• says group’s position on regionalism sacrosanct
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has debunked the involvement of members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in the crisis that erupted in Ojota, Lagos on Monday, describing it as untrue.
Iba Adams said this in his reaction to information making the rounds that members of the OPC were part of the groups that organized the Yoruba Nation Rally and fallout of which left dead in the Ojota area of the state.
The Yoruba generalissimo, who spoke in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Kehinde Aderemi, said the Ojota rally came as a surprise, adding that it kept everybody unawares as none of his members was part of the crisis.
“Let me clear the air on the crisis that had engulfed Ojota this morning. There were unconfirmed reports linking members of the OPC to the mayhem. I want to state it clearly that none of our members were at the scene of the incident.
“OPC is not against the liberation of Yoruba race. However, it is a fact that the struggle for the liberation of Yoruba race is an inalienable right of all Yoruba to champion self-determination. We are not part of the peaceful rally held in Ojota,” he said.
Adams, however, reiterated OPC’s position on regionalism, declaring that it was sacrosanct.
According to him, Nigeria should be restructured to full regional autonomy, where each region will be at liberty to operate at their own pace.
“Our position on regionalism is very clear. It is sacrosanct because that is what we are seeking at the moment
“Nigeria should be restructured to full regional autonomy, where each region will be at liberty to operate at their own pace.
“It is unfortunate that the report was done in bad faith to discredit our organization.
“How can people be so mean to spread such sensitive information that OPC attacked the Yoruba nation agitators? the Yoruba generalissimo quarried.
“Such information was wicked, mischievous, and uncalled for and could trigger crisis and cause unnecessary disaffection between the OPC and sons and daughters of Yoruba race.
“This was the fourth time that such information had been spread against the OPC and it is very sad and unfortunate that the purveyors of such inciting information are doing it in bad faith,” he said.
So, members of the public should not be deceived by unconfirmed reports. However, it is the sacred responsibility of the media to investigate any report before going to the Press.
“Information at my disposal from the visual contents of happenings in Ojota indicated a peaceful rally that later gone awry, leaving in its wake a bitter experience that led to the death of one of the Yoruba nation agitators.
“It is unfortunate that such crisis could lead to such fracas that eventually claimed one life,” he further stated.
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