Laoye Sesan || After the Yoruba leaders’ summit on restructuring, two factions of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) of the Gani Adams, clashed in front of the Adamasingba stadium, where the event took place.
Although the police say that they are still investigating the matter, we can now authoritatively tell you that the clash was as a result showing superiority and relevance to determine who controls Oyo state, between the leader of the group in Ibadan and Gani Adams who believed that the leadership in Ibadan is becoming very powerful and relevant.
It was learnt that the leader of the group in Oyo state, Shina, sometimes ago, openly accused Gani Adams of using the organization to his personal benefits and not for the purpose for which the organization was set up. Shina, as a result, called the bluff of Adams and since then there has been crisis between the two leaders.
Shina we were told, is now operating a parallel faction of the OPC in Oyo State. It was also gathered that because of his generosity, and sense of business acumen, he has taken over all the membership of the organization because he has established those who no job and initiated a cooperative body that deals with various organasations and the governments in Oyo, Osun and Ondo state.
Apart from this, it was said that Shina also set up a security outfit which has been helping the police to fish out criminals, his type of operation which earned him an award from the police and the governments of some of the Oodua states.
What it was learnt that fueled the animosity between him and Adams was his outburst that, Gani Adams’s activities on Ibuolokun was personal, the issue of the money allegedly collected for the 2015 general election during Jonathan’s era was another issue which made Shina and others decided to back out from Gani Adams faction.
Since the Shina faction has entrenched itself in Oyo State, Gani Adams appointed another leader in the state, and the Shina faction has been at logger’s heads with that new factions. It was however evident that there would be a clash between the two factions since they were fully present at the function. Shina to show that he was fully on ground and in control mobilized his men to the stadium.
What also triggered the last Thursday clash which claimed two lives and several members of the two factions still recuperating in the hospitals, including Shina who was taken to the Police command hospital in Eleyele, Ibadan was the booing of Adams by the Shina boys when Gani was introduced at the high table and when he was called to deliver his speech. This action was regarded as an affront by the Adams boys, hence the clash
Meanwhile, the police in Ibadan have said that he is still investigating the matter, saying that some people have been arrested. Although unofficial report indicated two people lost their lives in the attack, police sources say that only one person died while those who sustained various degrees of injuries are still recuperating in various hospitals in Ibadan Metropolis.
Also, some leaders in the zone have expressed disappointment over the incident. Dr. Kunle Olajide, who the Secretary-General of the Yoruba Elders Council, said they did not expect that such an incident could happen on a day when the Yoruba nation was united about what they want from the country. OPC according to him is an organization which should shun violence and is law abiding, but in a society like ours, we are bound to have such differences saying that was the essence of democracy.
He, however, said that they would look into the matter and see how they could reconcile the two leaders who are ‘’our sons’