A mild drama erupted on Wednesday at the Osogbo central Eid prayer ground as Governor Ademola Adeleke’s aides and the chieftains of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, clashed over a sitting arrangement, OsunDaily gathered.
The Muslim faithful in Osun capital, Osogbo, had gathered at the Eid prayer ground for prayers before the clash.
The Gazette learnt that the clash also prevented Mr Adeleke from observing the two raka’at prayer rites at the Eid ground.
Trouble started when a chieftain of the APC and former senate spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru and a foremost Islamic leader, Tunde Badmus, arrived at the prayer ground in the Oke-Baale area of the state capital and took their seats in the front row.
The sitting position of Mr Basiru was said to have angered some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and loyalists of Mr Adeleke, who hurriedly asked the senator to vacate the seat reserved for the governor.
Muniru Raji, a chieftain of the PDP, was said to have told Mr Basiru that the governor was already on his way to the prayer ground and should vacate the seat for Mr Adeleke.
After several pleas, the former senate spokesperson changed his sitting position to a different section of the same front row but the PDP chieftain was still not satisfied.
Efforts by the protocol officers of the governor to intervene in the ensuing argument led to chaos.
However, Mr Adeleke arrived at the venue and was not allowed to leave his vehicle by his security details, having observed the situation.
Reacting to the situation, Olawale Rasheed, the spokesman for the governor, said his principal escaped “an assassination attempt” at the prayer ground.
Mr Rasheed condemned the planned attack on the governor at the praying ground and accused Mr Basiru of causing the chaos at the prayer.
According to him, the governor who arrived at the venue hoping to observe the Eid prayers was practically surrounded by armed thugs, prompting security men to ferry the Governor into his jeep.
“The government particularly notes with shock and surprise the role played by former Senator Ajibola Basiru, who took over the space reserved for the Governor at the prayer ground. All efforts to get the former Senator to vacate the space proved abortive.
“The government was even more shocked that thugs armed to the teeth were spotted all over the praying ground with the security information that they were imported to eliminate the Governor and key government functionaries.
“For the second time, the Governor attempted to enter the praying field but the encirclement by armed thugs was already visible. It was at that point that the Governor had to leave the praying ground,” he said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
He added that the governor had already directed security operatives to arrest those involved in the incident.
“The Commissioner of Police has been directed to arrest those involved no matter how highly placed.”
But in a swift reaction, Mr Basiru denied bringing in thugs to the prayer ground to assassinate the governor.
He described the claim by the governor’s spokesman of an attempt to eliminate Mr Adeleke was highly misplaced.
“If anybody says that I, Ajibola Basiru attempt to assassinate the governor of Osun state, the person needs psychiatric examination. I never saw the governor today and I’m not sure the governor set his eyes on me.
“Rather, I was assaulted by thugs of PDP led by Muniru Raji at the praying ground where I was sitting to pray,” Mr Basiru said.
