Adeleke's Aides are incompetent — Basiru blasts

Senator Ajibola Basiru has blasted Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke for surrounding himself with incompetent persons.

This is as he lampooned Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke after their much-publicised clash at Eid prayer ground on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Adeleke and Basiru clashed at Osogbo Eid Prayer ground at Oke-Baale area of Osun State on Wednesday over sitting arrangement.

The development made the Governor storm out of the praying ground angrily without observing the two-Rakat prayers.

Speaking on Thursday in Osogbo, Basiru said Adeleke allegedly appointed incompetent aides who are not representing him very well.

“I pity the Governor of Osun State. He is surrounded by people who don’t know how to represent him very well and those who are supposed to be his handlers are people who are pushing illogical narratives for him and I will give you two examples of it.

“The spokesperson said some hoodlums were seen in about three buses at Eid ground and up till today nothing has happened in terms of arresting and bringing them to books.

“The Governor left the premises, leaving those thugs in the venue without arresting them up till now and he is supposed to be the Chief Security officer. He swore to the Constitution, Section 14 that security and welfare is paramount responsibility of the Governor, so that statement by Olawale Rasheed is an indictment on the Governor himself. Maybe he does know the implications on the office of the Governor.

“Then to also say the Governor arrive at a place to meet such situation means that the security around the Governor is also porous because there is supposed to be advanced team that would have gone to do security reconnaissance. Two things would have happened, either they are inefficient or outright liars.

“Iam a Muslim but I don’t mix politics and religion together but for some people they need to pretend what they are not to appeal to voters. It is also ironical that somebody who is a Muslim, no matter how hard it is, no matter the issues involved, to observe a two Raka-at prayers should not be an issue that you stormed out of the Eid and after that his spokesperson says he went to do thanksgivings.

“I don’t know if it is Muslim, Christian or traditional thanksgiving. Because their is nothing like thanksgiving in Islam. For me, as our people begin to grow and demand good governance from public officials, as we begin to pay tax they will take governance serious and won’t let anybody deceive them using primordial sentiment of religion.”

But Adeleke’s spokesperson Olawale Rasheed berated the Senator for instigating violence at Eid.

“Governor’s handlers are more than competent hence the superlative performance of the administration in the last seven months. There was an advance team which had secured a space for the Governor. SRJ hijacked the space and SRJ refused to vacate the space when approached by protocol officers first and later by Osogbo leaders.

“The handlers are smarter because SRJ agenda was to create violence and stampede which he planned to blame on the Governor. The presence of armed thugs was to kill and create stampede, all which will be blamed on the Governor.

“But the team was smarter , hence the Governor leaving the venue and denying dark minds of their yearnings for blood. Again, the right thing was done by the police which quizzed the culprit, SRJ. Ongoing is an investigation by the police.

“Ours is a law-abiding administration. The Governor escaped assassination attempt, and the worshippers escaped stampede that would have claimed lives of innocent citizens.”