By SEGUN OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

They had been expectant, earnestly looking forward to the day the ‘oracle’ would speak concerning the ongoing intra-party rumbles within the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ogun State.

Many party stalwarts had given up the hope that the ‘oracle’ would ever voice out his feelings about the ongoing developments in the APC in the state.

But like the doubting Thomases, when the news made the rounds that the All Progressives Congress’ National Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba who had been abroad had arrived in the country from his trip, they besieged his Ibara GRA Housing Estate residence in their thousands to hear directly from the man many now fondly refer to as the ‘oracle’.

They came in all sorts of vehicles—cars, buses and auto bikes from all the nooks and crannies of the state, leaving in their trail serious traffic gridlock in the area. They referred to themselves as the “real” party members.

The members of the Ogun State chapter of the All Nigeria Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association, popularly called ANACOWA, the members of the Action Group, Mate Agba Mole and others came gaily dressed in their uniforms. It was learnt that some members of the Governor Amosun’s SIACO group also defied the odds to attend the event.

All the roads and gates leading to Osoba’s residence had to be thrown open to give thoroughfare to this multitude of ordinary party members who had somewhat become nostalgic as they awaited the former governor’s return to the country to provide them the necessary leadership and direction regarding the current crisis rocking the APC in Ogun State.

Since after the parallel congresses conducted recently by Governor Ibikunle  Amosun’s faction on the one hand and the supporters of the members of the National Assembly believed to be loyal to the APC National Leader on the other hand produced factional executives at the ward, local government and state levels of the party, Osoba’s supporters had somewhat become uncomfortable with his quiet disposition.

They had been eager to see the day the former governor would break his silence on the matter, especially following last week’s botched attempt by Governor Amosun to inaugurate the state executive committee of his own faction. The governor was however stopped from going ahead with the inauguration by the APC National Headquarters.

And like a lost sheep reunited with its shepherd, party supporters in joyous and social party mood heralded the APC national leader’s ‘triumphant entry’ into the grounds of the meeting with fanfare as many party stalwarts danced and jumped for joy at the sight of Osoba. The atmosphere was carnival-like.

The solidarity speeches that preceded Osoba’s address at the meeting which could be passed for a mini-rally eventually turned out to be just a tip of the iceberg.

Prominent party leaders at the meeting, including the State Chairman of the Osoba APC faction, Chief Isaac Olu Agemo ; the state Secretary, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso; the State Women Leader, Princess Adeola Olukoya and other members of the state exco took their turns to address the crowd.

Also, members of the National Assembly, including Senators Adegbenga Kaka( Ogun East), Gbenga Obadara (Ogun Central), Akin Odunsi (Ogun West), Hon. Adekunle Adeyemi and others did the same.

The only national officer of the party from Ogun State, Yemi Sanusi also assured the members that the APC leadership at the national level would right whatever wrong had been done to them through the recent parallel congresses.

But like the biggest masquerade who is usually billed to be the last to leave the grove, Osoba who was the last to address the crowd of party supporters electrified the elated APC members with his incisive delivery.

So when eventually the ‘oracle’ did speak, he did not disappoint his followers. He used the opportunity to clear the air about the allegations levelled against him by the supporters of the governor.

And so, Osoba who returned from his over one week trip to London at about 4:00am on Thursday spoke for the first time since the parallel congresses.

Of course, his seeming reticence since the beginning of the crisis rocking the party in the state must have been mistaken by the governor’s camp.

But deviating from his usual conciliatory tone and stance, Osoba nonetheless bared his mind in his explanations of the crisis rocking the party over the struggle for the control of the APC machinery in Ogun State.

Not sparring in his address, the APC national leader alleged that the ongoing crisis in the ruling party in the state was part of the grand plan to rubbish him politically.

According to Osoba, the crisis  was a mere replay of the events that occurred in 2003 but which he had decided to “forgive and forget” as a Christian and an elder.

Chief Segun Osoba and Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun

He said: “This is the battle of 2003, eleven years ago, they have started again. The agenda of 2003 is still very very much alive, and that agenda of 2003 was to destroy, rubbish and finish Osoba politically. The agenda was an agenda that was started in 2003 and the same pattern, the same route is being followed.

”I preached peace and to forget anything anyone might have done since we are still alive. For eight years, the government of PDP never wanted us to live. I did not know it is an offence for me to forgive and forget and let us start afresh like brothers. I have no regret because, I have been deceived twice and will not allow that to happen again. I have seen so many things and will never happen again.

“ I am grateful to all of you, 10,000 of you were employed as agents in 2011; we gave you only 2,000 Naira as agent fees. This is just a chicken feed but you did not compromise, you stood like the Rock of Gibraltar; we won the elections. Where are those 10,000 agents? You are here, did you benefit anything from government?

“This is what I was telling them that it was some people who worked for us on the field. Then, it was the state and National Assembly members who selected all these people. The matter on ground is not about using abusive languages but ideas and intellect.”

Disclosing that he had begun a “new political engineering”, he vowed that he would henceforth relocate to the state to lead party members loyal to him in their struggle for the soul of the APC in the state.

The APC national leader also stressed that his loyalists would not leave the ruling APC in the state for any other party.

Rather, Osoba vowed that he would lead them to victory in the current battle going on in the APC in Ogun State.
He added that his loyalists should neither entertain fears nor despair as he was agile and healthy enough to ensure that they were not denied their rights in the party.

”I promise you, I will now relocate to Abeokuta. I am going back to what I used to be which all of you can come at anytime and see me. You are the ones who make this government and we are not going to mar it.  We will not destroy the government but with a ‘big but’ because we have to appreciate performance. I will come back to Abeokuta and I will operate the way I used to operate before.

”From now on, ward, local government, senatorial district meetings and constituency meetings must go on regularly and at the end of the day, we will all hear good news.”

The APC national leader who spoke in an admixture of Yoruba and English also assured them that nobody would force them to defect f rom the ruling party to any other party.

”The issue of defecting to PDP should be discarded; the idea of going to Labour Party should also be discarded, we are going nowhere near PDP or Labour under any circumstance. We are progressives and we will continue to be progressives in our politics. All the options should be geared towards progressive politics all the way. I am ready and not going back even at the age of 75 and we will succeed together,” he said.

Apparently reacting to media reports that he had been making monetary demands on the Ogun State Government, the APC national leader whose speech was intermittently punctuated by the evergreen songs of prominent musicians such as King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Haruna Ishola laced with proverbs and anecdotes  and blaring from huge loudspeakers strategically located within the compound, said that a lot of lies were being told about him by the governor’s camp.

He said in his relationships with virtually all the country’s leaders from General Murtala Muhammed to President Goodluck Jonathan, he had never been treated with such disrespect as he was now getting from Governor Amosun’s camp in the state.

Osoba disclosed that he had never collected any money from the present administration in the state in spite of the fact that he had to sell his houses in Ilorin and Ibadan during the past elections in order to further boost the chances of the party at the polls.

”Thank God I have worked with so many former heads of state and some of them are still living till today, Gowon is still alive and he respects me. Obasanjo came to power and I served him like a good indigene of Ogun State and he was appreciative.

I gave him the land he is staying today and he did not pay a kobo. Shagari is still alive and he respects me. Buhari that they are running after is very close to me, he appointed me as the Managing Director of Daily Times in 1984 and till tomorrow, he still calls me  chief and I never begged money from him. I was not a Journalist that begged for money, Babangida came, he is my friend and I never begged any money from him. When Abiola came, we collected nothing from him because he was a responsible son of Ogun State.

“Abdul Salami Abubakar got there, we are bossom friends and I never begged a kobo from him. He left and Obasanjo took over from him. Obasanjo even said it openly that I was one governor that had not asked for anything in 2002. This has been my life. Since we started politics, we have never done fund raising, we never collected money fron anyone. You have all been supporting the party with the little you have.

“I have said all these for you to know that what they are saying about me are lies, how much would they give me to make for all that I have spent for the elections, how much can they pay back? I campaigned with my name and goodwill and they are now saying my mouth has been sealed but the mouth is opened now.”

Osoba also assured his supporters that contrary to claims by the opposing camp that he had been bought over, he would never sacrifice the interests of the National and State Assembly members loyal to him just to secure a second term ticket for his son, Olumide who is currently a member of the House of Representatives.

He therefore said that he and other party members in the state sympathized with Governor Ibikunle Amosun over the intra-party crisis because those backing him today would eventually turn against him when the chips are down. “Those who are crucifying me today are those that have supported me before. They are supporting the government today, I pity those people. Those who crucify me today will crucify him tomorrow.

“Is something not wrong somewhere? When National Assembly members are bad, Senators are not good, Osoba is bad. We have to be cautious but I appeal to you not to defect to anywhere because both PDP and Labour are one and the same and they are being used to destabilise the South West. We will not be part of the destructive moves.

At the appropriate time, we will consult on the way forward and God will be with us,” Osoba said. He however warned his loyalists to continue to give the due respect to the office of the governor by avoiding the use of any form of abusive words against his person and office. ”Ideas, issues, intellect is what I want you to pursue. I have been a governor twice and under no circumstance should we denigrate, insult, abuse that chair or that office. We should respect the office of the governor, we must not abuse people again.

The matter has got to a stage where we will use intellect, experience, ideas, issues and to begin to fight one another on issues.” The APC national leader however enjoined his loyalists to go back home and await the decision of the party’s national leadership which would meet on May 13 on the congresses conducted nationwide.

He commended the National and state assembly members for being steadfast in the ongoing struggle in the party even in the face of persecution. Having heard the ‘oracle’ speak and with smiles on their faces, the thousands of APC supporters streamed out of Osoba’s expansive compound jubilantly and boarded their vehicles to return to their various homes to spread the message.