The Oodua People’s Congress, founded by Frederick Fasehun, on Thursday disagreed with a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Buba Galadima, for alleging that President Bola Tinubu and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, were supporting Yoruba against Hausa and other tribes.
The national Public Relations Officer of the group, Akin Adesina, made this known during a press conference held at Orita-Aperin in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The PUNCH reports that Galadima had, some days ago, on a live television programme, said some northern groups recruited late President Muhammadu Buhari into Nigerian politics because OPC, between 1999 and 2000, invaded Ilorin in Kwara State with the sole aim of uprooting Fulani structures.
He also alleged that Obasanjo and the then Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, did nothing to stop the OPC.
OPC, however, described the allegations against both Tinubu and Obasanjo as wrong accusations.
“Galadima was a friend to Fasehun, likewise to the incumbent President of OPC, Osibote. It did not occur to us that we are dealing with a friend in disguise.
“In Kwara State, 70 per cent of the indigenes are of Yoruba descent. They do not need to mobilise people outside their state to fight for their cause, especially in Ilorin, where Emir is ruling on Yoruba descendants.”
He recalled an incident that occurred in October 2000 in Oyo State, during the tenure of the late former Governor of the state, Lam Adesina.
“The Fulani herdsmen invaded farms in Saki spanning 100-kilometre radius, and destroyed the farms with their cattle, killing the farmers.
“Late Buhari, in company of former Military Governor of Lagos State, Gen Buba Marwa, Aliko Muhammed, Hassan and a host of northern Arewa elites came to meet late former Governor Adesina.
“They emitted fire based on the information of ‘hear-say’. They came with people of Northern extraction, numbering about 1,000 men and women, young and the old.
“This created some tension in and around government secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan. Gen Buhari now relayed his message, accusing the people of Saki in Oke-Ogun that they killed more than 68 Fulani herdsmen, and also accused the State Government of perversion of justice.
“Adesina maintained his coolness and asked the constituted authorities on security, namely Commissioner of Police, State Director of SSS, and the Executive Chairman of the Local Government involved, to speak.
“These stakeholders read their reports, which indicted Fulani herdsmen as the real killers of farmers in Saki. The reports are there for fact-checking.
“Please, Galadima, what is the business of former President Obasanjo and President Tinubu in this matter?
“At that time, there were two uprisings that happened in Mile 12 and Idi-Araba in Lagos State. The one of Mile 12 market was between Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani, and that of Idi-Araba as well.
“If today, Galadima and his cohorts want to bring in the name of Tinubu into this matter, your action will not see the light of day because nothing concerns Tinubu with Ilorin matter.
“Also, it is a generally belief that Obasanjo is an ardent nationalist to the core. It was Obasanjo, who ordered the shoot-on-sight directives for OPC members when he became President in 1999. This was seen as a measure to curb the group’s activities, which were perceived as a threat to national security.
“Galadima, where is Obasanjo’s role on protecting the OPC? The records are there for fact-checking. Is Galadima a friend of Yoruba, or what to call him?
“Buhari is late. Adesina has gone to rest. The then Kwara State Governor is no more alive. It is now that Galadima is trying to wreak havoc.
“In our view, we perceived Galadima as a statesman. We did expect a progressive statement from him, not one that will divide our noble country,” the OPC stated.
