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Nigeria: Oyo PDP Congress Turns Bloody

WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.

Original Post Date: 2011-01-01 Time: 03:00:10  Posted By: News Poster

By Oladele Ogunsola and Gbenga Abegunrin

Skirmishes in the screening and congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun and Benue States on Wednesday became a bloodbath in Oyo on Thursday, resulting in the death of the factional leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lateef Salako (also known as Eleweomo).

Senate Leader Teslim Folarin escaped death by a whisker.

Four vehicles were burnt and 10 others – including an official mini jeep of of Ona-Ara Council Caretaker Chairman, Tunde Olayiwola – were smashed at the congress in Olunloyo, Ibadan.

Trouble started when the convoy of Folarin, who hails from the council, was attacked by thugs. Eleweomo was hit by bullets.

Earlier at the congress, Eleweomo and his men had repelled a group of Folarin loyalists who sang abusive songs to discredit the Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala faction of the PDP.

After the group was dispersed, the congress was conducted and the result announced by an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Toyin Oyedele, who described it as free and fair.

Olayiwola also described the congress as peaceful and maintained that the council remains a stronghold of the PDP.

A member of the State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB), Stella Sobowale, a PDP leader in the council, said the congress was a glorious one and that the Folarin loyalists only came as onlookers and “to tell us that they are still alive whereas they are no more living.”

She insisted that the game is up for the Folarin faction, whose members would come and beg to join the Alao-Akala faction.

However, the Folarin loyalists re-grouped and came back to the venue, with Folarin allegedly leading the confrontation during which Eleweomo was shot.

Eleweomo had reportedly shot dead two of Folarin’s supporters.

There was an exchange of gun fire by the two groups, one led by Folarin, the other by Olayiwola.

Olayiwola alleged that Folarin loyalists burnt three of his buses.

Two vehicles belonging to former Ona-Ara council Chairman, Akeem Taiwo, were vandalised.

Yetunde Olayiwola, the owner of another damaged vehicle, said what Folarin did was appalling because it was he who led the gang that burnt her vehicle and those of others.

She warned that democracy “is at risk in this country,” adding: “If a whole Senate Leader would descend so low as to lead hoodlums to attack his own immediate constituency the way he did, what message are we sending to the younger generations?”

Police Commissioner Adisa Bolanta confirmed that he visited the area and saw the corpses, and that arrests were made.

However, Folarin himself condemned the invasion of the council, saying he was surprised that Bolanta did not take action on it.

In his view, there was no need for the government to involve the NURTW in the congress, having proscribed it.

Folarin, whose security aides allegedly fired the shots that killed Eleweomo, maintained that there was a premeditated attack on him and his supporters by Eleweomo.

His words: “On Wednesday, at the commencement of the ward congress, I learnt Eleweomo and his people in about 20 buses had stormed my Ward 5 in Idi Ose.

“They were armed with guns, and on getting there, I enquired from supporters what was the business of Eleweomo. Shortly after, he (Eleweomo) went and stayed in one of the classrooms of the school with heavy smoke of marijuana coming from their end, but we were not perturbed.

“You journalists would recall that, on the fateful Wednesday afternoon, I told you at Senator Lekan Balogun’s house what we saw at the hands of Eleweomo and his people, but you never reported it. I wondered why you did not carry it in your papers.

“Today again, he (Eleweomo) and his people in multifold of the Wednesday’s number, had besieged the local government brandishing dangerous weapons, arms and ammunition.

“And immediately, I recalled the privileged information from an Ibadan-based prominent supporter of Alao-Akala’s camp of the party that I should tread softly during these congresses because a plan had been hatched to assassinate me.

“Then, this made me to call (Bolanta) to alert him of the presence of Eleweomo and his gun totting hoodlums, who invaded the lawful assemblage of PDP congress.

“Noticing that the atmosphere was becoming more charged as Eleweomo and his team were surging towards where we were having the congress, I put a call again to (Bolanta) to inform him of the plans to disrupt the congress by (Eleweomo).

“(Bolanta) replied that what he got from that end was contrary to what I told him. And this made me to call the Director of State Security Service (SSS), who then assured me that he would talk to the CP (Bolanta) on the matter.

“Notwithstanding, I made another call to (Bolanta) on the need to arrest the situation, but his orderly picked my call and told me that he was not on seat.

“Ordinarily, because of the threat message I got two days earlier, I should not have gone to my constituency to partake in the exercise, but as a politician, at times you have to brave some odds. Knowing that I had no sinister intention against anybody, why would anybody be after my life?

“So, I went there yesterday and today and alerted the CP more than five times of the happenings in my constituency.

“And as a peace lover, shortly after our congress, I left there with my people. On my way home, I got information that Eleweomo and his men clashed with some members of the outlawed Odua Peoples Congress (OPC).

“Even my convoy was severally attacked on my way home and this resulted in the death of two of my supporters while I also learnt that two others had their arms chopped off.

“If I had wanted to attack Eleweomo and his people, I would have done so since Wednesday because I have my orderly and security aides in my convoy. But I never did so, and I now wonder why anybody would now link the death of Eleweomo to me and my aides.”

Folarin also alleged that Olayiwola, the council Caretaker Chairman, gave backing to Eleweomo and his people.

“I wondered whether they wanted to jointly appoint delegates for Alao-Akala.”

Original date published: 30 December 2010

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201012310542.html?viewall=1