Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola led the castigation of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC)-led protests.
Members of the outlawed group, acting under security cover, smashed their way through Ikorodu Road while campaigning for President Jonathan’s re-election and calling for the removal of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega.
They roughened up motorists who did not get out of their way quickly and smashed All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign billboards.
Besides, the traffic jam caused by their protest got motorists and commuters stuck for hours.
Leaders of the OPC factions Dr. Frederick Fasehun and Chief Gani Adams are among those given the controversial N9billion pipelines surveillance contract by the Federal Government.
The Lagos State House of Assembly, various Yoruba groups, Lagos West APC senatorial candidate Solomon Adeola, among others, also condemned the action.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state denied it all. Its spokesman Gani Taofeek said: ‘We are not involved. It is not the tradition of the PDP.”
In fact, he blamed the protest on the APC.
The governor, who spoke at an agricultural ceremony, said the behaviour of Jonathan’s supporters who destroyed campaign billboards and smashed citizens’ cars, is the difference between, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Yesterday, I received telephone calls, text messages from residents who explained to me. I am sorry about the pain and trauma they put you through but the residents consistently complained yesterday that they were traumatised by those people who supposedly were carrying out a rally in support of the President and their gubernatorial candidate.”
“So instead of canvassing for your votes and showing you why their record of service is better, they were showing you knives, cudgels and dangerous weapons. Some residents phoned that they were banging on their cars. Yesterday they also showed the difference between us,” Fashola said.
Speaking on security and its impact on choices available to voters, Fashola said when President Jonathan visited the Stock Exchange in Lagos, the President was protected by 2,123 security personnel.
“Let me be clear, the President is entitled to every protection. He is our President, but the question to ask is that when you were being traumatised yesterday, where were those 2,123 men, because you are entitled to be protected. The reason why the President gets all that protection is so that he can protect all of us.”
The Lagos State House of assembly said the President may be breeding another band of Boko Haram by supporting such acts of brigandage as displayed by his supporters on the streets of Lagos.
In a statement by the chairman of the House Committee on Information and Security, Hon. Segun Olulade, the House said: “At present, security of our nation is fragile, coupled with the tension associated with the coming general elections, which are a pressure too many for the nation to cope with.
“Sponsoring militia groups at this stage of tension is not less than promoting terrorism because it makes it easier to breed inter-link between terror groups and violent militias to rattle the nation’s security”
”In the last 16 years, Lagos State has enjoyed peace and harmony among people of diverse ethnic groups. The gross implication of such action is very dangerous because Lagos, with its vast population, cannot afford a breakdown of law and order, violent rampage and civil unrest even on the eve of a general election.
”I believe strongly that the disruption of people’s property and bill-boards of the APC was carried out by a section of the OPC employed by Gani Adams and his principal. It is very unfortunate that at this crucial stage when election is less than 10 days, President Jonathan has taken to violent option by unleashing militia groups to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere of Lagosians, action that is capable of bringing down”.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts and APC senatorial candidate for Lagos West, whose would-be constituency was the epicentre of the OPC-led action, described the protest as akin to going on a slave errand as a slave.
Speaking to the Conference of Ward Chairmen of APC in his office on the “disruptive” and “destructive” protest, Adeola said it was against the interest of the Yoruba, adding that no true Yoruba would support any administration that excludes its people from all the commanding political positions in the running of the affairs of this nation.
He recalled that during the travails of the factional OPC leader, before he grabbed the pipeline security contract from his new-found “Abuja friends”, leaders of the progressives in Yoruba land came to his rescue. He accused Adams of “pursuing his personal interest as Yoruba interest, as attested to by many founding members of the OPC who have dissociated themselves from his personal economic pursuit.”
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF) said it watched “with utter dismay and fears the parade by the OPC, bearing guns and other assault weapons on Lagos roads while security men watched over them.”
The group added that it was “an awful scene, which is a clearly treasonable”.
“The confidence exhibited by the militia members connotes the collapse of a lawful government and weakened the state security agencies resolved to eradicating crimes. We view with deeper worry still their calls for the sack of Prof. Jega and their further demand for the abrogation of Card Readers and Permanent Voters Cards as satanic,” the statement by the Secretary General of the group, Akin Malaolu, said.
The Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups (COSEG), after its meeting yesterday described the action as “diversionary, unnecessary and an invitation to chaos”.
A communique signed by COSEG chairman, Ifedayo Ogunlana and Secretary Rasaq Olokoba wondered why Jonathan was “hell bent on returning for a second term by any means necessary and as such he is massively bribing the militant groups across the country to cause chaos, before, during and after the election”.
COSEG said “the desperation is taking a dangerous dimension.”
The group condemned the action of the OPC group, saying the Yoruba will determine where to vote, “irrespective of the antics of anti democracy elements masquerading as democrats”.
