Lagos Protest: Gani Adams Betrayed Yoruba People -OPC Pioneer Members

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Nigeria 2015 Election Tuesday, March 17th, 2015

A serious break in the ranks of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) may have been sparked by the recent violent protest held on the streets of Lagos by the Gani Adams faction of the group.

Indications of deep divisions emerged when about 50 pioneer members of the OPC gathered at the Kolex Hotel in Shomolu to address a press conference and issue a statement titled, “Gani Adams Has Betrayed Us And The Yoruba People.”

Speaking on behalf of the group, Comrade Shina Akinpelu said, the National Coordinating Council of the OPC, the highest ruling body of the organization, is dissociating itself from what he called “the shameful, destructive, violent and reactionary activities of the Gani Adam-led team which occurred in Lagos.”

He described the actions of the protesters and their leader as “the highest level of political violence sponsored and funded by certain elements in the Jonathan government.”

“Gani Adams is on his own and does not enjoy the support of a large size of our membership spread across the country,” Comrade Akinpelu said, adding that “he is working for the sponsors of violence against our people who want the March 28 elections not to hold. Unleashing terror on innocent citizens and killing them is not the way of democracy. It is not our idea of a people-oriented advocacy.

“Gani Adams is on dubious project. He is using the Pipeline contract from the Jonathan government as a ploy or excuse to recruit people to work for Jonathan and PDP in the South West. Gani Adams is acting against Yoruba interest. The compromises he has made amounts to selling the Yoruba to the present government for a piece of Pipeline contract to line his pockets.

“OPC is not about Pipeline contracts or any other contracts for that matter. The Yoruba interest is beyond contracts. We seek justice and fairness from the current government,” he said.

The pioneer OPC members who joined Comrade Akinpelu at the press conference include Monsuru Akande, Sunday Adebayo, Kilanko Oladipupo, Kehinde Ogunyale, and Gbenga Eegunlusi. They all agreed that the move by Gani Adams must be condemned and called on all Yorubas to remain united.

Their statement read in part; “We, members of the National Coordinating Council of the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, call all true Yoruba leaders, sons and daughters to stand with us in totally condemning Gani and his anti-democratic tendencies. We must renounce him and remind him he cannot sell the Yoruba race to Jonathan and PDP on the cheap.

“He also has no authority to speak on behalf of the Yoruba people. We pity those who rely on him to win votes. They will be sorely disappointed. Their investment is a bad one already. We reject today and always any attempt to use our organization and its members for narrow and selfish partisan purposes.

“We must remind them that the Yoruba people cannot be hoodwinked by sweeteners. No one should expect them to kowtow to an individual who is a Lilliputian in the political development and history of the Yoruba nation. The Yorubas are politically sophisticated persons and will simply ignore political opportunists like Gani Adams. We renounce him and his activities which are against the larger Yoruba interest. We renounce all other Yoruba sons and daughters who are playing roles inimical to the welfare and interest the larger Yoruba nation.

“We call on our people to be vigilant politically at this time. Nigeria needs a new leadership, a new direction and a country that works,” they said.

Also speaking, the former Secretary General of the OPC, Kayode Ogundamisi, in a separate statement titled “That OPC Madness in Lagos,” described the attack on the citizenry as “uncalled for.” He berated the current leaders of the group for turning the ideals that gave birth to the organisation into something else.

“The Oodua People’s Congress, I, as National Sec-Gen and Late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti as National Treasurer and others, associated with was strictly a self-determination group until Dr Fredrick Fasehun swallowed General Obasanjo’s ‘apple’ that led to the break up and factional crisis. History is repeating itself again in 2015. Goodluck Jonathan is ‘donating’ more apples into the OPC leadership and it is only a matter of time the followers would ask both leaders for s ‘just share’.

“I would just advice both Dr. Fasehun and Gani Adams that whatever assignment they are carrying out for President Jonathan they should do within the laws of the land. Monday’s attack on innocent Citizens in Lagos and destruction of opposition party posters, beating up of members of the public with APC flags is uncalled for. We cannot return to the dark days of lawlessness and brigandage. Dollars don’t last forever, but the Yoruba race will outlive all us,” he said.