Daily Independent Online.
*
Wednesday, July 21, 2004.
Violence in Ibadan as PDP peace talks is deadlocked
By Sola Shittu
Reporter,
Ibadan
Pandemonium and
sporadic gunfire around 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday in Ibadan shattered the peace
talks initiated by party members to reconcile Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja
and Lamidi Adedibu.
No one died. But
exchange of fist-cuffs led to the removal of four teeth from the mouth of one
of the governor’s drivers. Several others also received serious injuries.
The meeting was
conveyed at the Premier Hotel by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by its National Chairman Audu Ogbeh.
Violence broke out
when a group loyal to one of the participants attacked an opponent who attempted
to remove the flag on Ladoja’s car.
It was in the process
of preventing the hoodlums from vandalising the car that two of Ladoja’s
aides were stripped naked by a group supporting a member of the party who was
part of the talks.
Police and other security
operatives had to resort to firing shots in the air to keep the combatants at
bay.
Addressing journalists
at the end of the meeting, Ogbeh condemned the act of violence which he
described as very uncivilised.
He said he was unhappy
about it, saying supporters of both groups should exercise restraint and allow
party leaders carry on with the peace process.
His words: “We
are still in the peace process, it has not been concluded but it is sad that
while discussions were going on inside, some people were fighting outside. It
is not a healthy development and it will not help the peace process. We have
had the opportunity of hearing from all sides and to see things, as it were, on
the ground, and we are going back to Abuja before we will take a final decision
on the whole thing”.
On the question of
party leadership in the state,
Ogbeh said Ladoja remains the party leader and “no one could
contest that”.
Reacting to
Adedibu’s declaration that he has dissolved the state’s party
executive, Ogbeh said: “That cannot be possible. There is a procedure for
doing that and it is not an individual thing. The chairman is still there and remains the chairman of the
party for now just as the governor remains the party leader in the
state”.
