The Osun state chapter of the All Progressives Congress has accused the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Iyiola Omisore, of sponsoring a planned mass rally by aggrieved workers slated for Tuesday in Osogbo, the state capital, warning that the rally could result in the breach of the peace.
The party’s Director of Media and Strategy, Kunle Ayatomi, said on Monday in a statement that the party was aware of plans by a group of profiteers sponsored by Mr. Omisore and his party to unleash violence on the state using the issue of workers’ salaries as camouflage.
He said, “Specifically we must alert the whole world to a threat issued by Omisore on June 14 this year at the secretariat of the PDP in Osogbo where he promised members of his party that he was prepared to make this state ungovernable for Governor Rauf Aregesola.
“We are therefore certain that the whole crisis being orchestrated in the state is to criminally seek to get what the entire people of Osun had denied him through a democratic process on August 9, 2014. This was his resolution after the Supreme Court decision which finally sealed his ambition through a pronouncement on May 27, this year.
“We are using this medium to inform members of the public and the media to be wary of activities of this set of opportunists who are the real profiteers behind the undeserved focus on Osun among the more than 20 states that are currently facing salary challenges.”
But the PDP has refuted the allegations, saying the mass rally was strictly an affair of the workers.
The party’s Director of Publicity, Diran Odeyemi, told on the phone on Monday that the party was a responsible opposition that would not encourage any breach of the peace.
“As I speak to you right now, Omisore is not in Ife and not in Osun State right now, he is in Abuja. After the Supreme Court verdict, he prayed for Aregbesola to succeed.
“We are a responsible opposition party. We do not want crisis. We want peaceful resolution of the crisis.
“We have stopped issuing statements in the last one week, because the workers themselves have taken over the struggle. They have a right to protest and we cannot stop them,” Mr. Odeyemi said.
However,the Chairman of the Osun State branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Jacob Adekomi, has denied that the congress was organising any rally to press for the payment of their salaries.
“We are not organizing a protest because we are negotiating with the state government right now.
“We have no reason to embark on a protest because we are already on strike and government is forthcoming on our demands,” he said.
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