Governor Aregebesola has opened up on why Osun State did not give a
befitting funeral after the controversial death of the first civilian
governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.
Former Osun State Governor, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke
Ede, a community in Osun state, has been on the boil since the controversial death of the first civilian governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke,
following suspicion that he was poisoned by political opponents, eager
to eliminate him from contesting the next gubernatorial election of the
state for which he had begun to campaign.
His
constituents felt robbed, as he was favoured to clinch his party’s
ticket and win the poll, as a major political force and votes swinger,
particularly in Osun West Senatorial District, expected to produce the
Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s successor.
While
speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, Senator Adeleke’s
multi billionaire brother, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, regretted the orgy of
violence and protests that greeted the late politician’s passage, saying
they did little honour to the memory of his beloved brother, whom he
described as a man of peace.
He said while the
grief of the masses and his fans was understandable, it was preposterous
and unjustified to base it on rumour and unfounded political
insinuations.
“We’ve done the autopsy; the
result is yet to be out. The pathologist has given us a week or two
within which it will be out. Let people not make assumptions, jump to
conclusions or accuse anybody without proof. We’re not doing the memory
of the departed, who was a man who loved peace, any honour by being
violent.
“That’s why I
appealed to them this morning to allow peace to reign. We just want to
mourn our brother in peace. I loved my brother so much; he was my hero,
as he was theirs. We (the family) have been in pain. We cry, we’ve been
crying day and night. When everybody (crowds of sympathizers) leaves we
cry even more.
"He was a peaceful man. You wouldn’t find him going about causing trouble when he was alive.”
Governor Aregebesola’s
spokesman, Semiu Okanlawon, said the unruly behaviour of the mob had
denied the late Adeleke of a state burial befitting him as a former
governor of the state.
Okanlawon, who denied any
political rift between his boss and Adeleke as being speculated, said
despite the short notice of the funeral being an Islamic one, the state
government had prepared to dignify it as a state burial in view of
Adeleke’s status as an ex-governor.
“The
Deputy Governor was leading a government delegation to the funeral,
they were already on their way, when the report of violence came…We
don’t think that would be the best way to honour Senator Adeleke, who
was known to be a man of peace.”
On Governor Aregbesola’s opposition to Adeleke’s come-back bid, Okanlawon said:
"The
tribute of the governor to the late Senator has taken care of it all.
There was no rift whatsoever. It was an unfounded rumour. As Governor
Aregbesola said he worked for the governor’s reelection and the governor
worked for his election into the Senate in 2014.
"Yes,
there would always be power blocs, but the fact is they were in the
same party and would always work for the interest of their party. In any
case, he was entitled to vie for the governorship and Aregbesola is not
seeking reelection. So, how could there be friction?."
No comments:
Post a Comment