Secret Reporters No place to hide
Fejiro Oliver
Former governor of Ogun State has been fingered as an arrow head of the free for all fight that took place during the meeting of the harmonization committee of the All Progressive Congress on Thursday.
The APC which has two factions in the state with each headed by Olusegun Osoba and Current governor Ibikunle Amosun. The Journalists had gone to the party secretariat to cover the crisis when thugs allegedly loyal to Osoba descended on them. Among the journalists attacked
were Kunle Ojo (Galaxy Television) Taofeek Lawal (MITV) and Dupe Sobukola (Radio Nigeria, Paramount F.M), with all of them sustaining injuries and losing money to the thugs
Angered by the event, the chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Wole Shokunbi, said the union would blacklist APC in the state.
“The attention of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun state Council has been drawn to the dastardly act by some suspected members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and that of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Ogun State on some members of the Union at the APC secretariat today, Thursday, January 9, 2014. The leadership of the Council, following preliminary report and investigation on the matter, at the interim, has forthwith subsequently blacklisted all activities relating to the party and that of the NURTW in the state,
“It is therefore disheartening that journalists who had a legitimate assignment at the venue would be turned to punching bags and scapegoats,” Shokunbi stated.
“The union has also formally reported the incident to the police and is demanding for the recovery of these items in the next 24 hours upon which further action, which is not limited to legal action, would be taken on the matter,” Mr. Shokunbi said.
The Interim Party Chairman of the APC who is a loyalist of Amosun, Tajudeen Bello, put the blame Osoba.
Mr. Bello said “it is so unfortunate that such a thing will be happening in the days of progress of Ogun state.”
“However, immediately after the attack which was so much unexpected, we learnt that our revered leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba also came with members of the national assembly and bragged that he was spoiling for a fight.
“I will not believe that he said so because he happened to be a builder of the party, and what you build, you don’t destroy and as an elder statesman, every expectation was for him to play a mediatory role in any issue whatsoever. It was a surprise that a new dimension is being introduced into the politicking of Ogun state more so from the so called responsible politicians that people give very high regard,” he said.
“As a party and based on the directive from the national headquarters, what we were expecting and which will soon be announced to the people is the issue of preparation for membership at various levels. But unfortunately, early this morning some of our staff at the secretariat announced that some hoodlums came to attack them for no just course; and in the process they wounded some of our staff there.”
