In an ideal society, the inauguration of a commission of enquiry is a welcome development as such has the backing of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. But in the current clime in Osun State that the governorship election is knocking whereby it’s the person seeking re-election that has inaugurated such commission of enquiry, its motive and intention is suspect.
It would be recalled that Governor Ademola Adeleke inaugurated a commission of enquiry to investigate the purported crises in the state which had led to the killings and wounding of so many people in strange circumstances which appeared stage-managed by the leadership and handlers of the deregistered Accord Party in the state in order to get at the members and supporters of the major opposition APC in the state that is strategically positioned to constitutionally wrestle power from the incumbent governor.
The commission of enquiry with retired Honourable Justice Adekunle Adeigbe as its chairman in his acceptance speech, promised to carry out its task with integrity, fear of God, fairness to all parties and commitment to the rule of law but it is not devoid of credibility burden in the estimation of the discerning minds because of the pungent baggage of the governor who set it up.
It would not be a gainsaying to observe and conclude that the commission of enquiry is already tainted as the governor who established it had preempted its findings by frivolously labelling the opposition APC party as being responsible for the spate of the crises bedevilling the state without waiting for the police investigation.
A cursory observation of the membership of the commission failed to reveal its composition other than its chairman which is a big minus to its credibility rating in the court of the public especially in the estimation of the right-thinking members of the society.
We just hope that the embattled and visibly frustrated Governor Adeleke would remember to inform his commission of enquiry that he is the reason why peace has eluded the 34-year-old state since the inauguration of his administration over three years ago.
It is our belief that the commission of enquiry would be told by its appointer that the governor and all other elected political functionaries under the administration of Governor Adeleke stepped on the blood of no fewer than 30 members and supporters of the APC who were unjustifiably killed by the defunct Peoples Democratic Party PDP’s goons recruited from the other states before the 2022 governorship and 2023 other elections?
It would also interest the retired Justice Adeigbe Commission of Enquiry how the unguarded and inciting outbursts of the supposed number one chief security officer of the state had resulted to the slaughtering of the former chairman of Irewole Local Government Council Area with its headquarters in Ikire, Honourable Remi Abass, by the PDP political hoodlums, who are currently standing trial at a Federal High Court, Abuja.
The abduction and subsequent killing of a local chieftain of our party, Saheed Olagunju, in Ikire by some PDP thugs on a motorcycle, on the day President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought his campaign train for his election to Osun State, should also not evade the lenses of the members of the commission of enquiry.
Is it not a high level of absurdity to discover that our party lost four of our members to the Accord Party thugs in the ancient town of Ilesa within four days penultimate week without the governor finding it necessary to condemn the atrocities?
The retired Honourable Justice Adeigbe Commission of Enquiry has a task to invite the illegal Association of Local Government of Nigeria ALGON chairman in Osun, one Sarafadeen Awotunde alias ‘Spain’ as he has owned up in a video recording that has gone viral that any time there’s a gun shot in any part of Osun State, himself and members of his gang were responsible for it.
It should also interest the commission of enquiry why Governor Adeleke has not only been empowering some of the criminals on the wanted list of the police with juicy appointments in his government, he has also been harbouring them in the Government House unfettered to the chagrin of the right-thinking members of the society.
The chairman and members of the commission of enquiry are current enough to be abreast of a factual information where Governor Adeleke few days ago threatened the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with revolution, vowing that no authority could declare a state of emergency on his government.
The commission of enquiry should determine the propriety of a sitting governor to be threatening revolution in a democratic dispensation which has been part of his unguarded statements that has been emboldened the army of his political thugs resident in the Government House to perpetrate atrocities on the members of the opposition APC in the state.
It would be recalled that Hon.Justice Adeigbe is the appointee of Governor Adeleke being the Chairman of his purported Boundary Commission which has not been able to resolve hundreds of boundaries’ disputes ever since the inception of his government.
e-SIGNED:
*Mogaji KOLA OLABISI, Osun State APC Director of Media and Information.*
