Thugs Disrupt Ogun LG Transition Committee Swearing In

Senator Iyabo Anisulowo

Senator Iyabo Anisulowo: abducted by gunmen

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

There was pandemonium on Thursday as people scampered for their lives when hoodlums disrupted the swearing in ceremony of members of the Transition Committee of Yewa South Local Government, Ilaro, Ogun State, western Nigeria.

An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity with our correspondent, explained that party faithful who were at the local government secretariat were angry over the choice of the Vice Chairman of the transition committee.

Factional groups in the local government area are jostling for supremacy over who occupies the seat.
While Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, who represented Ogun West in the Senate between 2003 -2007, supports Latifat Ajayi for the seat, another faction, basically leaders of the party in the local government prefer Princess Serifat Adeyinka.

Senator Iyabo Anisulowo
Senator Iyabo Anisulowo

Although Latifat joined the party shortly before the governorship election in the state in April this year, it was further gathered that she is from the same Ilaro zone with the Chairman of the Committee, Wole Ajayi, who was sworn in on Tuesday by the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

The source explained that Senator Anisulowo and her candidate, Latifat, stormed out of the swearing in ceremony immediately the latter’s name was announced as an ordinary member of the committee and not the Vice Chairman.

It was further gathered that the thugs allegedly led by a younger brother to Latifat identified as Muyiwa Animasahun, immediately stormed the venue and started throwing bottles, chairs and brandishing weapons, which forced the programme to end abruptly.

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The thugs also reportedly overpowered police officers at the venue, forcing the organisers of the event to invite soldiers from Owode area of the local government.

When our correspondent contacted Senator Anisulowo to comment on the crisis, which was laid at her door step, she denied her involvement in the attack, saying those who accused her were not telling the truth.

According to her, “they are not telling the truth, I didn’t want to go for the swearing in because I had an appointment in Abeokuta and immediately they finished reading the names, I went out of the venue.

“You can ask from the town, I don’t keep thugs, I don’t use them, I didn’t instruct anybody to disrupt the process. My politics is not about keeping thugs, they know those who disrupted the programme,” Anisulowo explained.

When asked about her preferred candidate for the post of the Vice Chairman, Anisulowo said: “that is not the headache of anyone. I am in politics but I am not the governor. But I am the mother of the state if you don’t know.

“I am the mother of the state and I have people all over the state and one way or the other, I would have interest in what happens to them from time to time.”

Party members who were not satisfied with the list later stormed the Government House in Abeokuta to inform the governor about their grievances.

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