30th December, 2010
By Lanre Babalola
The war of words between Governor Aregbesola of Osun State and the Senate President, David Mark, over the plot to destabilise the state continued today with the former challenging the latter to explain why he held a nocturnal meeting on 1 December 2010 with four principal officers of the Osun State House of Assembly, if indeed he was not planning to destabilise the state as alleged.
Reacting to Senator Mark’s threat to seek legal redress if he did not apologise to him for linking him with the plot to destabilise Osun State, Aregbesola challenged the Senate President to explain his relationship with Senator Iyiola Omisore, a PDP governorship aspirant in the state, who is plotting to remove Aregbesola at all costs to actualise his ambition.
Governor Aregbesola’s party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, through its spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had raised an alarm on a meeting held in Abuja between vice President Namadi Sambo, Senator Mark and some members of the Osun State House of Assembly on a plot to raise N1 billion to destabilise the new Aregbesola administration in Osun State.
Denying the allegation in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mummeh, Senator Mark said it is unthinkable and an affront for Aregbesola to link Senator Mark with the plot.
“We frown at this falsehood and unwarranted attack on the person and office of the President of the Senate. We demand unreserved apology from Aregbesola or we would be left with no option than to seek legal redress,†Senator Mark said in his statement.
But Governor Aregbesola in a statement by his media aide, Gbenga Fayemiwo, advised the Senate President to ensure “decorum, civility and circumspection at all times, both in private and public lives.†Mark had advised Governor Aregbesola to behave like a governor and not like an area boy.
Aregbesola said it is high time Senator Mark started behaving like a statesman which the exalted office of the President of the Senate demands of him.
The Osun State governor urged Senator Mark to concentrate on politics of ideas instead of name calling. He said Senator Mark’s activities have not portrayed him as a statesman and asked him to either deny or affirm the allegation against him.
Aregbesola also told journalists while reacting to Senator Mark’s letter: “It is not my business to join issues with him. I have told Nigerians what I have found out about them, let him deny or affirm what I have said.
“Name calling is unbecoming of any statesman. I will not join issues with David Mark on that. All I know is that I am making history, he is making a loud noise.â€
Yesterday, the Action Congress of Nigeria said the plan to impeach Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State is real, contrary to the tepid denial by some of those involved, but warned that such plan would precipitate a crisis of epic proportions, the end of which no one can predict.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is the linchpin of the impeachment plot, which he sees as his only avenue to the governorship of the state.
It said Omisore is alleged to be working in collusion with a principal officer of the Senate, with whom he had been involved in a number of alleged unsavoury deals – the same reason Omisore is seeking the governorship by hook or crook so the accompanying immunity can shield him from the law.
ACN said the three-pronged plan involves suspending two ACN members of the Osun House of Assembly, so that the PDP-dominated house can have the required two-thirds majority to carry out the impeachment; massive bribery of the lawmakers from a huge war chest which the principal officer helped to raise, and compromising the security agencies and the judiciary.
“But we have every reason to believe that the legislators in Osun State are peace-loving people, who will resist any attempt by anyone, no matter how highly placed or what dirty carrot he is dangling, to destabilise a state that is just emerging from years of misrule by an illegitimate government. We also expect that the security agencies and the judiciary will resist any cheap attempt to compromise them.
‘‘However, for those who will allow themselves to be used to set Osun State back and return the good people of the state to the era of bondage, we have a warning for them: Don’t try it, because it will end up consuming you!’’ the party said.
It said the recent unprovoked, mindless and ill-informed excoriation of the judiciary by Omisore, over the widely-acclaimed judgement of the Court of Appeal that gave victory to Governor Aregbesola, was aimed at preparing the basis for the Senator to push on with his impeachment plan.
‘‘Afterall, he must have reasoned, if Aregbesola can get to the exalted seat through the courts, he too can use impeachment to attain his pipe dream. There is a difference between the two: One is legitimate, the other is illegal!
‘‘But beyond that, the people of Osun are not ready to succumb to the antics of a shady character, whose only claim to the state’s governorship is to realise his inordinate ambition and also seek the protective cover of immunity, if only to escape the sure repercussions of his past misdeeds. Osun people do not want the bloodbath that this linchpin is threatening. They do not want the chaos and violence that he has deployed to telling effect in the past. Osun people want peace and progress, which an Aregbesola governorship is already delivering to the state,’’ ACN said.
The party said it sympathises with anyone who is not satisfied with the Court of Appeal ruling on the Osun governorship election, since the court is the last stop as far as governorship election petitions are concerned.
‘‘The Court of Appeal judgement on Osun is not final because it is infallible, it is rather infallible because it is final. We hope this makes some sense to the anarchists and ill-informed commentators on the judgement,’’ it said.
The last has certainly not been heard from these two politicians on the alleged plot to destabilise Osun State.
