Residents and citizens of Osun State have set the stage for a mass rally in support of the call for the impeachment of incumbent Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
The organisers of the rally which is to hold on Tuesday, July 7, 2015 are a group called Civil Societies for Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO).
According to a press briefing held on Monday, July 6, 2015 by CSCEO, over 20 faith and civil groups have mobilised their members in readiness for the mass rally.
The chairman of CSCEO, Comrade Adeniyi Suleiman Alimi during the press brief gave the names of organisations taking part in the rally, they are; The Voices, KIMPACT, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, Grassroot Democratic Network, Christian Initiative for Nation Building, Christian Leadership Mobilisation and Better Future Initiative.
Including, Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Justice, Development and Peace Commission Movement (JDPCM), Positive Movement, Good Governance Support Group, Democratic Socialist Movement and Conference of National Political Parties (CNPP).
He also explained that there are currently over three petitions before the state House of Assembly and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for the probe and impeachment of Gov. Aregbesola including one written by Justice Folaranmi Oloyede.
In a related development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State have resorted to trading blames for the continued woeful situation the state is in.
The APC on Monday, July 6,2014 in a statement released by the Directorate of Publicity, Research and Strategy, called on security operatives to hold the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, responsible for any breach of peace in the state.
They alleged that Omisore had earlier promised to make the state ungovernable for Gov. Aregbesola and that he planned to unleash violence on the state by using the unpaid workers salaries as a front.
The statement read: “Specifically we must alert the whole world to a threat issued by Omisore on June 14 this year at the secretariat of the PDP in Osogbo where he promised members of his party that he was prepared to make this state ungovernable for Governor Rauf Aregesola.
“We are therefore certain that the crisis being orchestrated in the state is to get what the people of Osun denied him through a democratic process on August 9, 2014. This was his resolution after the Supreme Court decision which finally sealed his ambition through a pronouncement on May 27, this year.
“We are using this medium to inform the public and the media to be wary of activities of this set of opportunists who are the real profiteers behind the undeserved focus on Osun among the more than 20 states that are currently facing salary challenges.
“The APC government under Aregbesola in Osun has been having very fruitful negotiations with the labour and we can therefore say without any contradiction that the labour has no hand in this proposed protest.’’
The PDP responded to the claims by APC in a statement released by the Osun State party spokesperson, Prince Diran Odeyemi, and he said; “PDP observe with disillusion the allegation by Aregbesola and his paid agents that Otunba Iyiola Omisore and PDP are sponsoring workers to protest unpaid salaries.
“It is unfortunate that the sinking government still be engaging in buck passing when he should be busy looking for money
to settle unpaid salaries and allowances of workers.
“In the last one week, we have not issued any statement because we observe workers are rising to the occasion to fight for their rights.
“We are not involved as a party, Omisore is not involved and will never be party to any act of lawlessness but we demand from the governor to explain if he has paid these workers.
“Have they been paid their salaries? If no, whatever the steps they take inasmuch as such is within the ambit of the law, nothing can stop workers from demanding for their rights.”
