobel Laureate”  the PDP mentioned  were believed to be  friends.

According to the PDP spokesperson, the procession was planned with the aim of causing a breach of the public peace.

The statement read, “The Osun PDP is aware of a clandestine plot consummated between Ogbeni  Aregbesola and the Nobel  laureate  to mobilise an army of occupation; a harvest of vulnerable youths, kit them in black costumes and vests with the inscription ‘Who Killed The Man.’

“These miscreants from among those whom we had earlier advised that should be put on security watch list are billed to embark on a candle-light procession.

“The security agencies are hereby enjoined to be on top of the public order requirement of their engagement. When a group of hapless youths are clone like Boko Haram initiates to be asking, ‘who killed the man’, the palpable question is “which man”, is it Olagbaju in Ife, Agunmo gara in Ilesha East, Flamingo in Ikirun and so on?

“It is the ensuing diverse reactions that may lead to the breach of the public peace, law and order as it takes two to tango. They may think they are wooing the masses; they are indeed sowing the seed of their comeuppance.

“This idea is sheer madness. It will cause pandemonium and chaos. It is a wild goose chase. It is an ill wind that will blow no one any good. Osun State  should not be made to become a theatre of the absurd.”

But the Director of Research and Publicity of the APC, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, while reacting to the PDP’s allegation, said that the opposition party and its leaders would forever be haunted.

According to the APC spokesperson, the PDP leaders are afraid and making spurious allegations because they do not want their evil deeds to be exposed.

Oyatomi said, “The PDP is a victim of its own conscience. If anybody is planning a vigil to commemorate the vicious killing of a prominent Nigerian, why should that bother the PDP?”